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Cleveland Medical Center has been honored with the “Sustainability Tracking Award for a Large Hospital” for 2017 from Key Green Solutions, the leading sustainability management software company. The award recognizes Cleveland Medical Center as the best performing large (>500 beds) hospital that is successfully measuring, setting system goals, benchmarking, and creating a culture of sustainability. Cleveland Medical Center stands out with their strong commitment to energy, waste, food, and purchasing. They achieved top 25% highest recycling, top 25% lowest in water, and top 25% lowest RMW. They were the highest performer in the following categories; Local/sustainable Food, Healthy Beverages, and Green Cleaning purchases.

The Key Green Solutions Sustainability Tracking Awards were presented in San Diego, CA at the Key Green Solutions reception on May 7, 2018

Dignity Health St. Mary’s Medical Center has been honored with the “Sustainability Tracking Award for a Medium Hospital” for 2017 from Key Green Solutions, the leading sustainability management software company. The award recognizes St. Mary’s Medical Center as the best performing medium (100-499 beds) hospital that is successfully measuring, setting system goals, benchmarking, and creating a culture of sustainability. St. Mary’s Medical Center stands out with their strong commitment to energy and waste. They achieved top 25% highest recycling, top 25% lowest in water, top 25% lowest RMW, and top 25% lowest energy used. They were the top performer in Healthy Beverages at 65.9%.

The Key Green Solutions Sustainability Tracking Awards were presented in San Diego, CA at the Key Green Solutions reception on May 7, 2018

TriHealth Bethesda Butler Hospital has been honored with the “Sustainability Tracking Award for a Small Hospital” for 2017 from Key Green Solutions, the leading sustainability management software company. The award recognizes TriHealth Bethesda Butler Hospital as the best performing small (0-99 beds) hospital that is successfully measuring, setting system goals, benchmarking, and creating and culture of sustainability. TriHealth Bethesda Butler Hospital stands out with their strong commitment to water. They achieved top 25% lowest in water. They also achieved top 25% in the lowest amount energy used. Bethesda Butler is the top performer in; Local/sustainable food purchases, recycling rate, and RMW rate.

The Key Green Solutions Sustainability Tracking Awards were presented in San Diego, CA at the Key Green Solutions reception on May 7, 2018

Sutter Health has been honored with the “Emerging User Award” for 2017 from Key Green Solutions, the leading sustainability management software company. The award recognized Sutter Health for their engagement and commitment to improving sustainability and growing the sustainability culture at their organization.

The Key Green Solutions Sustainability Tracking Awards were presented in San Diego, CA at the Key Green Solutions reception on May 7, 2018.

Key Green Solutions helped with the set-up of the Relay for Life Event in Walker, Michigan. The team was putting out signs along the track, setting up registration tent and tables, organizing t-shirts, and setting up the photo booth/arches.
Relay for Life is the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, which seeks to remember loved ones lost to cancer, honor survivors of all cancer, and raise money to help make a larger impact on the global impact of cancer.

