Riverside Medical Center Creates Eco-Friendly Green Roof as Part of Hospital's New Expansion Project

BUFFALO GROVE, IL--(Marketwire - Aug 29, 2011) - Kankakee, Illinois-based Riverside Medical Center, www.RiversideMC.net, named one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals four years in a row by Thomson Reuters, unveils the installation of a large eco-friendly Vegetative Living Green Roof System in celebration of the hospital's commitment to environmental stewardship and the launch of the hospital's East Tower. The planting system and vegetation on the living roofs act as insulation and will reduce heating and cooling costs by as much as 20%. The installation of this green roof at Riverside Medical Center provides patients, visitors and employees with an ever changing landscape canvas atop a rooftop space that was previously barren.

The living green roofs, that constitute the complete Vegetative Living Green Roof System, are nestled in the hospital's new East Tower, which is the largest addition in the history of the hospital with 160,000 square feet of new space which will include 12 newly designed, highly advanced operating rooms, seven richly appointed labor, delivery and recovery rooms, one dedicated C-section operating room, 18 new high-tech private ICU rooms, 23 family centered private rooms, and additional support space. This Vegetative Living Green Roof System was designed and installed by Ambius, www.ambius.com, a division of Rentokil Initial plc (LSE: RTO), the leading provider of interior landscaping solutions.

"Riverside Medical Center is committed, not only to the best possible care of our patients, but to also help take care of the planet and reduce our carbon footprint," said Phillip M. Kambic, President and CEO of Riverside Medical Center. "The Green Roof was designed to help make a positive difference today and for future generations. Patients, visitors and staff will now have an aesthetically pleasing view, rather than that of an unappealing white roof." Kambic points out that several research studies have indicated that a natural view can play an important role in improving health.

The new East Tower addition is being built with many green materials including low VOC paint, recycled flooring content, renewable resource flooring, urea & formaldehyde free adhesives, super efficient low E glass, heat resistant white TPO roofing, occupancy sensors for reduced energy consumption, and Energy Star rated appliances.

"Riverside Medical Center's new living green roof is not just an attractive biological alternative to a dead roof," says Denise Eichmann, Ambius Project Development North America Senior Project Manager. "This living roof encourages a different way of thinking altogether. Installing green roofs is about ensuring a commitment to address the most pressing environmental issues of our time -- climate change, energy efficiency and sustainability."

"Living roofs were commonly found on the sod houses of the American prairie but in recent decades, architects, builders and city planners have turned to green roofs for their beauty and practicality," adds Eichmann. "Green roofs have the ability to mitigate environmental extremes common on conventional roofs. When rain falls on a conventional roof, it sheets off and floods into storm drains -- unabsorbed, unfiltered and undeterred. A living roof works the way a meadow does by absorbing water, filtering it, slowing it down and even storing some of it for later use. This ultimately helps reduce the threat of sewer overflows, extends the life of a city's drain system and returns cleaner water to the surrounding watershed."

About Ambius
Ambius offers a full spectrum of services to enhance the interior space for the hospitality, healthcare, retail, and commercial industries. Services include ambient scenting, interior landscaping, vertical gardens, green roofs, holiday décor, decorative wall art and fresh fruit and flower deliveries to businesses in 18 countries in Europe, North America, South Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. Ambius is a division of Rentokil Initial plc (LSE: RTO). For more information, visit the new Ambius website at www.ambius.com.

About Riverside Medical Center
Riverside Medical Center was also recently named one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals, four years in a row, by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care. The hospital is also a Magnet® Credentialed Organization. The Magnet designation is one of the highest honors a hospital can earn with respect to the standard of nursing care provided. Earlier in the year, Riverside received recognition from HealthGrades as the #1 Spine Surgery program in Illinois. Riverside also received multiple HealthGrades Specialty Excellence Awards for orthopedic surgery, cardiac care, gastrointestinal and critical care. To learn more about world-class healthcare, visit Riverside Medical Center on the web at www.RiversideMC.net.