By Healthcare Facilities Today

Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt., is one of the top 50 health care organizations in the country committed to “green” practices Becker’s Hospital Review, according to a press release. Hospitals were chosen based on consistent efforts to lower their carbon footprint and operate sustainably, among other factors.

Becker’s used data from multiple organizations to develop the list including the Environmental Protection Agency and Health Care Without Harm, a 520 member international coalition working to transform the health care industry, the release said.

Fletcher Allen was one of the first organizations in the country to sign Health Care Without Harm’s “Healthy Food in Health Care Pledge” and created the Center for Nutrition and Healthy Food Systems, which brings hospital leaders together to discuss and update their sustainable nutrition efforts. Approximately half of the food served to patients at Fletcher Allen is locally sourced and as much of the meat purchased as possible is produced without the use of therapeutic antibiotics. In addition, energy conservation efforts saved the hospital more than 5.8 million kilowatt hours of electricity between 2008 and 2013.

The food service program won two awards earlier this year from Health Care Without Harm: first place in the sustainable food procurement category, and the Exemplary Food Service Professional award given to executive chef Richard Jarmusz, the release said

The academic medical center has also received the highest honor for five years in a row from Practice Greenhealth, was picked for the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence and was named to the "Best Workplaces for Commuters" list by the National Center for Transit Research.