Kaiser Permanente to Spend $30 Billion on LEED Gold Certification

Health care facilities and hospitals are joining the movement toward green building and sustainable design. As many of these facilities use over twice the energy of buildings of the same size, many are looking toward renovation and green construction to solve this problem and minimize the impact on the environment. Last week, Kaiser Permanente announced that its hospitals are being redesigned to meet LEED Gold standards.

Kaiser Permanente is a leader in green building practices and currently has 11 hospitals that make use of solar energy. The organization plans on spending about $30 billion to reconstruct its old and new facilities and view this commitment as a commitment to not only to the health of the environment, but also to the health of the public.

Group Health Clinic from the Daily Journal of Commerce

Kaiser Permanente is not alone in this major movement, however, and the U.S. Green Building Council has recently promoted LEED for Healthcare, which helps meet the unique needs of hospitals. As healthcare facilities often must provide 24/7 service to a number of patients, USGBC is working with Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC) to promote sustainability in these buildings. Last month, Group Health clinic in Puyallup, Washington became the first building to earn LEED for Health Care certification.

GreenEDU currently offers a Sustainability for Healthcare Facilities Webinar. This introductory webinar will provide an overview of the importance of incorporating sustainable strategies in facilities, as related to the occupants, the immediate community, and the global environment. The course identifies the drivers to create the LEED for Healthcare rating system, focusing on the importance of integrated project delivery. Register now!

For more information and to register, please visit http://www.greenedu.com/sustainability-for-healthcare-facilities-webinar-courses