Mt. Pleasant, SC - Medical professionals are by nature very caring people. So it’s no surprise that that trait would carry over to a concern for the environment. Now a group of East Cooper Regional employees has set out to demonstrate their own commitment to the future of the planet.

The group of employees, which call themselves the Green Team, are led by Delores Minnix, East Cooper Regional’s Payroll Coordinator. After researching the ways in which the hospital’s operations impact the environment, the team developed a plan to help offset those factors.

Naturally, East Cooper Regional established its own environmentally-sensitive policies some time ago. Some of the measures undertaken by the hospital included replacing Styrofoam cups in the cafeteria with eco-friendly paper cups, recycling batteries and light bulbs through the engineering department, and establishing cardboard collection points.

The Green Team decided to augment those efforts with some ideas of their own. They began by inviting Theresa Martin, Specialist for Charleston County Waste and Recycling, to speak on Earth Day at the kickoff of East Cooper Regional’s internal recycling program. Reusable shopping bags were given to employees who attended the event. The Green Team then distributed bins throughout the facility for the collection and disposal of aluminum cans, plastic, glass and paper products, which they now regularly collect for recycling.

Future projects being considered by the team include eliminating the use of bottled water in the hospital and developing transportation alternatives for East Cooper Regional Medical Center employees.

East Cooper Regional Medical Center is a 104-bed acute care hospital located at 1200 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mt. Pleasant. The hospital has been serving the medical and healthcare needs of the greater Mt. Pleasant community since 1986. East Cooper Regional strives to be the primary health care facility in its community, providing services such as women’s care, spine and general surgery and neurosurgery services. East Cooper Regional Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. To learn more about East Cooper Regional Medical Center, visit www.eastcoopermedctr.com.