We all recognize the Energy Star logo on refrigerators and other appliances. Since 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Energy Star rating to products that are determined to be energy efficient in their class. What My Green Doctor readers  may not know is that Energy Star is a great tool for the entire healthcare office to save energy and money. In this blog, I explain how you can generate substantial savings for your business and your home with the combination of My Green Doctor as your practice management guide and the easy-to-use Energy Star Portfolio Manager ..read more

“I’ll Be Joining an Environmentally Friendly Practice” Archeta Rajagopalan, BS As a medical student, I see the profound environmental wastefulness in the clinics where I’ve trained. I also see see the impacts of climate change. The seasons were distinct when I grew up; now we have deadly summer hot spells, delayed autumns, and warmer winters. It distresses me to see such drastic change in my own short lifetime. How much more will threaten  the health of my patients and me during my decades ahead as a doctor? Mother helping her son with asthma inhaler. The industry that will employ me in ..read more

Claim Your $7,500 Solar Tax Credit The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act signed into law in 2022 contains hundreds of billions of dollars to lower healthcare costs and to build roads, bridges, and public buildings. It also contains a huge tax credit for rooftop solar panels that every health professional and practice manager should consider for their home or business. Act now to take advantage of up to $7,500 in tax credits for 2023! Whether you live in the United States or elsewhere, this five minute blog from My Green Doctor explains the nuts and bolts of adding solar panels and backup battery po ..read more

Gas stoves are a significant health risk. This is true especially for children and the elderly. People who live in homes with gas stoves have more asthma, lung disease, and cardiovascular issues. We explain here the risks and offer steps that families who live in a home with a gas stove can take for better health. You will learn why some health professional societies and governments are urging a switch to electricity for cooking. “Gas stoves” refers to cooking using methane (also called “natural gas”) or propane. Burning these fossil fuels releases toxic fumes into the air of the kitchen: nitr ..read more

“I’ll Be Joining an Environmentally Friendly Practice” Archeta Rajagopalan, BS As a medical student, I see the profound environmental wastefulness in the clinics where I’ve trained. I also see see the impacts of climate change. The seasons were distinct when I grew up; now we have deadly summer hot spells, delayed autumns, and warmer winters. It distresses me to see such drastic change in my own short lifetime. How much more will threaten  the health of my patients and me during my decades ahead as a doctor? Mother helping her son with asthma inhaler. The industry that will employ me in ..read more

Environmental Injustice:  Learn the Risks to Your Patients Joy Lloyd-Montgomery Environmental injustice could be the most important health risk factor you’ve never heard of.  Why is a child in your practice falling behind in school?  Why does a teenager have asthma?  Why does a young adult have peripheral neuropathy or a young professional report multiple miscarriages?  Each of these problems may have its roots in environmental injustice. Health professionals who understand the principles of environmental justice are better prepared to recognize the patients at risk in ..read more

Claim Your $7,500 Solar Tax Credit The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act signed into law in 2022 contains hundreds of billions of dollars to lower healthcare costs and to build roads, bridges, and public buildings. It also contains a huge tax credit for rooftop solar panels that every health professional and practice manager should consider for their home or business. Act now to take advantage of up to $7,500 in tax credits for 2023! Whether you live in the United States or elsewhere, this five minute blog from My Green Doctor explains the nuts and bolts of adding solar panels and backup battery po ..read more

Gas stoves are a significant health risk. This is true especially for children and the elderly. People who live in homes with gas stoves have more asthma, lung disease, and cardiovascular issues. We explain here the risks and offer steps that families who live in a home with a gas stove can take for better health. You will learn why some health professional societies and governments are urging a switch to electricity for cooking. “Gas stoves” refers to cooking using methane (also called “natural gas”) or propane. Burning these fossil fuels releases toxic fumes into the air of the kitchen: nitr ..read more

PFAS chemicals seem to be everywhere these days: at the top of Mount Everest, in umbilical cord blood, in breast milk, and in the news. In 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced new health advisories for PFAS in drinking water. My Green Doctor explains why PFAS are important and how your patients can avoid them. PFAS  is an acronym for the chemical group Per- and PolyFluoroAlkyl Substances.  The first was  invented in 1938.  A few have been banned or are being phased out in the European Union or the United States but several hundred PFAS are being manufact ..read more

How can we talk with our patients about climate change and health without disrupting the office visit? Dr. Andrew Lewandowski, a mid-career pediatrician in private practice in Madison, Wisconsin, has found a solution. He struggled for years to find a way to incorporate environmental sustainability and climate change into his practice. He recognized from the start that these topics could be time-consuming and even controversial with the potential to jeopardize the trust of some patients. In his words, the “lack of clinician education, perceived political nature of the issue, and limited underst ..read more