Sister Mary Ellen Leciejewski’s connection to the environment began in childhood, where she and her four siblings spent most of their time outside in nature playing. As a four-year-old, she looked forward to 4am trips on Sunday mornings in Ohio to go morel mushroom picking in the woods with her father and older sister. These early memories shaped her appreciation of the environment which continued when she joined the Adrian Dominican Sisters and as she pursued her career teaching high school French for 20 years.
She loved working with children, and intended on making teaching in high school her lifelong career. She frequented the motherhouse in Adrian, Michigan where Caldwell Dominican Sister Miriam Therese MacGillis held a workshop entitled “The Fate of the Earth”, which detailed the impact humans have had on the environment and the inextricable connection between the health of Earth and human health. The seminar touched Sister Mary Ellen so deeply that she spent her summers off from school working on Genesis Farm, a 140-acre farm founded by the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell, New Jersey and at other environmental centers around the country. Following those experiences, she decided to pursue her interest in the environment by getting a Master’s in Ecology.
Adrian Dominican Sister Julie Hyer, who at the time was the CEO and President of Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz and Sister Susan Vickers, VP Shareholder Advocacy asked Sister Mary Ellen if she might be interested in taking a position at Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West) doing ecology work to make the hospitals throughout the system greener. At the time, Dignity Health had been talking about reducing waste and having a positive environmental impact. The minute Sister Mary Ellen walked through the doors of the hospital, she knew in her gut that this was where she wanted to be. It’s been twenty-one years since she made the transition into healthcare and sustainability, and her passion, enthusiasm, and hard work make her one of the most influential and respected people in the sustainability healthcare field.
Question: Sister Mary Ellen, I saw in the Dignity Health Sustainability Report that, “human kindness is the lens through which Dignity Health views our decisions and behaviors.” That is such a lovely sentiment coming from a very prominent healthcare system! Can you speak to how human kindness guides Dignity Health’s sustainability and goals?
Sister Mary Ellen: It IS a lovely sentiment! And scientific evidence confirms that kindness helps in the healing process. When we are kind to one another, we help each other heal. I believe that how we treat one another spills over into how we treat Earth and all its systems: air, water, soil, animals. It’s all connected! Humankindness is a powerful lens that helps us see those connections.
Question: I have heard and observed a very strong culture and support for sustainability goals and metrics within Dignity Health. There are a lot of organizations that struggle to get interest and support for sustainability initiatives. What insight and advice can you offer to organizations that want to have a stronger culture and commitment to sustainability?
Sister Mary Ellen: Find the people who are passionate about sustainability. Empower them to do the work that needs to be done. Collect information and hard data regarding costs and benefits of adopting (or not adopting) sustainability practices. Embed sustainability practices in systemwide policies. Keep communicating the connection between the health of the planet and the health of patients and communities you serve.
Question: What components do you attribute to the success of your organization’s sustainability goals?
Sister Mary Ellen: Support from Dignity Health leadership is key! We couldn’t continue down this sustainability path without support from our corporate and facility leadership. Other components include connecting with colleagues who are passionate about the environment and want to make a difference in the world; creating networks so that we can listen and learn from one another; celebrating our successes; being humble enough to know that don’t always have all the answers. Additionally, our collaboration with organizations such as Practice Greenhealth, other healthcare systems and our business partners have helped in the exchange of ideas and best practices.
Question: What do you view as your greatest career accomplishment and why?
Sister Mary Ellen: One of my greatest joys is building relationships and creating networks so that people feel empowered to speak out in this great and sacred work. Everyone’s gifts and talents are needed—NOW!
Question: Twenty years down the line, what would you envision for Dignity Health?
Sister Mary Ellen: I would envision us fully honoring the health of our employees, patients, and planet and that after each decision we make we ask the question: “How will this affect the planet?” I see this as important because if it’s good for the health of the planet it’s good for us!
Question: Do you have any form of mandatory training on sustainability for current employees and new hires?
Sister Mary Ellen: Each hospital offers a new employee orientation that includes a section on sustainability.
Question: That’s wonderful! Is there anything you would like to add or want our readers to know?
Sister Mary Ellen: Our partnership with Key Green Solutions and the services they provide are critical to our success and have stepped up our employee engagement. I see facilities inspiring each other through friendly and fun competition. Dominican Hospital, where I have my office, used to be number one for recycling and now Saint Francis has taken our number one spot. I need to call them and see what they’re doing because we’re coming for them!

Key Green Solutions kicked off the first day of Art Prize by volunteering at the S.O.R.T. station, which served as a waste station to help educate participants on how to properly dispose of their waste. S.O.R.T station bins and volunteers were stationed outside throughout the Art Prize venue, and enthusiastically educated visitors about the compost, recycling, and landfill options.
Art Prize brings nearly 400,000 visitors to Grand Rapids for an independently organized art competition, making the S.O.R.T stations an opportune time to educate and minimize waste from the event. The S.O.R.T stations are in partnership with Art Prize and the West Michigan Environmental Action Council, all of which is an effort to support the City of Grand Rapid’s commitment to sustainability.

The Key Green team got to flex their muscles and break a sweat in the name of helping the community. Key Green Solutions spent several hours working in one of eight urban garden lots weeding, mulching, and clearing an urban garden for a local Grand Rapids organization, Well House.

Well House provide safe, affordable housing for the homeless. The organization purchases vacant homes in Grand Rapids and turns them into beautiful and vibrant homes for those in need. Homes are provided to those in the most dire of needs and residents are allowed to stay until they are ready to move on. Their vision for the organization includes creating a vibrant community and neighborhood connected by land and the food from it, people, and culture.
Their eight urban gardens provide residents with an opportunity for income and freshly grown produce to eat. The organization even offers cooking classes to residents to inspire them to cook more and use the ingredients from the garden.
Rachel Brown, Relationship Coordinator, commented, “It was such a positive experience for our organization to work with Well House. We all feel aligned with their purpose to help those in need and the urban garden is beautiful and functional. We look forward to spending more time volunteering in their urban garden. “

Dignity Health has been honored with the “Emerging User Award” for 2016 from Key Green Solutions, the leading sustainability management software company. The award recognized Dignity Health for their engagement and commitment to improving sustainability and growing the sustainability culture at their organization. Over 80% of the hospitals are above average in energy use efficiency. Over 75% of the hospitals are above 25% recycling.

The Key Green Solutions Sustainability Tracking Awards were presented in Minneapolis, MN at the Key Green Solutions reception on May 16, 2017.