Going green makes me red in the face

Aurora77 · Nov 4, 2011

Pt gets a pacer in EP, they use tubing for NS and ABx, then toss instead of sending with pt to floor, even though they will get 3 more doses of ABx.

The tubing used in our ED is not compatible with the IV pumps used on the floors, so when pts come up to us, we have to change out the tubing, throwing out something that's only hours old. I haven't been able to find out why this is; I can't imagine IV tubing is cheap.

OC_An Khe · Nov 4, 2011

Going green is not all bad if done correctly. For example all patient data on line is a time saver, but only if you have a hand held device to access it when YOU need the information and not have to walk to the nursing station to access a computer. Oh I forgot handhelds cost money and that would negate the money saved on paper and ink... forget about the productivity costs that paper and pencil prevent.

aubrn · Nov 4, 2011

If I get one more email or anyone from management continually talking about going green, carbon footprint, save the earth, blah blah blah - I AM GOING TO SCREAM!!!!
All I want to do at the start of a shift is print up my list of patients and recieve report. Can't do that now...its online only. Seeing as I go room to room without the computer and i have not memorized the patients names, what use is that for introductions and reference?
"You are saving the earth and its bounty"
Call me old fashioned but i require paper and pencil....
Go Green, Climate Change, Green this, Green that
Let me tell you something: The only green i care about has pictures of dead presidents on it
This is somewhat related but not really : The OBSESSION with organic food/trader joes.
Am I the only person who sees this as insanity? Its a recession, nobody can afford the basics, gas prices rise by the hour and people shop for Organic food because its "healthier"
Another news flash: Your choice $4.00 for a gallon of milk or $7 for a gallon of milk? Organic veggies all came from the same place as non-organic veggies.....in the earth with cow poop!

I am a paper writer too. I cant imagine. I would bring in my own paper and transpose the information, sure it will take longer than printing but I could not work without my sheets?

Lol, you made some funny comments.... I needed the laugh because I lack the green paper with dead presidents on it because I cant find a nursing job.

It seems the going green thing can get way out of hand, it should be a choice not a requirement.

JustaGypsy · Nov 4, 2011

oh... what I would give to get my hands on a real mercury thermometer again...

dudette10, MSN, RN · Nov 4, 2011

IMO, saving paper and ink cartridges is the least of the "going green" concerns for any medical facility.

Lights up bright as day 24/7, everything disposable, unused and wasted liquid medicines down the drain, single dose vials and pill packaging, etc.

Sometimes I wonder if there is a better way of ensuring patient safety and reducing medical waste at the same time.

fromtheseaRN, BSN, RN · Nov 4, 2011

Not buying organic because it too expensive to support your local farmer is sort of like buying import cr@p at Walmart 'cuz it's too expensive to buy American made.

exactly. :yeah:

Scrubby · Nov 4, 2011

My department is trying to get us to recycle in the OR. I wouldn't have a problem with this but the recycling company the hospital uses has stipulated that plastic and paper have to be separated. I don't have to separate paper from plastic at home when I'm recycling and until this is changed most of us are refusing to do it. The annoying this is most of our sterile items come in packing which has a plastic front and paper back. We're supposed to rip the plastic from the paper which is time consuming and one nurse has already had a shoulder strain injury from doing it.

dscrn · Nov 4, 2011

The ironic thing is that those CFL lightbulbs that the green movement is promoting contain mercury which is a toxin. The new light bulbs have to be dumped in a toxic waste facility, and if one breaks in your home you have to follow certain procedures such as opening a window, shutting off ac or heat, donning gloves, mask, and coveralls, and using sticky tape to gather the dry particles. How can that be good for the environment or more importantly people. But hey, think of the money you will save. LOL

AGREED! I really don't understand the UN environmental nature of these bulbs. Since these suckers have mercury in them, whose to say that they aren't emitting low levels of the substance-after all, they are in contact with electricity. All the talk about avoiding certain fish due to mercurhy-but soon,,,the new bulbs are going to be the only type you can buy.. Better start hoarding the good ones...

Another green item is the resusable shopping bags-most of them smell so horrifically that they need to outgas ouside for quite a while. The lead-or whatever yucky substance that these bags are painted with is horrible...

abbaking · Nov 4, 2011

I am all for recycling and save the trees

What i have a problem with is the Hybrid cars, energy saver electronics, and all that hype. Its fuuny, I remember way back in the early 90s there was hype about saving the environment, then for a while it died down and after Al Gore's documentary, its blown up all over but bigger.

But what if its all a little to late?

Its like the pink (breast cancer) movement. Started small and personal but now every time i go grocery shopping there is some food item with the Pink Ribbon on it or the cashier asking for a $1 donation.

Call me self centered and rude but I think that the breasy cancer band-wagon is already sensory overload and overkilled. I donate to lesser know cancer foundations because as I see it, the bigshots (Livestrong, Susan komen) have comercialized cancer into a disneyland holiday

dscrn · Nov 4, 2011

I am all for recycling and save the trees
What i have a problem with is the Hybrid cars, energy saver electronics, and all that hype. Its fuuny, I remember way back in the early 90s there was hype about saving the environment, then for a while it died down and after Al Gore's documentary, its blown up all over but bigger.
But what if its all a little to late?
Its like the pink (breast cancer) movement. Started small and personal but now every time i go grocery shopping there is some food item with the Pink Ribbon on it or the cashier asking for a $1 donation.
Call me self centered and rude but I think that the breasy cancer band-wagon is already sensory overload and overkilled. I donate to lesser know cancer foundations because as I see it, the bigshots (Livestrong, Susan komen) have comercialized cancer into a disneyland holiday

Have to agree with the pink overkill...Seems to me that they should be a bit more selective of the items that get the pink ribbon...potato chips and cake mix, REALLY? I think that eating a diet that does not include these things would go a lot farther to prevent disease..funny, you never see pink ribbons in the produce aisle...

MunoRN, RN · Nov 5, 2011

So the problem is that you're patient census isn't printed anymore but you can still view it? When you are viewing it, just hit "print screen", it's not really that complicated. I don't think the hospital "going green" movement is all that extreme, so far it's just a matter of catching up with what has been a basic expectation of everyone else for some time now. We recently "went green" in our OR's. We recycled nothing before and filled a larger dumpster every other day, now we fill the same dumpster every two weeks by recycling paper and plastic. All we did was a recycling can everywhere we had a garbage can, this isn't to the level of banning gas combustion cars, it's just an extra can. Printing things when you need them rather than just for the heck of it is the same idea.

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Nov 5, 2011

This is somewhat related but not really : The OBSESSION with organic food/trader joes.
Am I the only person who sees this as insanity? Its a recession, nobody can afford the basics, gas prices rise by the hour and people shop for Organic food because its "healthier"
Another news flash: Your choice $4.00 for a gallon of milk or $7 for a gallon of milk? Organic veggies all came from the same place as non-organic veggies.....in the earth with cow poop!

If someone wants their food grown and prepared a certain way and wants to pay for it - go ahead and go organic. As you point out, organic produce is not any healthier for you than commercial produce. If the customer wants to pay for it - fine.

I've had a lot of patients who were in the hospital because they ate a horrid diet filled with crappy processed foods. I haven't had a single patient who was admitted because they ate a healthy diet of lean meats, fruits and veggies that was commercial instead of organic.