* Company: Memorial Hospital
* What: Recycled office cubicles
* How is it green? "100 percent of the product has been reused and there's been no use of any other additional natural resources, no raw materials or energy to fabricate or modify the materials," said John Jerman with Office Furniture Warehouse, which provided the cubicles. Mr. Jerman said that the cubicles can also considered to be green by refurbishing parts of it as opposed to buying an entirely new cubicle.
* When: August 2009 and January 2010
* Why do it this way? "It's thousands of tons of furniture that no longer goes into a landfill but gets redeployed back into the work environment," Mr. Jerman said. Randy Farnsworth with Memorial Hospital said the purchase of the cubicles was "fiscally responsible," calling the green benefits icing on the cake.
* Plans for expanding in the future? Through the Healthy Memorial Growth Green Project, the hospital is increasingly looking for ways to expand its efforts while focusing in existing projects such as the partnership with Orange Grove.
* Any suggestions for others considering green initiatives? "Start out small and don't try to save the world," said Liz Jenkins, coordinator for healthy community and advocacy at Memorial. Ms. Jenkins said companies should look around and find small, everyday changes to make.
* Is this an essential part of the business and why? Ms. Jenkins said the hospital's effort to be environmentally friendly goes back to its mission and commitment to local people. "We feel like we need to be good stewards and pass on something to the next generation."
-- Compiled by staff writer Tamara Best, tbest@timesfreepress.com