{"id":3912,"date":"2015-07-29T18:20:23","date_gmt":"2015-07-29T18:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/2016\/05\/13\/sustainability-science-goes-to-the-hospital\/"},"modified":"2024-07-23T15:48:12","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T19:48:12","slug":"sustainability-science-goes-to-the-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/sustainability-science-goes-to-the-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability Science goes to the hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Parkland Memorial Hospital. For some, the name conjures images of a Presidential motorcade, Lee Harvey Oswald, the Texas School Book Depository, and the shock surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Parkland Memorial is the place Kennedy was pronounced dead.<\/p>\n

While the public will never forget the events of that fateful day, Miranda (Jolliff) Skaaning \u201913 is working to make a name for Parkland in other ways.<\/p>\n

As Furman\u2019s first Sustainability Science graduate, the southern Illinois native was tagged by Parkland Health & Hospital System to serve as waste stream coordinator for the health care giant, a position which expanded to her current post as sustainability coordinator. In a role seldom seen in the hospital setting, Skaaning oversees recycling, energy, and water conservation among other programs. Her duties touch all aspects of sustainability including purchasing decisions.<\/p>\n

\"Sustainability<\/a>

Sustainability Science major, Miranda Joliff Skaaning \u201913<\/p><\/div>\n

Back in 2013, Skaaning headed up efforts to implement single-stream recycling so that all plastic, paper, aluminum, and cardboard was funneled to one place\u2014no small feat considering the hospital employs 10 thousand. She also led the charge for pallet, battery, and print cartridge recycling to lessen the hospital\u2019s contribution to landfills.<\/p>\n

Now, Skaaning and another staffer make up the \u201csmall but mighty\u201d team that tracks 29 recycling and nine waste streams, while charting the amount of waste diverted from the landfill. The two are looking to increase the recycling participation with Parkland\u2019s new 2.1 million-square-foot LEED Gold acute care facility slated to open in summer 2015.<\/p>\n

When Skaaning signed on with Parkland, the task ahead of her wasn\u2019t entirely new. For her senior thesis she worked with Earth and Environmental Sciences professor Dr. Brannon Andersen to prepare \u201cThe Ecological Footprint of Furman University.\u201d \u201cThe data we collected was very similar to the type I\u2019m collecting now. The project rolled over very well into what I do here,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Skaaning also credits her liberal arts exposure at Furman for her success at Parkland. \u201cIt has helped me to see the big picture, because a lot of times, people only think about money when it comes to sustainability. The ability to sell our programs in a way that not only speaks to the environment, but also the social and economic aspects, really brings in a larger audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Skaaning, who is earning her master\u2019s through the University of Texas at Dallas, sees herself elevating sustainability to whole new levels at Parkland. Overseeing an entire staff dedicated to environmental concerns is her goal. She\u2019d also like to become an advocate for local and organic food options at the hospital\u2014something she learned about through working in the Furman garden.<\/p>\n

While many hospitals dabble in environmental issues, Skaaning and company are dedicated to steering an entire organization to think and act along environmental lines. \u201cI think it\u2019s really good that Parkland has embraced the idea of having a sustainability team because we can address recycling, energy conservation, and other concerns. That\u2019s our focus,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Learn more about the Sustainability Science major<\/a> and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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