It's not easy being green. Nor is it easy to achieve the environmentally friendly status of "going green."

So-called "green" or sustainable products are natural and, according to industry materials, meet the needs of the present without posing harm to the future. They are also sometimes more expensive than their traditional substitutes, and they can be hard to find. But a recently completed "green" effort at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital has been worth it, according to Margie Thomas, the assistant director of Radiation Oncology.

Thomas got an enthusiastic response when she approached the Moore Regional Hospital Auxiliary in late 2007 about a grant to renovate the waiting areas in her department. Thomas feels very close to her patients, many of whom come to the hospital for months at a time as they undergo treatment for cancer, and she wanted something special for the renovation project.

"These are exceptional patients, and they deserve the best we can offer," she says.

Members of the Auxiliary's Grant Committee obviously agree, and not only approved her request for renovation funds but also suggested that she incorporate "green" products into the project. The recommendation to use eco-friendly materials came from Grant Committee member Vickie Auman, a decorator and owner of Vickie Auman Interiors.

Auman calls the Radiation Oncology project "a nice place to start the (green) program in the hospital."

"It can cost more, but it's worth it," she says. "The whole health care industry has stepped up to go 'green.' It's getting to be routine now."

Patient comfort was an important consideration in Thomas' decision to follow up on the Auxiliary suggestion.

"We felt that eliminating as many toxins and chemicals as possible from the upholstery fabric and wall coverings was important as we continue to place our patients' well-being and enhanced chemical sensitivity as a priority," she says.

As the renovation project got under way, Auman and Thomas consulted the Green Guide for Health Care, a resource for eco-friendly health care services and products, and located the materials they wanted.

"Margie was able to find fabric and wallpaper made with recycled content that was appropriate for the hospital environment," says Auxiliary member Ann Marie Thornton.

All of the fabric used in the project is anti-microbial and stain-resistant and has been treated with a fluid barrier, Thornton says.

The total Auxiliary gift of more than $25,000 also includes an aesthetic renovation. A 10-foot-by-3-foot lighted wall transparency of a garden, designed by the Art Research Institute of Atlanta, gives the windowless waiting area some welcome light and color.

"I was delighted to receive such a generous grant from the Moore Regional Hospital Auxiliary that allowed this renovation project to occur," Thomas says. "I felt that whatever we could do to transform our patients' surroundings to a more spacious, inviting atmosphere would help create a more healing environment for them. This can help ease some of their anxiety during a very apprehensive and stressful time in their lives."

Brenda Bouser works for the corporate communications office of FirstHealth of the Carolinas.