The potential is substantial. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program says an average commercial building can save up to 30% on energy bills through a combination of no-cost actions, strategic investment, and smart operations and maintenance. These savings can be reinvested in other priorities such as new technology and competitive salaries, while efficiency improvements can enhance the comfort, functionality and appearance of a facility.

My Green Doctor’s practice management coaching helps healthcare teams move from good intentions to organized action. Expert coaches identify practical opportunities, engage staff, establish priorities, and make manageable improvements across many topics over time.

Energy use is a good example. Opportunities may involve heating and cooling schedules; uses of lighting, computers and office equipment; purchasing decisions, or even coordination with a landlord or property manager. Because every facility is unique, expert sustainability coaches can best find those opportunities and offer a guided approach to decision-making and tracking progress.

Healthcare facilities have seen the benefits. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that Cleveland Clinic’s Twinsburg Family Health and Surgery Center achieved 36% energy savings and $246,000 in annual cost savings through low- and no-cost conservation measures. Hackensack Meridian Health’s Medical Plaza, an ambulatory care facility, achieved 20% energy savings and $1.27 million in annual cost savings. These examples demonstrate the opportunity created by identifying, prioritizing, and managing efficiency improvements.

My Green Doctor’s coaching progtam delivers similar results for outpatient clinics and practice. At Weill Cornell’s Internal Medicine practice at Payson House in New York City, a team led by Medical Assistant Shafon Cox and My Green Doctors’s Heather Massey MBA reduced its electricity bill by 19% and generated additional savings by eliminating the purchase of bottled water. The practice has recycling bins–it is even recyling its used batteries–offers brochures in English and Spanish to patients in the waiting room, has five minutes of My Green Doctor on the agenda of each monthly staff meeting, and proudly displays My Green Doctor’s Green Practice Recognition Certificate in the waiting room.

The result is more than a collection of individual environmental actions. What is emerging is culture of resource conservation and lasting operational improvement.