Sustainability Week. Mon 26th Thursday 29th March 2012

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1 Introduction Welcome to the spring issue of Green News. This season Ian and James have asked me, their new student placement, to guest edit the Green News. I am an undergraduate student studying Environmental Management at Northumbria University. As part of my work placement module, Ian and James have kindly allowed me to shadow them and let me learn what its like to be an Energy/ Waste Officer. Already this year we have started to see our hard work pay off and have been awarded a national recycling star award (more on page 2). There is still much to do with a busy year ahead including the rollout of mixed recycling bins at Freeman and the introduction of big energy saving projects such as new thermal insulation on all pipe work in the hospitals In this issue we re also inviting you all to come and get involved in our Sustainability Week. Come and visit our stall between Mon 26th Thurs 29th March to have a chat with us about how you can help make a difference in your ward or department by GOING GREEN! Wishing you all a Green and Happy Easter. Danielle Copsey (Guest Editor), James & Ian Sustainability Week Mon 26th Thursday 29th March 212 Wanting to learn more energy saving tips Confused over what goes into what bin? Wondering what is green transport? Come along and visit our stall; ask about any queries you have, speak to experts and ask how you can save money or how you can get more involved and become a green champion! Mon 26th MediCinema (RVI) 9-3pm Tues 27th MediCinema (RVI) 9 2:3pm Wed 28th Main Reception (FH) 9-3pm Thurs 29th Restaurant (FH) 9 2:3pm FREE ECO GOODIES TO GIVE AWAY Mouse mats and coasters made of recycled CD cases, Pencils made from Recycled Newspaper, Pens made from recycled plastic, and Much Much More. How it looked last year The photo opposite is the stall being set up outside the MediCinema in the RVI. Visitors to last years stand were very positive and found the stall very helpful. They were able to learn of the new developments in the pipeline especially recycling and new energy efficient lighting. This years stall is set to be bigger and better!! NHS Sustainability Day of Action ( We ve organised our Trust Sustainability Week to coincide with the first ever NHS Sustainability Day on 28th March 212. Organised by the NHS Sustainable Development Unit, and supported by the likes of Stephen Fry, it aims to promote the good work being carried out in the NHS and encourage all staff to do their bit to improve. Don t forget to us with any Green queries: environment@nuth.nhs.uk

2 GREEN NEWS Spring 212 Waste & Recycling News We re a National Recycling Star! The Trust has been awarded a Gold Star in the national recycling stars scheme. The highest honour is only awarded to organisations that manage to recycle and/or recover over 95% of their waste. As the Trust sends all the black bag waste that we don t recycle to an Energy from Waste facility, rather than landfill, we scored very highly in the awards. Not to mention that following the introduction of green bins for mixed recycling at the RVI we increased our recycling rate by 2% in just 6 months! Freeman will get the same bins rolled out this year. Our Trust Waste Officer, James Dixon, was asked to present a case study of the good work carried out in the Trust to the national recycling stars event in Edinburgh this month. A number of delegates voiced how impressed they were with our work so far, particularly given the unique challenges of recycling in a very large acute NHS Trust. Safety Warning - Incorrect Disposal of Sharps We still receive, on average, two Datix reports a month where sharps have been found in bags (instead of being disposed of in a sharps box). This is completely unacceptable practice and puts our staff (HCAs, domestics and porters) as well as contractor waste staff at risk of a needle stick injury and transmission of a blood borne virus (BBV). Your Sharp, Your Responsibility! James (middle of the three panel members) about to present at the event Green needle, found by our recycling contractor, in a clear bag of mixed recycling from the RVI in January BioBin An optional alternative to rigid plastic boxes The BioBin is a new generation clinical waste container that can help the NHS save money and the environment by considerably reducing the amount of plastic being incinerated every year. Special Features: - Made of 96% paper - Environmentally friendly (paper from renewable source) - Leak proof (built in lid) - Temporary & permanent seal - Space saving (stackable pre & post use) - Lighter than alternative plastic containers We currently use rigid yellow plastic containers to dispose of our medicinally contaminated waste (glass medicine bottles, giving sets, syringe bodies etc). The BioBin is an optional alternative for this. It is cheaper to buy, takes up less space to store empties and is cheaper to be disposed of. If you would like to see a sample or discuss these in more detail please contact James Dixon via . You can also visit for images and further details.

