Going Green the TVHS Way

What started as a simple idea nearly 50 years ago blossomed into an international movement in which we call Earth Day. 

Inspired by the 1964 Civil Rights Movement, Senator Gaylord Nelson envisioned a large-scale demonstration that would bring attention to environmental concerns and call upon individuals to engage in environmental protection efforts like recycling, reducing carbon footprint, and conservation. Since 1970, Earth Day celebrations have grown tremendously with 200 million people in over 140 nations and more than 17,000 organizations participating in the movement, according to the Earth Day Network. 

At VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS), our organization is committed to ensuring a cleaner and greener future for Veterans, staff, and the local community. 

TVHS employs two environmental protection specialists who are responsible for ensuring a safe health care environment for more than 141,000 Veterans and 5,100 professionals. The environmental protection specialists also manage the Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) Program. 

“Our GEMS Program provides our hospitals and clinics a framework for identifying, managing, and improving any tasks or procedures that may impact our natural environmental—especially the air, water, and soil,” said Jake Slivensky, safety engineer at TVHS. “Our health care system uses a lot of materials and energy, so our GEMS team jumps at any opportunity to educate staff on opportunities for recycling, energy conservation, and material recovery.”

In 2023, the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro, built in 1936, earned the coveted ENERGY STAR Certification with a score of 93 out of 100 thanks to the facilities management team’s conservation efforts. 

The facilities management team, led by Chief of Facilities Management for Nashville, George Yousef, completed extensive upgrades and enhancements to improve the hospital’s energy performance in electrical, mechanical, and water usage. ENERGY STAR certified buildings save energy, money, and help protect the environment by generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions than typical buildings. To be certified as ENERGY STAR, a building must meet strict energy performance standards set by EPA and must earn a score of 75 or higher. 

Most recently, TVHS held its annual spring cleaning event – an internal, weeklong effort aimed at reducing waste and creating a cleaner health care environment. More than 19.8 tons of trash was removed, and 5.4 tons of materials was recycled among 22 TVHS locations spanning from southeastern Tennessee to southern Kentucky with support from the TVHS Environmental Management Service and TVHS Supply Chain Service.

"We currently recycle cardboard, metal, and white paper," said Tina Taylor-Jackson, chief of environmental management service. "Last year, we recycled 145 tons of cardboard, 284.8 tons of shredded white paper, and 21.62 tons of metal. We also diverted 12.9 tons of plastic from the landfill by using reusable needle containers throughout TVHS. Our goal is to minimize the use of unrecyclable plastic bottles and determine the best way to effectively recycle materials that are recyclable."

Taylor-Jackson added that the safest plastics are those with recycling numbers two, four, and five. Plastic numbers one, three, six, and seven should be avoided she said.

This Earth Day, TVHS encourages Veterans, staff, and the local community to help make tomorrow a cleaner and greener world for the future generation of Veterans and VA employees. 

“We have opportunities all around us both in our professional and personal lives for recycling and reducing waste streams. Sometimes the smallest thing can make the biggest impact,” said Slivensky.