WASHINGTON, DC – August 17, 2010 –
The Association of Climate Change Officers (“ACCO”)
announced today that Dr. Howard Dean, former Governor of
Vermont, head of the Democratic National Committee and
Presidential candidate, will keynote a gathering of a
distinguished group of healthcare professionals and thought
leaders at its upcoming conference, Healthy Hospitals:
Changing Climate in Healthcare Facilities and Institutions.
The full-day event takes place on September 29, 2010 at
George Washington University (GW) in Washington, DC and will
be co-presented by Practice Greenhealth, the Sustainable
Packaging Council, the United States Green Building Council,
ENERGY STAR Healthcare and the George Washington University
Institute for Sustainability Research, Education, and Policy
(“GW”).
The healthcare community ranks amongst the
top sectors in terms of gross energy intensity in commercial
buildings. The U.S. EPA estimates that 30% of the healthcare
sector's current energy use — or $1.95 billion — could be
reduced without sacrificing quality of care through a shift
toward energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
The Healthy Hospitals workshop will focus on
topics such as the role of green building design and
retrofits, facilities management, use of environmentally
sound products/procedures and supply chain protocols, and
their impact on improving patient health and response to
treatment, as well as reducing energy consumption,
operational costs, and greenhouse gas emissions.
“ACCO facilitates collaboration amongst
subject matter experts, our members and our partners to
address the very real business, economic and operational
risks and opportunities related to energy and climate
change,” said Daniel Kreeger, ACCO’s Executive Director.
“We’re excited to collaborate with such exceptional partners
to bring together the best and brightest in the healthcare
community with recognized leaders such as Governor Howard
Dean.”
In addition to Governor Dean, the program
will also feature senior officials and thought leaders from
organizations including the U.S. Veterans Administration,
U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Kaiser Permanente, Bayer, Waste Management, Health
Care Without Harm, GreenBlue, George Washington University
and The Johns Hopkins University.
“GW is very pleased to host this exciting
and important conference. At the GW Institute for
Sustainability Research, Education, and Policy, we recognize
the vital role of collaboration in advancing sustainability
in our organizations and throughout society, and
congratulate ACCO in organizing and leading this gathering.
We hope that focusing attention on the nexus of healthcare,
energy, and climate will highlight the need for an urgent
response to some of the most critical sustainability issues
of our time,” said Mark Starik, Director of GW’s Institute
for Sustainability Research, Education, and Policy.
The Association of Climate Change Officers
is a 501(c)(6) non-profit membership organization for
executives and officials worldwide in industry, government,
academia and the non-profit community. ACCO’s mission is to
advance the knowledge and skills of those dedicated to
developing and directing climate change strategies in the
public and private sectors, and to establish a flexible and
robust forum for collaboration between climate change
officers. For more information about ACCO, please visit
www.accoonline.org.
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