During her session at HEALTHCARE DESIGN.10, Jane Rohde, AIA, FIIDA, ACHA, AAHID, LEED AP, and principal of JSR Associates Inc. discussed some of the findings she saw during her travels throughout the United States completing Green Globes third-party assessments for continual improvement of existing buildings for 21 VA hospitals.

Covering everything from energy to water usage to waste reduction and emissions, Rohde offered some primary recommendation she had to offer following the experience on how to enhance sustainable activities. Among those were:

• Conducting appliance and major equipment audits;

• Evaluating local opportunities for procurement;

• Continuing Planetree initiatives;

• Executing a mercury reduction plan;

• Using microfiber materials;

• Conducting a lighting audit;

• Monitoring water usage and reducing waste; and

• Having an emergency response plan in place for all systems.