CIR’s Western Members Are Going Green!
Dr. Suganya Karuppana from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center poses next to her 2005 Toyota Hybrid Prius.
CIR’s environmentally-conscious physicians in our Wesern region are “going green” to create a healthier, more sustainable environment.
“As a physician, I see the effects of the environment on my patients every day,” said Dr. Suganya Karuppana, CIR Southern California Vice President, and Family Medicine resident at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. “A majority of my pediatric patients have contracted asthma from the poor air quality caused by emissions from nearby oil refineries,” she said, adding that children and infants are among the most vulnerable to negative health effects.
Influenced by what she sees, Dr. Karuppana made the decision to reduce her own eco-footprint by driving a 2005 Toyota Hybrid Prius with a battery- powered engine that reduces pollutant emissions. “Though large changes can’t be made overnight, the little things we do over time can make a difference for our children’s future,” said Dr. Karuppana.
Dr. Rachel Kreps-Falk from Children’s Hospital Oakland at her biodeisel station, “BioFuel Oasis,” a small cooperative in Berkeley, CA.
Dr. Rachel Kreps-Falk, CIR Northern California Vice President, and a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Oakland, drives a car that operates off biodiesel, a fuel that is non-petroleum- based and made out of renewable resources derived from vegetable oils. As a result, it produces lower greenhouse gas emissions.
“To work towards creating an environmental shift in our society...you can start by making small conscious decisions, from recycling to using reusable bags at the grocery store,” said Dr. Kreps-Falk.
Dr. Casey KirkHart, a CIR Family Medicine resident at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, fills his car with waste vegetable oil (WVO). WVO requires an engine conversion, whereas biodiesel requires conversion of the actual vegetable oil. Using alternate fuels, Dr. KirkHart feels, is one important way to go green. His switch “also stems from my desire to not support the behaviors of oil companies with destructive practices.”
Dr. Sean Zager and Dr. Joseph Eichenseher posing in their serene community garden at Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa
Out of their cars and into the workplace, CIR members have also transformed hospital space into green space. At Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa, California, Drs. Sean Zager and Joseph Eichenseher developed a community garden together with their colleagues. The once unused back patio was converted into a garden sanctuary with vegetable and herb boxes, potted plants, vegetable trees, and park benches for enjoying the soothing environment. A labor of love, the garden, begun in June 2008, is being built solely from donations and volunteer labor. A future project is being planned to create a similar community garden that patients can participate in. “Our choices reverberate into the community, and ultimately the environment,” said Dr. Eichenseher. In addition to participating in the community garden,Dr.Eichenseher and nine other Sutter residents ride their bikes to work every day.
In Albuquerque,New Mexico. Dr. Drew Harrell of Emergency Medicine and his partner Andrea Harrell, an Intensive Care Unit Nurse, go green by riding their bikes to work, composting, reusing collected runoff water, and growing a majority of their own produce in their backyard. They also raise chickens! “Being a part of a larger environmental movement in Albuquerque has fostered a greater sense of community, even at the hospital,” states Dr. Harrell, allowing the couple to engage not only with neighbors, but also with patients, attendings, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other colleagues.
CIR leader Shipra Bansal,MD, of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is active in the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports, which works to reduce emissions around the ports. She believes that, “we are all interconnected and the actions of one person can impact another on the other side of the world.” She subscribes to the philosophy that we should “Live simply, so that others may simply live.”
CIR members across the western region have been discussing how to move towards more environmentally safe waste management practices and alternate sources of energy in collective bargaining agreements at their hospitals. The range of suggestions include establishing a recycling program, replacing styrofoam, instituting electronic record systems, turning TVs off at night, and creating greener spaces, such as rooftop community gardens.