Edward Rubinstein, Manager, Energy & Environment, UHN, shares the secret of going green and why a small change can have a big impact:
Over my years at UHN, I've had the privilege of seeing a lot of green stuff happen, from recycling programs, to new, energy efficient equipment, to the stuff growing in the bottom of my reusable coffee cup if I forget to give it a wash before leaving for the weekend. But when I think back, it's not the big, flashy lighting technology or the new, energy efficient chillers that I remember most... it's the people.
It's the nurse emailing to say, "We really need to recycle in our department," and then helping set everything up and spreading the word among co-workers.
It's the electrician stopping me in the hallway to say he's found a new type of energy efficient bulb, and then leaving a voice mail to say that he's installed a few, and could I take a quick look. It's the manager saying, "There's got to be a greener way of doing this" and then inviting me to work with their team.
It's the researcher asking what they should do with the leftover supplies they have at the end of their study, because it would be a shame to just throw them out, and the administrator posting a note on the Virtual Swap Room because they have extra office supplies they want to keep out of the trash. And there are far too many people to mention here.
When you add it all up, it really isn't the big flashy projects that greens UHN... it's all of us!
