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Recognizing its leadership in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has honored NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital with an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for Sustained Excellence in Energy Management, the energy program's highest honor. It is the fifth time the Hospital has been honored by the EPA — the most of any hospital in the country.

The award was presented at a March 18 ceremony in Washington, D.C. NewYork-Presbyterian was the only hospital to receive an honor this year.

"At NewYork-Presbyterian we know that supporting a healthy environment is an important part of supporting the health of individuals and the communities they live in," says Dr. Herbert Pardes, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. "We are very proud to once again be recognized by the EPA for our work in this area."

As part of the ENERGY STAR program, the Hospital pledged to reduce more than 3.5 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions for 2009 and exceeded this amount by 185 percent — among the four greatest reductions for a non-profit organization in the nation, according to the EPA.

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

• In 2009, the Hospital installed a 7.5-megawatt cogeneration plant that will reduce emissions of CO2 by more than 27,000 tons each year — equivalent to taking 4,600 cars off the road, while adding millions of dollars in annual cost savings.
• Also in 2009, three Hospital buildings were recognized by the American Society for Healthcare Engineers' E2C (Energy Efficiently Commitment) program for each reducing energy consumption by more than 10 percent.
• The Hospital's new Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center is expected to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. The building features recycled materials and is estimated to be 30 percent more energy efficient than a standard structure. In addition, the Hospital's Coleman Tower has received LEED-certified status.
• NewYork-Presbyterian is participating in PlaNYC, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's sustainability initiative. The Hospital has pledged to decrease carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent by 2018 and share best practices with other local organizations.
• NewYork-Presbyterian has an active sustainability program called NYPgreen with a full-time sustainability officer and volunteer "green champions" that encourage environmentally friendly practices throughout the organization. The Hospital also initiated "Earth Awareness Day," hosting workshops to educate staff and community on sustainability and energy efficiency.
• The Hospital has a comprehensive mixed-recycling program and composting program, and has committed itself to using environmentally friendly products. The organization has a fleet of hybrid vehicles and a staff rideshare program. This spring, it will begin hosting a farmer's market.

In its congratulatory letter to the Hospital, the EPA's Jean Lupinacci wrote, "NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's outstanding accomplishments demonstrate that improved energy performance can benefit the bottom line and protect the environment at the same time. Your commitment to smart energy management, your ability to measure and track progress, and your effort to communicate the importance of energy efficiency to a wide audience distinguishes NewYork-Presbyterian as an industry leader."

Forty-one organizations received awards this year, and 23 of these were for Sustained Excellence. They were selected from a pool of more than 15,000 ENERGY STAR partners.

Previously, NewYork-Presbyterian won Partner of Year awards for Leadership in Energy Management in 2005 and 2006, and Sustained Excellence awards in 2007 and 2008. The Hospital has been an ENERGY STAR partner since 2003.

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 1 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 largest and 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.