Environmental First for the MUHC
Montreal General first hospital in Canada to receive BOMA Level 3 certification
Last week, the Montreal General site of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) became the first hospital in Canada to receive Level 3 BOMA BESt certification (environmental performance) from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). BOMA BESt certification recognizes exemplary environmental performance across a number of categories, including energy efficiency, recycling, water reduction, waste management, emissions and others.
“We are very proud to have earned this distinction, which demonstrates the MUHC’s strong commitment to reducing the ecological footprint of all of our facilities,” said Yanaï Elbaz, Associate Director-General, Redevelopment, Planning and Real Estate Management. “We’re especially proud to have achieved Level 3 certification at the Montreal General, where our activities as a Tertiary Trauma Centre and one of Montreal’s busiest urban hospitals demand a high level of water and energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. We’ve found innovative ways to make this energy usage as efficient as possible, mitigating our impact on the health of the planet at the same time as we improve the health of our patients.”
This latest award continues a tradition of environmental leadership at the MUHC. Since 2003, the MUHC has implemented a large-scale energy-savings program across its sites, which has helped reduce the MUHC’s greenhouse gas emissions by 44,761 metric tonnes, equivalent to removing 1,825 vehicles each year from the streets of Montreal. Measures included the installation of energy-efficient equipment, improvement of the heating system, undertaking of preventive maintenance of existing machinery, and increased personnel training and awareness.
In March 2006 and May 2007, the Montreal General and the Royal Victoria became the first hospitals in Canada to receive BOMA Go Green certification. In November 2007, the the Montreal Children’s Hospital became the second hospital in Canada to receive the Go Green Plus certification. In November 2008, the Montreal Chest Institute and the Lachine Hospital were certified Go Green Plus. Since 2006, the MUHC has also been a member of the World Health Organization’s Health Promoting Hospitals.
The MUHC’s redeveloped Mountain and Glen campuses are being built and modernized to LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver standards, which will make the new MUHC one of the greenest hospital centres in North America.
About the MUHC
The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is a comprehensive academic health institution with an international reputation for excellence in clinical programs, research and teaching. Its partner hospitals are the Montreal Children's Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Neurological Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute and the Lachine Hospital. The goal of the MUHC is to provide patient care based on the most advanced knowledge in the health care field, and to contribute to the development of new knowledge. www.muhc.ca
About the MUHC Redevelopment Project
Guided by its mission and its role as the nerve centre of the McGill integrated university hospital network, the MUHC is carrying out a major Redevelopment Project that will help the Government achieve its vision for academic medicine in Quebec. Excellence in patient care, research, education and technology assessment will be fostered on three state-of-the-art campuses—The Mountain, the Glen and Lachine—and through strong relationships with healthcare partners. Each LEED®-registered campus will be designed to provide patients and their families with “The Best Care For Life” in a healing environment that is anchored in best sustainable development practices, including BOMA Go Green guidelines. www.muhc.ca/construction
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