Evergreen Hospital Medical Center in Kirkland, which also serves the Redmond community, was named a 2010 Best Workplace for Recycling and Waste Reduction for the second consecutive year by the King County Solid Waste Division. The hospital, on the list as Evergreen Healthcare, is one of 75 businesses and organizations recognized for exceptional recycling programs and for its commitment to reducing waste.

Jim Overton, RN and captain of the hospital’s Green Team, credits the successful recycling and waste reduction program to continually educating staff about sustainable practices.

Evergreen recruits green representatives from different floors and/or departments to share information and encourage coworkers to recycle. New employees receive an environmental message during orientation. Tip Toe Tips, ideas for treading lightly on the planet, are regularly published in the employee newsletter, which is distributed through e-mail and online.

Evergreen Hospital held its second annual Earth Day event April 22, focusing on educating employees, volunteers and visitors about reusing, reducing and recycling.

A six-foot-tall cup monster made of plastic and paper cups, encouraged participants to drink responsibly and use reusable cups. Folks who brought their own cup received a free beverage. To see a video about Evergreen’s Earth Day, go to: http://bit.ly/bqEi50.

To qualify as a Best Workplace, Evergreen met a number of recycling and waste reduction requirements. The list includes prominently placed recycling bins, collection sites for used batteries, refilling and reusing toner cartridges, offering paperless billing and reusing mailing envelopes.

To learn more the 2010 Best Workplaces, go to http://bit.ly/ehmc_recyc.