Mantra Scrubs

In order to be included in the Medical Service’s Medical Aids Directory, bandages and orthotic pads must comply, among other things, with minimum requirements for the physiological comfort of the wearer. The same applies to compression stockings and other medical textile products which are to display the “Physiological comfort mark” and the quality label issued by the Hohenstein Institute in Bönnigheim.

The critical factors for physiological comfort (i.e. the microclimate between the skin and the textile) are mainly the thermal insulation properties of the materials used and their ability to transport perspiration. When the product is in use, these two properties are often greatly affected by the material stretching as the body moves. This is why, in future, before testing the physiological comfort of bandages or compression stockings, the Hohenstein Institute will first calculate the actual (practical) stretching to which the article is subjected in use.

The same measuring process is used as when the compression characteristics (pressure and pressure patterns) are worked out in order to attain and retain approval for the Medical Aids Directory, in accordance with the RAL Quality Certification Mark 387 (RAL-GZ 387). During subsequent measuring of resistance to heat and water vapor permeability, in order to calculate the thermal insulation and breathability characteristics, the materials are subjected to that degree of stretching. This means that regardless of the type of fiber or the structure of the fabric, the test results are comparable and reproducible at any time, and these contribute to the physiological comfort mark of from 1 (very good) to 4 (adequate).

See story http://specialtyfabricsreview.com/articles/050411_bandage_comfort.html

This entry was posted on May 5, 2011 at 1:36 PM and has received 701 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced current top 50 list of the country's leading purchasers of "green" power – solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and small-scale hydroelectric. The listing is compiled from members of the EPA’s Green Power Partnership, which works with a variety of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies to local, state and federal governments, and a growing number of colleges and universities.

“We are delighted to see these Practice Greenhealth member companies identified by the EPA for their dedication to reducing their environmental impact”

These rankings, which are updated on a quarterly schedule, include three Practice Greenhealth member companies: Johnson & Johnson (at #7), BD (at #19), and Kimberly Clark (at #22).

These green power purchases help reduce the environmental impacts of electricity use and support the development of new renewable generation capacity nationwide. Purchase amounts reflect U.S. operations only and are sourced from U.S.-based green power resources. Organizations can meet EPA purchase requirements using any combination of three different product options: (1) Renewable Energy Certificates, (2) on-site generation, and (3) utility green power products.

“We are delighted to see these Practice Greenhealth member companies identified by the EPA for their dedication to reducing their environmental impact,” said Anna Gilmore Hall, Executive Director of Practice Greenhealth. “Their accomplishments exemplify those of our business members, who are committed to the highest standards of sustainability in product development, manufacturing, distribution, and life-cycle. A manufacturer’s commitment to social and environmental responsibility is driving a growing number of purchasing decisions within healthcare.”

About Practice Greenhealth

Practice Greenhealth is the nation’s leading membership and networking organization for institutions in the healthcare community that have made a commitment to sustainable, eco-friendly practices. Members include hospitals, healthcare systems, businesses and other stakeholders engaged in the greening of healthcare to improve the health of patients, staff and the environment. For more information on Practice Greenhealth, visit www.practicegreenhealth.org

Contacts

Practice Greenhealth
Mary Lisi, 888-379-6664
mlisi@practicegreenhealth.org

See story http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110505006108/en/Practice-Greenhealth-members-named-%E2%80%9Cgreen%E2%80%9D-power-purchasing

This entry was posted on May 5, 2011 at 1:23 PM and has received 564 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

By Stephanie Rogers

Environmental cleaning for hospitals

Although most hospitals have made strong efforts to control the spread of the disease, transmission of drug-resistant bacteria is still common and associated with severe health risks.

(iStock)

The bacteria can infect patients in hospitals when they enter the body through a cut, sore, catheter or breathing tube. Patients with weak immune systems are particularly at risk. Another drug-resistant infection, vancomycin-resistant enterococci(VRE), is less common but can also be fatal.

• Environmental services staff at the hospital are educated on the importance of repeated bucket immersion while cleaning.
• Rather than applying disinfectant directly to cleaning cloths, hospital cleaning staff are instructed to immerse the cloths in a bucket of disinfectant.
• Third, the effectiveness of the staff's cleaning routines is tested using black-light markers.

Green cleaning expert Stephen Ashkin of The Ashkin Group, a consulting firm that specializes in helping contractors and building owners “green” the cleaning process, recommends choosing a standard EPA-approved disinfectant (PDF) in a more concentrated formula to reduce packaging. He also notes that some of these disinfectants have lower levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), making them less harmful to the environment and human health.

