“While some self-serving politicians may not choose to admit that climate change exists, environmental scientists are certain that global warming is already changing our environment, and fast!” said Paula Curtiss, Founding Director for Healing Hands School of Holistic Health. “If we want our children and grandchildren to enjoy our beautiful planet and its many life sustaining resources, we must act now to reduce our carbon footprint and work t
oward an environmentally sustainable society. Below are ten simple ways we at HHSHH have “gone green” in an effort to reorient ourselves and our students toward sustainability…
- We run a “digitized, paper-reduced” office. By storing student enrollment information, student records, course syllabuses and handouts on computer with access through our website, HHSHH has greatly reduced paper waste and substantially reduced energy costs for reproduction of these materials.
- We encourage students to choose reusable bottles, plates, utensils and containers for their water, lunch and snacks so we minimize trash and easily separate recyclable items.
- We plug our computer hardware and peripheral equipment for each workstation into power strips with on/off switches so the whole set-up can be turned off at once each evening to minimize energy consumption.
- We use our air conditioning and heating systems at both campuses very sparingly, and when they are used we set the thermostat at recommended settings of 78 degrees in the summer, and 68 degrees or cooler during the winter months.
- We use biodegradable soaps and cleaning products at the school, and sell biodegradable massage oils, lotions and gels to students and Alumni, keeping chemical pollution to a minimum.
- We send e-mails whenever possible instead of using paper envelopes and letters, and we review documents on-screen when possible, instead of printing to paper.
- We purchase recycled paper, we print to both sides of the paper whenever possible, and we recycle printer cartridges when they empty.
- We use natural daylight as a free source of lighting for our offices and classrooms whenever possible as it has been proven to improve worker productivity while reducing energy usage.
- We use compact fluorescent light-bulbs which use 70% less energy than incandescent bulbs, and installed motion-activated light switches in all school bathrooms so the lights turn on for a designated period of time (eg: 10 minutes), keeping energy usage for lighting as low as possible.
- We consolidate all office supply orders to reduce the amount of packaging used and delivery trips (wasted gas) made, and reuse office supplies boxes for storage or outgoing shipments.
Healing Hands School of Holistic Health has been serving residents through two regional campuses located in Escondido and Laguna Hills for over 23 years. With more than 80 Holistic Health courses and two Certification Programs to offer, HHSHH is considered a trail-blazer for Holistic Health education in Southern California. To date, HHSHH has prepared more than 6,000 students for successful and rewarding careers in Massage Therapy and Holistic Health. To find out more about the educational programs or financial aid available at HHSHH please visit us on-line at www.HealingHandsSchool.com or call us at (949) 305-2722 in Laguna Hills, or (760) 746-9364 in Escondido.