February 26, 2010
The Chicago Green Healthcare Initiative is a partnership between Health Care Without Harm and the City of Chicago. The Initiative’s goal is to protect public health by significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollution generated by energy use in the health care sector. CGHI is assisting more than 20 area hospitals reduce their energy consumption by as much as 10%, reversing current trends of annual energy usage growth up to 3%. CGHI’s ultimate goal is to work toward carbon neutral health care facilities.
Today’s funding is part of $7.8 million awarded nationwide to 20 different communities by the EPA today. The awards will be used to increase energy efficiency, save consumers money, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as create jobs and provide green job training. Preliminary calculations estimate that projects funded by these awards will result in 135,000 fewer metric tons of greenhouse gases being emitted annually by 2012, roughly the same result as removing 25,000 passenger vehicles from the roads, and will save more than $4.5 million per year in energy costs.
Durbin Announces $500,000 in Funding to Combat Greenhouse Gases in Chicago
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a $500,000 grant to the Chicago Green Healthcare Initiative (CGHI) to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Chicago-area hospitals by reducing their energy use.The Chicago Green Healthcare Initiative is a partnership between Health Care Without Harm and the City of Chicago. The Initiative’s goal is to protect public health by significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollution generated by energy use in the health care sector. CGHI is assisting more than 20 area hospitals reduce their energy consumption by as much as 10%, reversing current trends of annual energy usage growth up to 3%. CGHI’s ultimate goal is to work toward carbon neutral health care facilities.
Today’s funding is part of $7.8 million awarded nationwide to 20 different communities by the EPA today. The awards will be used to increase energy efficiency, save consumers money, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as create jobs and provide green job training. Preliminary calculations estimate that projects funded by these awards will result in 135,000 fewer metric tons of greenhouse gases being emitted annually by 2012, roughly the same result as removing 25,000 passenger vehicles from the roads, and will save more than $4.5 million per year in energy costs.