Mayo Clinic Health System is one of the biggest institutions in Eau Claire, and it produces some of the biggest – and most impressive – recycling figures as well. Mayo’s Eau Claire campus recycles 16 tons of glass, plastic, and aluminum; 700,000 pounds of paper; and 5,880 pounds of batteries annually. In addition, more than 45 tons of the facility’s food waste are composted each year. These recycling efforts – as well as the use of energy-efficient heating, cooling, and lighting – helped Mayo Clinic Health System win the 2014 Practice Greenhealth Emerald Award in June. According to Practice Greenhealth, an industry group, the highly competitive award “recognizes health care facilities that have achieved improvements in their mercury elimination, waste reduction, recycling, and source reduction programs.” Mayo, it seems, is striving to keep both patients and the planet healthy.