The Issue
The construction and use of buildings consumes billions of tons of raw materials, generates significant waste, consumes a tremendous amount of energy and contributes toxic emissions to the air. Given this impact, there are significant opportunities to improve environmental quality and human health through the green planning, design and construction of health care facilities.
Health Care Without Harm is at the forefront of efforts to transform the way hospitals are designed, built and operated, through its involvement with the Green Guide for Health Care, a multi-year project of Health Care Without Harm and Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems. This free tool is the the first quantifiable sustainable design, construction and operations toolkit customized for the healthcare sector, and is being used by leading health care institutions around the world to build facilities that are healthier for people and the environment.
Latest News
- Green Guide for Health Care launches revised Operations Section (pdf)
- Sustainable Health Care Architecture, a resource from Robin Guenther and Gail Vittori, Co-Coordinators of the Green Guide for Health Care
"There's a myth that building a greener facility is substantially more expensive, but sometimes you can do the right thing at less cost."
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Key Resources
- GGHC website
- Green Guide for Health Care (pdf, requires free registration)
- Top 10 Green Building Myths Busted (pdf)
- Green Building:
Costs and Financial Benefits - GGHC Brochure: Imagine (pdf)
- FAQ about GGHC
