Message from the CEO
SCCM Ramps up “Green” Initiatives
David Julian Martin, CAE
CEO/Executive Vice-President
Society of Critical Care Medicine
Wait long enough and all things seem to come back in style. Environmentalists in the 1960s tried to make the world more “green,” but mass consumerism seemed to get in the way. For most in the mainstream, environmentally friendly practices stood on the sidelines until the new millennium, when hurricanes and tsunamis sparked debate about climate change. Then, Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth brought the potentially catastrophic effects of global warming to the big screen and to the attention of the world. Businesses that have spent years looking at productivity improvement and cost containment to better the bottom line have started to change their perspectives. With rapidly increasing costs for everything from natural resources (heating, paper, water, etc.) to waste disposal, green has become the new black; it’s very chic and saves money, too! What more could we ask? The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) took the opportunity to ramp up its environmentally friendly initiatives while preparing for the move to its new headquarters in Mount Prospect, Illinois. Many of those initiatives are now in place.
Start Simple
Society staff started removing paper from operations many months before the physical relocation. Records previously kept in paper format, such as continuing education files, journal manuscripts, and accounts payable records, were scanned electronically and added to SCCM’s new central database, Document Locator®. All employee workstations were equipped with dual computer monitors to facilitate easy viewing of scanned documents, and a number of efforts were enacted to reduce the inflow of paper into SCCM headquarters. For example, when a member sends a meeting registration form to the lockbox on Eagle Way in Chicago, Illinois, it is scanned by the bank, properly disposed of and sent along electronically with a copy of the remittance information.
By making minor alterations to the supplies used to conduct business, the Society is reducing landfill waste and the need for new, natural resources. This plan also has been implemented at SCCM-affiliated meetings.
Pounce on New Opportunities
In the new Mount Prospect office, staff recycles copy paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, polystyrene thermal insulation, batteries, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), old computer equipment and battery chargers, reducing a significant amount of office waste. Recycling these items reduces waste production and gives new life to commonly
used resources. In addition to purchasing sustainable products whenever possible, all of SCCM’s copy paper is now 30% recycled, which cuts down on the new wood fiber needed to print office documents. However, the need to print office documents has decreased thanks to Document Locator.
The Society also has made a commitment to reduce staff waste at mealtime and during the many committee and business meetings held at the new headquarters. The Society no longer purchases daily toss-away coffee cups, paper plates or plastic utensils. By utilizing reusable dinnerware (ceramic, glass, and stainless steel) as well as the energy efficient dishwashers found in both kitchens, SCCM conserves formerly wasted energy and resources. Imagine the amount of reduced waste and saved energy after nearly 60 people eat their lunches everyday for just one week!
The headquarters facility also was built with an eye on being green. The heating and cooling systems are energy efficient, and the lighting system is automated to minimize power consumption. Much of the new office furniture was designed to have minimal impact on the environment. The furniture is lightweight and made of significantly fewer components than other furniture in its class, which means that fewer materials and manufacturing processes are used in its creation. Its ergonomically correct style results in fewer work-related aches and pains, reducing the use of medications and trips to the family doctor.
Expanding Our Reach
Green changes do not stop with SCCM’s daily, in-office activities. These changes are just as important when it comes to large-attendance meetings, such the annual Critical Care Congress.
Green meetings, green hotels, green convention centers, green suppliers, and international awards for being green are all beginning to grab the limelight in the meeting management world. "Green is sexy, finally. I never thought I would live to see this," said Amy Spatrisano, principal of Meeting Strategies Worldwide, a management, consulting and training firm based in Portland, Oregon, that specializes in green meeting services. Demand within the industry is growing. A 2006 survey by IMEX, a major international exhibition for meeting and incentive travel, reported that 67% of buyers took the environment into account and 61% of buyers would deliberately avoid a destination or venue with a poor environmental record. The Society’s meetings department considers these issues when choosing meeting destinations.
The Hawaii Convention Center, home of the 37th Critical Care Congress, recycles paper, plastic, and aluminum; it also conserves energy with open hallways that don’t need air conditioning. The Society extends these measures by encouraging speakers to use electronic handouts, reusing attendee badge holders, donating unwanted meeting bags to charity, employing reusable signage printed with vegetable-based inks, and donating any large amounts of leftover food to shelters.
Publishing and marketing activities also reflect this green initiative; both departments now are using recycled paper with as much post-consumer recycled content as possible. For example, the 2008 Pharmacotherapy in Critical Illness conference registration brochure was printed on recycled paper. The Society is working closely with its suppliers and printers, including the journals’ publisher, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, and encouraging them to provide recycled paper options. Staff also are working diligently to reduce the size and weight of publications to decrease fuel consumption and shipping costs. Print materials are produced with limited white space, and related supplementary information is placed on the SCCM Web site rather than being printed. Efforts to reduce the number of bad or duplicate addresses in the central database also decrease the number of pieces produced and mailed. This not only saves the paper, inks and electricity used to print the piece, but it also eases the load on a mailing system that uses fossil fuels to attempt to deliver (and then return) erroneously addressed mail. Starting in April, issues of Critical Connections will be more environmentally friendly, using vegetable-based inks on paper that is chlorine free and contains 30% post-consumer recycled content.
The Society continues to develop and implement plans to direct registrations and product sales through its Web site. It always is looking to engage printers that use renewable energy and chlorine-free paper and will continue to explore environmentally friendly avenues. The goal is to implement green practices whenever possible, while making the experience positive for staff, meeting attendees, members, donors and industry partners.
What You Can Do
The Society has shown that even a relatively small non-profit organization can make changes across the board to help conserve the environment and, in turn, reduce costs. Many of these changes were made possible by the simple decision to organize a small office task force, which was suggested by one employee nonchalantly during lunch. As we like to say at SCCM, anytime is the right time for a great idea. This certainly was a great idea, and if SCCM is doing it, so can you! Find out what your workplace can do to lessen its environmental impact and suggest green alternatives in areas that need improvement. We can all do a part to improve our environment.
