Many businesses in the Upstate have gone to great lengths to go green, whether it's starting employee recycling programs, or shifting tons of landfill waste into recycling bins. Now, a local hospital system is taking it one step further.
Inside this vast warehouse are just some of the many items that are recycled by the Bon Secours St. Francis hospital…and to go green and save green, they even use worms.
“At our current rate, were going to need about five earths to just take care of all of the stuff.”
Karen Schwartz and her “green team” at St. Francis hospital have one goal.
“To become more ecologically aware of the impact we have on the earth.”
Since the “green team" was created over a year ago, the progress has been good.
“We have actually saved over a million dollars, enough to power 32 homes for a year,” explains Schwartz.
Karen says health care is an industry that uses a lot of energy, but her employees use their energy to go green.
“We've seen just a tremendous outpouring of interest in the behavior changes here at work, which will translate into behavior changes they will make at home.”
Changes like composting.
“Learn some more and did some more research on worm composting.”
Wait...what did he say?
“Worm composting.”
Got it. Worm composting takes less time to produce quality soil for the St. Francis community garden.
“We take our vegetable trimmings that we have from cucumbers, or tomatoes or squash and we grind it up into smaller pieces.”
Green Team member Paul Manuel is the food service director.
“So, this was trash that was going to the landfill and now becomes food for our worms.”
Manuel says there's even more benefits from the worms.
“Another by product from our worm composting is our worm tea,” explains Manuel.
It's liquid fertilizer...a kind of sweet tea for plants...and it's pretty popular.
“Right now we're all out of our worm tea. We sold out about a week ago.”
Aluminum cans, containers and a community garden...all part of St. Francis’ plan to go green.
“By doing this community garden, then we are promoting that as well as trying to make a difference in the greater community.”
One worm at a time.
St. Francis health system is also working to divert 42 tons of office paper from the waste stream and they've completely eliminated mercury in devices and lab chemicals.
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