Smarter Purchasing at the UVM Medical Center

The University of Vermont Medical Center continues to invest in sustainable products and processes. We believe it's important to evaluate the environmental impact of our purchases and select healthy, safe, and eco-friendly products and services, when possible.

Greenhealth Exchange

The UVM Medical Center is a founding member of the Greenhealth Exchange, a purchasing cooperative that offers green healthcare products. We play an active role in this organization, with UVM Medical Center employees participating on both its board of directors and contracting committee.

Greening Our Clinical Spaces

We work with vendors who support our clinical waste reduction goals. This includes reprocessing single-use medical devices (collecting discarded equipment and remanufacturing it for reuse) and recycling sharps. These processes have helped the UVM Medical Center divert tons of waste from entering the landfill.

Eco-friendly Facilities

We purchase a variety of sustainable products to support facilities operations and maintenance. From our EnergyStar-labeled refrigerators and LED lighting fixtures, to our green cleaning supplies, we prioritize products that reduce energy consumption and limit toxicity.

Green Cleaning Practices

In every possible case, The UVM Medical Center uses environmentally-friendly cleaning products. Over the last five years, we have systematically replaced non-green materials and worked to reduce the total number of products in use. This change has been driven by an increase in patient and visitor sensitivity to airborne chemical compounds, and by our commitment to green health care.

Using products that clean multiple surfaces at different concentrations have allowed us to reduce the number of cleaners and provided opportunities to clean more efficiently. Key benefits include improved air quality and reduced packaging.