The Sarkis & Siran Gabrellian
Women's & Children's Pavilion
Hackensack University Medical Center
"I believe even the environment
in a hospital should heal."
Deirdre Imus, Founder and President
The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center
The new Sarkis and Siran Gabrellian Women's and Children's Pavilion at Hackensack University Medical Center is "Green Building" in action. It is one of America's first environmentally responsible and sustainable healthcare facilities. And The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center™ is proud to have played a leading role in the selection of environmentally responsible building materials and processes in this special healing facility.
The concept of Green Building encompasses energy efficiency, Green Building materials, indoor air quality, waste minimization and disposal. The new Pavilion meets or exceeds guidelines for Green Buildings established by the U.S. Green Building Council. It will also serve as a resource and role model for hospitals and other large buildings throughout the nation.
About 15 percent of the construction costs were for environmentally preferred choices, many of which pay for themselves in reduced costs for energy, and human and environmental health. The idea is to create a stronger demand for Green Building concepts. The more these products and processes are adopted, the lower the initial cost.
Browse the Environmental Features of the New Pavilion
Take a Guided Virtual Tour with Deirdre Imus
Children are the Reason
As part of our mission at the Environmental Center, we want to educate the public and legislators about ways to minimize and eliminate toxins in our environment. One of the ways we do that is through our award-winning Greening the Cleaning® program,* first developed at Hackensack University Medical Center. The program is an outreach of our larger mission:
To identify, control, and ultimately prevent
toxic exposures in the environment
that threaten our children's health.
That's why we are involved in Green Building and indoor air quality issues. We set an example in our own office environment, advise commercial customers on green initiatives and Green Building choices, and serve as a realistic voice on legislation impacting environmental health.
See news releases:
N.J. Breathes Easier with 'Green Cleaning' Executive Order
N.Y. City Can Score on Green Cleaning Standards
N.Y. Governor Pataki Signs 'Green Cleaning' Executive Order
* Greening the Cleaning® means eliminating
to the greatest extent possible,
all cleaning agents containing hazardous
ingredients and replacing them with
naturally-derived ingredients
with the least level of toxicity.
Building Green
To learn more about environmental principles and how to incorporate them into your construction project, explore the following links:
EarthPledge
U.S. Green Building Council www.usgbc.org
Center for a New American Dream www.newdream.org
Greening Healthcare
The Sarkis & Siran Gabrellian Women's & Children's Pavilion
Green Guide for Healthcare www.gghc.org
Green@Work "Protecting Brand Value"
www.greenatworkmag.com, Sept/Oct 2005