ENGS 89/90 Reports

Year of Graduation

2024

Project Advisor

Britt Goods

Instructor

Sarah Crockett

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2024

Abstract

US Hospitals account for 8.5% of total national greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, an average hospital uses 49.3 gallons/ft2 of water, 31kWh/ft2 of energy, produces 8,400 lbs of solid waste, and receives over 170,000 visits per month.1 This reveals a chance for US hospitals to move toward a greener standard of care. Therefore, hospitals need a data driven way to make environmentally conscious decisions. The Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) aims to environmentally evaluate their “Hope Grows at Home” (HGH) program where qualifying premature babies can receive care from home. The program was selected because it was considered a representative example of a hospital program that has the potential to have a significant environmental impact. To achieve this, we designed a framework that will allow for the comparisons of two carbon footprints following Life Cycle Analysis guidelines. This project will allow hospital directors, environmentalists, and doctors to conduct comparisons to calculate carbon footprints for future research. Our goal is to conduct two LCA's: the NICU per eligible HGH baby and a home per HGH baby, then determine which program has a smaller carbon footprint. Scope of the Project: We created two preliminary LCA ’s, one for the NICU and one for an HGH home. After analysis, we developed a report of our process as a scaffold for future research. Methodology: Life cycle assessments (LCA) were used with the following methodology: 1. Goal and scope definition: The goal and scope are defined, including system boundaries (energy, water, waste, and transportation) and the functional unit (HGH eligible baby). 2. Inventory analysis: The inputs and outputs of caring for a HGH baby. 3. Impact assessment: The environmental impacts of the items are assessed using a variety of impact assessment methods: calculations and *LCA software and modeling. 4. Interpretation: The results of the LCA are interpreted to identify the setting with the lower carbon footprint and to provide recommendations for possible improvements. Deliverables: The objective of this project is to build a model to estimate the associated carbon footprint of the NICU and HGH programs. The model and corresponding framework aims to inspire the healthcare industry to create their own environmental analyses of care programs. Recommendation: The information that we collect from the LCA and its process will be valuable in helping the hospital to reduce its environmental impact and make more informed decisions about stewarding a greener standard of care.

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