Kaiser Permanente’s Livermore Medical Offices Recognized for Environmental Responsibility

Kaiser Permanente’s Livermore Medical Offices was named a StopWaste Business Efficiency Award Winner by StopWaste for their efforts in waste reduction and environmental responsibility. The medical offices received the “Waste Reduction in Excellence in Healthcare” designation.

StopWaste offers businesses and institutions in Alameda County free help to lower operating costs, increase efficiency and protect the environment through recycling and waste prevention improvements. Their awards honor Alameda County businesses and institutions whose leadership and continuous efforts to improve environmental performance and business efficiency have achieved outstanding results. Since the inception of the awards program in 2000, well over 100 Alameda County businesses and institutions have been recognized.

At an awards ceremony on March 13, 2014 in San Leandro, Sue Reynolds, site director for Kaiser Permanente’s Livermore Medical Offices accepted the award in front of a crowd of roughly 150.

“We are so honored to receive this award,” said Reynolds. “Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to many green initiatives especially in the area of reusing, reducing and recycling… we have outside containers for all of our cardboard and organics as well as indoor containers for our confidential papers which are first shredded and then recycled.  And we will have our bottles and cans in a formal recycling program by late May. Our Green Team has done tremendous work and I thank Eugenio Nieves, housekeeper in Environmental Services, Derek Lee, Environmental Health & Safety Coordinator, and Elizabeth Ricard, of Livermore Sanitation for their considerable help. We look forward to implementing additional green initiatives at Kaiser Permanente’s Medical Offices in Livermore and contributing to zero waste in the future.”

Kaiser Permanente’s Livermore Medical Offices was selected for the award because of its comprehensive green initiatives:

· Landscape plant debris has been separated for composting since 2010.

· Compostables collection program was expanded last March to include paper towel waste in addition to non-confidential paper, cardboard and recyclable containers. These changes keep approximately 60 tons of materials out of the landfill each year.

· As part of Kaiser Permanente’s centralized distribution system, the Livermore Medical Offices receive deliveries of medical supplies, documents and pharmaceuticals in reusable plastic totes instead of cardboard boxes, effectively reducing cardboard waste. 

· The Medical Offices started a 10-member Green Team with participants across all ranks and levels, to explore and implement additional sustainability measures.  

State Senator Ellen Corbett’s office presented Reynolds with a certificate of recognition at the event, “commending Kaiser Permanente Livermore for its strong sense of integrity, responsibility and outstanding display of leadership in the business community.”

Other award winners included:  America’s Best Coffee Roasting Company, traX, The Sacred Wheel, South Shore Center, Carriage House Apartments, Reliance Metalcenter, Recology Grover Environmental Products, Republic Services Newby Island Compost Facility -- Super Humus Compost, WM EarthCare and the Zero Net Energy Center -- IBEW and NECA Electrical Training.