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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital will receive an ENERGY STAR Award for Sustained Excellence in Energy Management, recognizing the Hospital's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. It is the sixth award for NewYork-Presbyterian — more than any other hospital in the country — and the only award of its kind given this year to a hospital in the Northeast.

The award will be presented at a ceremony today in Washington, D.C.

"I am very proud that NewYork-Presbyterian has once again been recognized for our continuing commitment to improving energy efficiency — an investment in the future that benefits our patients, the environment and our bottom line," says Dr. Herbert Pardes, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. "I commend the leadership of our energy team, who are exceptionally dedicated to achieving this important goal."

NewYork-Presbyterian is active in energy conservation efforts from the local to international level. In October 2010, the Hospital hosted a conference on global environmental initiatives that brought participants from around the world to discuss sustainability in the health care setting. On the national level, the Hospital is a member of the EPA's ENERGY STAR and Climate Leaders program and the Department of Energy's EnergySmart Hospitals initiative and Energy Alliance Steering Committee. On the local level, the Hospital is part of PlaNYC, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's sustainability initiative, and the New York Energy Consumers Council.

The 2011 ENERGY STAR award recognizes efforts by NewYork-Presbyterian to implement energy conservation projects representing a reduction of nearly 20,000 metric tons of CO2 and $7.7 million in energy savings in the previous year. As part of the ENERGY STAR program, the Hospital pledged to reduce 3.9 million pounds of greenhouse gases in 2010, and it exceeded this goal by 127 percent. Total savings in greenhouse gases for the time period were 4.9 million pounds of greenhouse gases, the equivalent of emissions from 376 passenger vehicles. According to the EPA, the Hospital ranks second for any nonprofit nationally in this measure.

Other examples of the Hospital's recent energy and environmental initiatives include the following:

• NewYork-Presbyterian's 7.5-megawatt cogeneration plant is reducing emissions of CO2 by more than 27,000 tons each year — the equivalent to taking 4,600 cars off the road, while adding millions of dollars in annual cost savings.
• NewYork-Presbyterian's Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification from the Green Building Certification Institute, one of only six hospitals in the country with a Gold or Platinum designation. The building features recycled materials and is estimated to be 30 percent more energy efficient than a standard structure.
• The Hospital's environmental workplace certification program and "green champions" encourage environmentally friendly practices throughout the organization.

Since 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital with its ENERGY STAR Award for leadership in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. In 2005 and 2006 the Hospital received Partner of the Year awards for Energy Management. In 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011, the Hospital received awards for Sustained Excellence in Energy Management — the energy program's highest honor.

NewYork-Presbyterian has also been honored with five 2011 Environmental Excellence Awards from Practice Greenhealth, a member organization dedicated to sustainability in health care. It is the third consecutive year the Hospital has been honored by Practice Greenhealth.

For more information, patients may call 866-NYP-NEWS.

EPA ENERGY STAR Program

ENERGY STAR was introduced by the EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants associated with energy use. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 kinds of products as well as new homes and buildings. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $18 billion on their utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas equivalent to that of 34 million cars. Products, homes and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR certification prevent emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA. For more information, go to www.energystar.gov.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, based in New York City, is the nation's largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital, with 2,353 beds. The Hospital has more than 2 million inpatient and outpatient visits in a year, including more than 220,000 visits to its emergency departments — more than any other area hospital. NewYork-Presbyterian provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division. One of the most comprehensive health care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area and is consistently ranked among the best academic medical institutions in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the nation's leading medical colleges: Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.