See story http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/stories/environmental-cleaning-for-hospitals

This entry was posted on May 5, 2011 at 1:21 PM and has received 1087 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Green only hospital in San Diego County to make Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals List

San Diego – Scripps Green Hospital has been named one of the nation’s top teaching hospitals. It was the only hospital in San Diego County to make the 100 Top Hospitals list compiled by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care. This is the fourth time Scripps Green has been on the list.

Earlier this week, Scripps Green Hospital, Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and Scripps Mercy Hospital were recognized for high performance in 11 specialties in the inaugural edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals metro area rankings. These recognitions were in addition to the national ranking for heart and heart surgery for Scripps Green and Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla by U.S. News & World Report for 2010-11, which was announced in July 2010.

Scripps Green Hospital has served the La Jolla and greater San Diego communities with distinction since 1977, offering a variety of medical “firsts” – including San Diego’s first liver transplant program and one of the nation’s first hospitals to provide stem cell transplants. In 2009, the Graduate Medical Education Program, a partnership between Scripps Green Hospital and Scripps Clinic, received a five-year accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

“Our graduate medical education program is based on a solid foundation of patient-focused care and research,” said Robin Brown, chief executive at Scripps Green Hospital. “This prestigious distinction underscores that commitment to excellence and serving the health care needs of San Diego.”

The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals® study evaluates performance in 10 areas: mortality; medical complications; patient safety; average patient stay; expenses; profitability; patient satisfaction; adherence to clinical standards of care; post-discharge mortality; and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure and pneumonia.

To conduct the 100 Top Hospitals study, Thomson Reuters researchers evaluated 2,914 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals. They used public information – Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare Web site.

“This year’s 100 Top Hospitals award winners have delivered exemplary results, despite volatility from healthcare reform,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president at Thomson Reuters. “The leadership teams at these organizations have dealt with enormous ambiguity, yet remained focused on mission and excellence across the hospital which drove national benchmarks to new highs.”

More information on the study and other 100 Top Hospitals research is available at www.100tophospitals.com.

Learn more about Scripps Health, a nonprofit health system in San Diego, Calif.

See story http://www.scripps.org/news_items/3884-scripps-green-hospital-ranks-among-nations-top-teaching-hospitals

This entry was posted on May 5, 2011 at 1:18 PM and has received 832 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Michael Laing and Tess of PDSA in Sunderland who have won an award for green energy.

HOT dogs are helping slash heating bills at an animal hospital.

Body heat from the poorly pets and their owners is being channelled to help save energy costs from spiralling.

The sophisticated system at the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) PetAid hospital, in North Hylton Road, Castletown, utilises body heat and surplus energy from electrical equipment to power the building.

As well as helping to warm consulting rooms, offices and operating theatres, it also plays a part in heating the centre’s water supply.

Now the £1.6million hospital, which opened last year, has been honoured at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) North East Renaissance Awards, beating tough competition to win the sustainability category.

Newcastle-based Anthony Keith Architects incorporated the energy-efficient system into the design of the hospital, which means it does not need a traditional boiler.

A heat pump extracts warmth from the outside air, which is boosted by a second pump, captured body heat and solar panels.

A computerised management system then transfers heat to parts of the hospital where it is needed most.

“When it comes to body heat, the animals do help,” said architect Anthony Keith. “It all goes into the mix. We can move the heat around and water is also heated as is the floor, because animals lie on the floor.”

The Wearside hospital employs six vets, eight nurses, five receptionists, four veterinary care assistants and three animal care auxiliaries and treats animals whose owners are on benefits and can not afford to pay.

It includes a waiting room, six consulting rooms, two operating theatres, a dental suite and x-ray facilities.

The award judges singled it out for special praise.

“The PDSA Hospital building represents an evolution of design,” they said.

“Through the clever use of available technology, the building makes the most of heat generated by the users of the building to store and re-use energy, providing a sustainable source of hot water and warmth, and removing the need for a main energy supply to the building.”

Two other Sunderland-based projects were recognised among the region’s top developments at this year’s RICS North East Renaissance Awards, which were presented at Newcastle Civic Centre.

Transforming Hendon took the top prize in the Regeneration category, while the £7million refurbishment of Sunderland Station was highly commended in the Design and Innovation category.

See story http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/hot_dogs_cut_heating_bills_1_3304740

This entry was posted on May 4, 2011 at 5:04 PM and has received 367 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

US-based Textile Exchange announced the opening of the new Textile Exchange Europe office in Bristol, UK. The new office will enable the organization to work more closely with the Europe-based companies driving much of the growth in the sustainable apparel and home textile marketplace.

Textile Exchange Europe will be managed by existing staff and supported by a talented Board chaired by Simon Cooper, founder of CSR Consultancy Ltd. Trustee directors are Abigail Petit, founder of Vericott and the popular Gossypium brand, and Toby Shillito, a director at Business in the Community.

The new office is an example of the kind of organizational growth and expansion directed by David Bennell who is stepping down as the executive director of Textile Exchange May 7, 2011 (he will remain as senior advisor until July 7). Bennell has been integral to the successful conversion of what was ‘Organic Exchange’ to ‘Textile Exchange,’ supporting the industry needs of a rapidly growing market of other sustainable fibers. In addition to the organic cotton fiber market, manufacturers of apparel and home textiles now have extensive information and an integrated supply chain network to support a full portfolio of fibers to work with as they “green” their product lines.

LaRhea Pepper, founder and former executive director of Organic Exchange, and more recently senior director of Textile Exchange, will become the organization’s managing director. She will be supported by the senior management team of Heidi McCloskey - Senior Director, Communications + Resource Development; Sandra Castaneda - Outreach Director; Liesl Truscott - Farm Engagement Director; and Anne Gillespie - Industry Integrity Director.

“Textile Exchange would like to thank David Bennell for successfully rebranding and repositioning the organization to support the broader sustainable textile industry and for cementing relationships with key partners such as North Carolina State University, CEMATEX/ITMA, Outdoor Retailer, and CottonConnect,” said Eraina Duffy, Chair of the Textile Exchange Board and Senior Materials Researcher - Considered Team at Nike, Inc. “We look forward to continuing the growth and expansion of the Textile Exchange programs under the direction of LaRhea Pepper and the strong senior leadership team.”

See story http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=98378&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

This entry was posted on May 3, 2011 at 2:47 PM and has received 308 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

By Boston.com Staff

Four Boston resident groups, 11 businesses and two sustainable food leaders were winners of the city’s fifth-annual “Mayor’s Green Awards.”

Each was recognized during a ceremony at the new, “green” Atlantic Wharf skyscraper on Friday for “doing their part to make Boston a greener, more sustainable, and livable city,” said a city release.

“I continue to be impressed by the commitment and creativity of the businesses and residents who are working to green our city,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said in the announcement. “Each of these winners demonstrates every day how we can improve environmental quality while at the same time bringing growth and prosperity to our neighborhoods. Their examples prove that individual efforts can create real and lasting change in our environment.”

The residential awards went to groups or individuals in Roslindale, the South End, Jamiaca Plain and Beacon Hill, along with a special recognition from the Allston-Brighton area. The business awards went to four South Boston-based organizations, two from the West End, and one from Downtown, East Fenway, the North End, Roxbury and the South End. The food leader awards were claimed out of Charlestown and West Roxbury.

This entry was posted on May 3, 2011 at 2:28 PM and has received 290 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Austin Business Journal - by Sandra Zaragoza, Staff Writer

St. David’s HealthCare is stepping up efforts to do right by the environment.

The health care system created a "Sustainability Committee" to coordinate efforts to reduce resource used and improve environmental health and patient safety.

Additionally, St. David’s became a member in Practice Greenhealth, a leading group of health care organizations committed to eco-friendly practices. The organization is also collaborating on the city of Austin’s Universal Recycling Ordinance.

St. David’s hired Illinois-based Stericycle to help reduce regulated medical waste and solid waste.

“Environmentally conscious behavior is not new to St. David’s HealthCare; we have worked for years to reduce, reuse and recycle,” said Malcolm Belisle, St. David’s vice president corporate services.

In general, hospitals have high energy consumption rates. The American health care sector accounts for 8 percent of the U.S. carbon footprint, according to the University of Chicago Hospital.

The health care system has made progress in those efforts in the last few years, saving about 8 percent of total kilowatt energy by using energy-efficient equipment and managing energy more efficiently. The health care provider also reduced water consumption 13 percent and wastewater 15 percent.

“With this new initiative, we are increasing our efforts so that we may create a true culture of sustainability throughout our organization and serve as a change agent in the health care industry,” Belisle said.

This entry was posted on May 3, 2011 at 2:26 PM and has received 353 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

By Lillia Callum-Penso • Staff writer • Greenville Online

Jack Miller doesn’t look like an environmental activist. The 51-year-old Greenville father of two wears worn polo shirts and khakis, he drinks diet soda, and he only recently began recycling on a regular basis.