3 Jan-11 Feb-11 Mar-11 Apr-11 May-11 Jun-11 Jul-11 Aug-11 Sep-11 Oct-11 Nov-11 Dec Percentage (%) Jan-11 Feb-11 Mar-11 Apr-11 May-11 Jun-11 Jul-11 Aug-11 Sep-11 Oct-11 Nov-11 Dec Tonnes GREEN NEWS Spring 212 Waste & Recycling Graphs Cardboard Recycling (Trustwide) Cardboard recycling made approximately 6, in 211 (15 tonnes recycled) FRH RVI Newcastle Hospitals Recycling Rates Dip in recycling rate in December possibly due to the increase in nonrecyclable waste generated from staff Christmas lunches? Freeman RVI Whole Trust

4 GREEN NEWS Spring 212 Energy News Thermal Insulated Pipe Work Miles of pipe work run all throughout the hospital. Most of which radiates wasted heat. With thermal insulated pipe work it will trap this escaping heat saving thousand of pounds in wasted heat energy as well as saving hundreds of tonnes of carbon dioxide from generating this heat in the first place. Our Estates Team have started a large scale project of insulating our pipe work to reduce these losses and help save money and carbon. Insulation (like those pictured below) will be placed in ducts and voids where our pipe work can be found. Whilst this requires significant investment we have been able to demonstrate that the payback period is very short. Another good example of a spend to save scheme that will reap dividends in the future. Myth vs. Reality Myth: When an appliance is left on standby, it s off. Reality: Electrical products continue to consume power when on standby. Be especially aware of equipment that has a remote control: this is a telltale sign that the equipment is on standby while waiting to receive the on signal from the remote. ENSURE IT S SWITCHED OFF AT THE MAINS Myth: Turning a thermostat up to well above the temperature required will heat up a room quicker. Reality: A room will heat up at the same rate, whether the thermostat is set to 2 C or 25 C. If the thermostat is set above the temperature required, energy will be wasted once that temperature is achieved. Myth: Turning a computer on and off frequently uses more power and damages the hard drive. Examples of thermal insulation for pipe work, different sizes for different diameter pipes Reality: The belief that frequent shut-downs are harmful persists from the days when hard drives did not automatically park their heads when shut off. Modern hard drives are not significantly affected by frequent shut-downs.

5 GREEN NEWS Spring 212 Easy Energy Saving Tips Why leave it on stand by? Turn off printers and other electrical equipment when not in use. Turn off computers at the end of each day A computer monitor that is left on 24/7 wastes 66 of energy a year. In a Trust this size that adds up to thousands of pounds! Office lights left on overnight use enough energy in a year to heat a home for almost 5 months Day light is sufficient! Don t turn lights on for the sake of it- take advantage of natural light When leaving an empty room- make sure you turn the lights off behind you- don t expect others to do it instead Put a jumper on! Turn down the heating and close the windows in unoccupied rooms Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows The recommended office temperature is C. Comfortable temperatures of 19 C are usually maintained when the thermostatic radiator valve are set to 3. If the valve is kept at 5 or max there is no control over the amount of heat emitted from the radiator. A 2 C increase in office temperature creates enough CO² in a year to fill a hot air balloon Cooling Make sure the air-conditioning isn t on at the same time as the heating Make sure the windows aren t open when the heating is on Air conditioning an office for 1 extra hour a day uses enough energy in a month to power a TV for over a year Water Turn off dripping taps Wash your hands in cold water Bring your own water bottle and reduce on plastic bottle waste A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath