A sustainability leader from Ohio State is weighing in on the climate change phenomenon. The Commonwealth Fund recently invited Aparna Dial, senior director of sustainability and strategic services, to be part of a virtual panel.
The Commonwealth Fund was founded in 1918. The organization’s mission is to promote a high-performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, and people of color.
Panelists discussed climate change and healthcare delivery with the Board of Directors. Dr. Michael Drake, former president of Ohio State, serves as...
Ohio State recently was recognized for its commitment to environmental stewardship. The university received the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Gold Level award.
“We are really proud of this award as it is a recognition of the university’s leadership and vision and the fact that sustainability is an integral part of our university business practices,” said Aparna Dial, senior director of sustainability and strategic services.
The EPA recognizes businesses, industries, trade associations, professional organizations or local governments for their commitment to environmental excellence.
The group evaluated Ohio State using environmental stewardship criteria like...
Leveraging its strong commitment to sustainability goals within its physical environment, Ohio State secured the University System of Ohio’s first green bond designation with the successful issuance of its $600 million Series 2021A bonds.
Proceeds of the bonds will contribute to the financing of the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s new 1.9 million-square-foot inpatient hospital . The inpatient hospital’s sustainable design and construction standards will promote energy efficiency, conserve water, improve ecosystem services and divert waste.
Sustainability is at the heart of our healing mission, and we’re proud to share that, as a result of our hard work, the Wexner Medical Center has been awarded the Environmental Excellence Award from Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in health care.
Despite the unprecedented times during the last year and a half, the medical center successfully reported achievement across 11 different areas of sustainability through the annual Environmental Excellence Awards program . It highlighted our community involvement, investments in resilience and how we address racial equity and health disparities.
As part of Ohio State’s Earth Day 2021 activities, the Sustainability Institute recently hosted a virtual presentation to discuss the Rapid 5 project, a partnership among the Columbus District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI Columbus) , Metro Parks, MORPC, Franklin County and others. Erin Prosser, Ohio State’s director of community development for Planning, Architecture and Real Estate (PARE), and Alicia Gaston, ULI Columbus senior director, presented the latest details and the comprehensive vision behind the project.
“Everyone is really hungry for this idea of looking at our natural resources from a regional perspective,” Prosser said. “There’s an...
Aparna Dial approaches sustainability with a view through three lenses: She immigrated to the United States from India. She’s a woman in a male-dominated field. And she’s been an eyewitness to the ways environmental impacts do not affect everyone equally.
That perspective leads her to propel discussion and action when it comes to issues such as the inequities of environmental impacts and the barriers faced by women in STEM.
“The biggest driver for me was to give a voice for people who didn’t have a voice,” Dial, senior director of sustainability and strategic services in...
Ohio State is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day all spring! Visit the Sustainability Institute's website for a listing of events and activities that celebrate sustainability.
Celebrate Earth Day with the Medical Center Green Team This is the third year the Medical Center Green Team is organizing special opportunities to celebrate while also complying with the rules and regulations due to COVID-19.
Bring confidential documents to be shredded and recycled on Friday, April 23 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Other personal, non-medical center or university issued, items that can be dropped off...
Rainwater and water from vehicle washing and over-irrigation flow into storm drains located in parking lots, streets, and gutters. These drains are connected through a series of underground pipes that carry water directly to our rivers, lakes, and streams.
Unlike the sanitary sewer that carries water from the drains in your home to the wastewater treatment plant, the storm sewer system carries untreated water straight to the river. Everything that goes into a storm drain is discharged into our waterways.
The Ohio State University Columbus campus achieved a gold rating within the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).
Ohio State’s 2019 gold rating is good for three years and places the university among leading national and international colleges and universities, according to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) that administers STARS.
“Sustainability is a major focus at Ohio State, and this honor recognizes the significant progress we continue to make as a university,” said Jay Kasey, senior vice president of Ohio State’s Office of Administration and Planning.
Being a Buckeye takes on many forms, including giving back to the campus and the community. Generosity was on display this weekend as warmer weather welcomed green-focused clean-ups across the Columbus campus.
Students came together to tidy the Jennings Hall rain garden and Aronoff bioswale. The volunteers weeded beds, picked up trash and mulched while Facilities Operations and Development (FOD) supplied the mulch and a truck to place yard waste.
Over at the Longaberger Alumni House and Fawcett Center, a separate group of volunteers focused on invasive plant removal and tree planting. The student groups from Society for...