After weathering almost 30 years in a difficult and shrinking textile industry, Miller could have found a new career path. Instead, he’s found a new path within his former career. Miller and his business partners – local textile alum Marshall Johnson of Spartanburg, Gilbert Patrick of North Carolina’s Patrick Yarns and Denver-based Jerry Wheeler, a 20-year veteran of manufacturing and sales – are going green. The four are pinning their hopes for the future on clothing made from organic cotton and recycled plastic bottles.

The four launched earthspun this past fall, and Miller and Wheeler also launched SustainTex six months ago, specifically focusing on sustainable medical industry apparel. The new ventures have changed the way Miller and Johnson look at a lot of things, particularly their household trash “Since I’ve been involved in this business I haven’t thrown a single plastic bottle in a trashcan,” Johnson says, chuckling a bit. “It could be our shirt later.”

Sales of organic apparel grew by 16.1 percent last year, making it a $605 million industry, according to the Organ icTrade Association. That’s a huge change from a decade ago, says Sarah Marquardt, organic fiber spokeswoman for OTA.

“Organic has gone from hippie to hip,” Marquardt says. “Look at Stella McCartney or H&M, Benetton. They’re coming out with much more on-trend items and that’s exciting.”

SustainTex produces MantraMeds, a line of scrubs made from organic cotton and recycled polyester. In September, earthspun began producing a line of eco-tees made from recycled cotton and recycled polyester from post-consumer plastic bottles, used xray film and industrial waste.

The scrubs and the shirts are almost entirely sourced and produced in the Carolinas . The recycled polyester is processed in the Carolinas; the recycled cotton is from waste from Carolina mills. Spinning is at Patrick Yarns in Kings Mountain , N.C. ; the fabric is made in Central.

The T-shirts – which retail at $22 – are a ssembled at a Central American factory Johnson had worked with before, but the partners eventually would like to bring that component to the U.S. as well. The very local quality of the garments means not only a smaller eco footprint, but greater transparency of the production process, which is becoming more important as consumers grow more aware.

“If it’s made in the USA , particularly organic cotton, I know it didn’t travel around the world, I know it has organic cotton in it, I know it has recycled polyester in it because I trust the supply chain and I can check the supply chain,” Miller says of labeling. “I know the people got paid fair wages. I know the people that made it and I know environmentally, the discharge of water, air, from that facility would be within state and local compliance. I know I’m putting my dollars back in the community.”

A product that carries the organic label follows stringent guidelines set by the OrganicTrade Association. Fabrics must have at least 70 percent organic fiber content. Guidelines also specify how waste water is treated and that dyes and processing must be chemical free.

The earthspun apparel colors – green, blue, brown and gray— come from the actual recycled materials, eliminating the need for dyes.

But eco clothing doesn’t have the look you might expect. Far from plastic or utilitarian, the eco clothing the two companies produce is high performance, sustainable and even stylish. And that’s the point, Miller says. New technology has made green not just cost effective but functional and appealing to wear.

Eco clothing is not an entirely new concept. Patagonia began using polyester from recycled post- consumer plastic soda bottles in 1993. Since then, the outdoor apparel company has expanded the number of products made from the material, and other companies like Nike, Gap and even Wal-M art have followed suit.

“I’d say it’s a niche that’s growing more rapidly than any other part of the apparel sector,” Marquardt says of the green textile industry’s 40 percent average annual global growth rate.

For Miller and Johnson, the awareness came once they saw the connection between Earth-friendly practices and domestic business.

“I think my passion is more for domestic manufacturing than it is for environmental,” Miller says. “But I think they go hand in hand, in that American manufacturers overall do a fantastic job of manufacturing in an environmental way and a social way and an economic way.

“You can’t waste energy and still be in business; you can’t waste water and still be in business,” he says. “Do I drive a Prius? No.”

Miller admits, though, that being in the Earthfriendly textile business has made him a lot more aware.

The partners are hoping to build off of the growing swell surrounding the l ocal food and green building movements.

“Twenty years ago few people put solar on,” Wheeler says. “I see a future where I think manufacturing in general is done in an environmentally friendly way especially in textiles but it may not be termedas green. Maybe20 years from now it may not be seen as green, but just be good manufacturing.”

“I know I’m putting my dollars back in the community.”

— JACK MILLER of earthspun apparel

See story: http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20110423/LIFE/304230021/Local-textile-veterans-find-new-niche-in-a-green-world

• Lillia Callum-Penso can be reached at 864-298-3768.

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