Center for Health & Nature Awarded Top Ranking with NIH R01 Grant
The Center for Health and Nature — a joint venture among Houston Methodist, Texas A&M University and Texan by Nature — has a fellow and principal investigator, Dr. Dongying Li, who has been awarded an R01 Research Project Grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The R01 grant received high honors as it was ranked in the top 2% of all grant applications received by the NIH. Dr. Jay Maddock, CHN executive director, and Dr. Chanam Lee, CHN fellow, will join Dr. Li on the investigative team. Their goal is to examine the effects of nature-based solutions in cooling senior living facilities in Houston and Chicago. It is an important topic given the extreme heat we continue to experience.
Introducing New Sustainability Service Line: Center for Critical Care Green ICUs Initiative
The Office of Sustainability team is excited about the positive response received across Houston Methodist as we continue to grow our efforts! In addition to the launch of our energy/facilities, supply chain and engagement workgroups in spring 2023, we recently launched our Green ICUs initiative in partnership with the Center for Critical Care led by Dr. Faisal Masud. Through this initiative, we have established the first Houston Methodist sustainability service line workgroup composed of faculty and staff systemwide. While green ICUs have been a health care focus in other countries such as Australia and New Zealand, this initiative is the first of its kind in the U.S. Contributing to these efforts is our virtual nursing program that has grown from the implementation of our virtual ICUs during COVID-19 and is now being studied for its positive impact on emissions reductions. Initiatives from the green ICUs workgroup will include waste reduction and recycling education through strategic engagement with our staff as well as emissions life cycle assessments to determine emissions impact and reduction opportunities in our ICUs.
Receive a Home Composting Pickup Program Discount Through YouDecide
To receive your entity discount code, log in to YouDecide and search “Moonshot.” If you have never used the YouDecide site before, use the code MTH052 to register.
Employees across Houston Methodist can join our entities in composting practices at home with little to no mess or commitment. HR Benefits and the Office of Sustainability have worked together to offer a discount on Moonshot Composting home services through YouDecide. Once signed up, you can monitor your lifetime contribution in pounds as well as your entity’s employee composting contribution via the diversion dashboard by clicking here.
Food waste typically ends up in landfills where it creates harmful methane gas and contributes to maximizing landfill capacity. Instead of ending up as harmful greenhouse gases, the food is turned into compost that can be used for yards and gardens, which helps to reduce water runoff and the need for lawn and garden watering.
Leave a Reply