Sustainability at RUSH: The Story of Saving Furniture and the Planet – with Rheaply

Summary

At Rush Medical Center, the small environmental sustainability team is driving big change by engaging departments in a culture of reuse. By using the Ripley platform to repurpose furniture and reduce waste, staff save money and cut environmental impact. Success stories, like a librarian saving thousands on furnishings and a pharmacy administrator diverting over 2,000 pounds of furniture from landfills, highlight the initiative's widespread success. The program not only fosters sustainability but empowers employees to make a global impact, creating a ripple effect across the campus and connecting sustainability with everyday work.

Takeaways

• 😀 The environmental sustainability team at Rush Medical Center consists of two people, Ian and the speaker, but their goal is to engage the entire organization of 11,000 employees in sustainability efforts.
• 😀 The team focuses on collaborating with departmental experts who have decades of experience, ensuring that their work is acknowledged and supported rather than disrupted.
• 😀 They joke about being a 'department of two trying to be a department of 10,000,' highlighting the challenge of scaling sustainability initiatives across a large organization.
• 😀 Accountability for waste management is emphasized as crucial to the success of the sustainability program at Rush Medical Center.
• 😀 A key initiative involved salvaging tons of usable furniture from a building being demolished in 2020, preventing it from going to a landfill.
• 😀 The furniture was posted on Ripley, a platform for reusing items, with playful and creative descriptions, making it more engaging for employees to participate.
• 😀 A particularly memorable item was a 'moderately creepy' painting, which sparked interest and became a conversation piece in one department.
• 😀 The use of Ripley on campus has helped shift focus from reactive recycling to proactive reuse and reduction, promoting more sustainable practices.
• 😀 Notable examples of successful reuse include a library assistant saving $2,000 on furniture for a study space and a lab manager saving $6,000 while outfitting a new lab.
• 😀 A pharmacy administrator named Melissa has emerged as a 'reuse champion,' personally facilitating the removal of 2,000 pounds of furniture from the landfill for her department.
• 😀 Power users of Ripley within departments actively encourage their colleagues to join the platform, further driving the success of sustainability initiatives at Rush.
• 😀 Nursing professionals are particularly passionate about sustainability, and the team's initiatives give them an avenue to contribute to the global impact of environmental efforts beyond their clinical roles.

Q & A

What is the main challenge faced by the environmental sustainability team at the Medical Center?

The main challenge is that the sustainability team consists of only two people, Ian and the speaker, trying to implement sustainability practices across a large organization with 11,000 employees. They need to engage departments that have been doing sustainability work for decades and ensure they feel supported, not replaced.

How does the sustainability team approach engaging with other departments?

The sustainability team works by engaging with experts in various departments, acknowledging their experience, and empowering them to become advocates and champions for sustainability within their own teams. The goal is to collaborate rather than impose changes.

What is the significance of the joke about being a 'department of two trying to be a department of 10,000'?

The joke highlights the team's small size compared to the massive scale of the Medical Center. It underscores the challenge of making a large impact with a limited number of people, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and advocacy within the organization.

Can you describe the example involving furniture removal from a building being demolished in 2020?

In 2020, the team helped remove usable furniture from a building that was going to be demolished. Instead of allowing the furniture to end up in a landfill, they posted it on an online platform called Ripley for other departments to reuse. This initiative not only saved resources but also encouraged sustainable reuse.

What role does humor play in the team's sustainability efforts?

Humor is used to make the process more engaging and accessible. For instance, when posting items on Ripley, the team used humorous descriptions, like calling a worn-out desk 'Charming desk with lots of Personality,' which made the process fun and encouraged people to get involved.

How did the use of Ripley contribute to the sustainability efforts at the Medical Center?

Ripley helped facilitate the reuse of furniture and other resources, saving money and reducing waste. It encouraged departments to adopt a proactive approach to sustainability by reducing and reusing items instead of buying new. The platform became a catalyst for the hospital's sustainability goals.

Can you give examples of departments or individuals that benefited from using Ripley?

Yes, several departments benefited from using Ripley. For example, a library assistant saved $2,000 on furniture for a new study space. A lab manager saved $6,000 by furnishing a new lab using reused items from Ripley. Additionally, an administrator in the pharmacy department helped save 2,000 pounds of furniture from the landfill by redistributing it within her department.

Who is considered the best example of a sustainability champion within the organization?

Melissa, an administrator in the pharmacy department, is considered the best sustainability champion at the Medical Center. She has single-handedly pulled thousands of pounds of furniture out of the landfill, organizing the redistribution of these items to staff who needed them.

How does the sustainability team involve nursing professionals in their initiatives?

Nursing professionals, who are passionate about both healthcare and sustainability, are encouraged to participate in sustainability efforts by using platforms like Ripley. The team's sustainability initiatives offer nursing staff an opportunity to contribute to environmental goals, which aligns with their values of caring for both people and the planet.

What impact does tracking sustainability metrics have on the Medical Center's decision-making?

Tracking sustainability metrics is essential as it allows the team to demonstrate their impact on both the environment and the hospital's bottom line. These metrics are presented to the executive leadership (C-suite), which helps ensure continued support for sustainability initiatives and shows that these efforts are not only environmentally beneficial but also financially prudent.