EnviroStars has awarded the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle with the EnviroStars-Recognized Leader distinction for its environmental leadership within the community (press release, pdf 174 KB).
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has demonstrated that it embraces a philosophy that good business goes hand-in-hand with environmental responsibility and that limiting a corporation’s ecological footprint is an essential element of today's business strategy.
With this new category, EnviroStars aims to demonstrate to other businesses within the region that successful business leaders recognize the necessity of incorporating sustainable practices and the impact on their bottom line.
The distinction is focused on how Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center performs in these areas:
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Highlights
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) is an independent, nonprofit research institution dedicated to the development and advancement of biomedical research. It has performed exceptionally within its market category and excels at its efforts to protect the local environment and the health of its community. Some highlights include:
- In reducing its ecological footprint, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center:
- Builds to achieve LEED certification for its new construction
- Continues to establish energy and water-conserving infrastructure in older facilities
- Promotes a chemical redistribution service that encourages waste minimization
- Increases employee participation in commute reduction programs
- Implements an indoor air quality program
- The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is consistently recognized for its excellence in spreading an ethic of environmentally responsible business practices and support for environmentally responsible businesses. Awards and accolades include:
- Board position on the Medical Industry Roundtable (MIRT) which focuses on sharing waste reduction/new technology information among the industry and government
- 2004 Mayor’s Environmental Leadership award
- Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow (BEST) Energy Conservation Award and Innovation In Conservation Award
- As the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center expands and renovates, a priority on “green” design and construction has allowed the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to conserve 18 million kilowatt hours of electricity, 338,000 therms of gas, and 15 million gallons of water annually. Examples of environmentally-sound building practices by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center include:
- Retrofitting existing infrastructure for energy efficiency
- Emphasizing proper maintenance and operation of equipment
- Designing the new research facility at Lake Union with conservation measures up-front
- Educating faculty, staff and the community on energy conservation
- The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center places a high priority on reducing, recycling and properly disposing of hazardous waste/materials. The Hazardous Materials Program offers services to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, with the following objectives:
- Ease the hazardous materials responsibilities and risks of employees
- Assure environmental protection through proper disposal of waste
- Help reduce waste
- The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center offers a chemical redistribution service that proactively works to check with internal labs to determine if specific chemicals can be used by others rather than disposed of.
- The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center encourages efficiency of transportation for staff and patients. For example:
- An incentive grant program tripled employee participation in commute reduction programs
- One employee was hired specifically to promote and help establish carpools and vanpools
- Shuttles are provided to staff and patients with service to and from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the University of Washington and Children’s Hospital facilities.
- The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center established an indoor air quality program in order to ensure a positive link between indoor environment and occupancy health.
- Occupied laboratories are required to have six complete air changes an hour
- Air changes are done efficiently by having the temperature and air-change rate controls tied to the lighting circuit, thereby only operating air changes in areas that need them.
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