ThedaCare: Receives recognition in Wisconsin Green Masters Program

Contact: WI Sustainable Business Council
Tom Eggert

Executive Director
tom@wisconsinsustainability.com
608-279-8608

Contact: ThedaCare
Paul Linzmeyer
Corporate Sustainability Manager
paul.linzmeyer@thedacare.org
920-735-7336

APPLETON, WI (February, 2015) – ThedaCare is one of the first companies to apply under Version 4.0 of the Green Masters Program, a reward and recognition program for Wisconsin companies committed to sustainability. ThedaCare scored very highly among healthcare companies and is being recognized as a “Green Professional”. As a Green Professional, ThedaCare has demonstrated continued leadership in the healthcare sector.

“ThedaCare is pleased to participate in the Green Masters program,” said Paul Linzmeyer, Corporate Sustainability Manager at ThedaCare, “Not only does it provide a way for us to gauge our improvement on our sustainability journey, but to help drive other companies to continue to improve on their efforts.”

“For the last three years, ThedaCare has been our top performing company in the healthcare industry,” said Tom Eggert, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. “They provide an excellent example for hospitals and clinics across Wisconsin, as well as any company looking to improve their sustainability performance. We are pleased to welcome them back to the program!”

ThedaCare is an organization whose mission is to improve the health of their communities. They believe this mission makes their work in sustainability even more important. They’ve made impressive reductions in their carbon, water, and waste footprints over the last few years, as well as integrated healthy, local food into their hospitals.

“Companies and organizations participating in the Green Masters program should tell their story locally and regionally as a means to get most, if not all companies to start on the sustainability journey,” Linzmeyer said. “An old Native American saying suggests it all – ‘We did not inherit the land from our ancestors but rather we borrowit from our children’. Right now that legacy for our children is not positive, and we need to reverse this through sustainability strategies.”

ThedaCare is a community health system consisting of seven hospitals: Appleton Medical Center, Theda Clark Medical Center, ThedaCare Medical Center-New London, Shawano Medical Center, Berlin Memorial Hospital, Wild Rose Community Memorial Hospital, and Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca. ThedaCare also includes ThedaCare Physicians, ThedaCare Behavioral Health, ThedaCare At Work, and ThedaCare At Home. ThedaCare is the largest employer in Northeast Wisconsin with more than 6,800 employees.

Applicants to the Green Masters Program are judged on a comprehensive range of sustainability actions, from energy to water use to educational outreach and governance. More than 175 Wisconsin businesses are participating in the program where the top twenty percent achieve the highest “Green Master” designation. For more information and a complete list of Green Masters Program participants, go to: http://www.greenmastersprogram.com.

The WI Sustainable Business Council is a network of Wisconsin businesses that are committed to operating in a sustainable/responsible way. The council works to educate businesses about sustainability, recognize businesses for their accomplishments, and bring companies together to learn from each other. For more information on the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council, visit http://www.wisconsinsustainability.com/