climatecouncil.noharm.orgClimate Action Playbook for Hospitals |

Navigation Content Footer Block title Introduction Energy Food Leadership Operating Room Purchasing Community resilience Infrastructure resilience Transportation Waste About the Climate Council MENU image/svg+xml Climate Action: A Playbook for Hospitals Block title Introduction Climate change is a public health crisis – impacting our weather and environment, along with the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. The most vulnerable members of our communities – children, people of color, the poor, people with disabilities or chronic diseases, and the elderly – are the ones who suffer the most. Health care is on the front lines of climate change bearing the costs of increased illnesses, changes in disease prevalence, and the health impacts of more frequent extreme weather events. At the same time, health care operations contribute significantly to climate change and the very diseases it is trying to treat. The health care sector is responsible for 8.5% of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions , with the U.S. health sector accounting for 25% of global health sector emissions . Health care organizations have a distinct leadership opportunity to address climate change by following a three-pillar approach to climate-smart health care: Mitigation: Reduce GHG emissions from operations and implement low-carbon health care delivery Resilience: Prepare facilities for climate impacts and help build community health and climate resilience Leadership: Use the trusted voice and purchasing power of the sector to support the transition to climate-smart policies and a low-carbon economy This playbook captures how hospitals are operationalizing climate solutions – inspiring and encouraging hospitals to engage further in climate action while providing a path forward to achieving measurable progress and outcomes. The time has never been more critical for hospitals and health care to take action. For more information on the Health Care Climate Council, visit our website . Learn how you can be part of the solution. Lean and clean energy Due to their unique activities, more stringent code requirements, and 24/7 operations, hospitals are highly energy-intensive, using 2.5 times more energy per square foot than an office building. Health care organizations spend more than $6.5 billion on energy each year. Consider the following: Clean, renewable energy provides price predictability as well as competitive or cheaper prices than fossil fuels. Health care organizations can now use Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives to reduce the financial barriers to procuring low-carbon energy alternatives. Distributed renewable energy plus storage can also help hospitals remain operational during extreme weather events or periods of peak demand. Over the last decade, wind energy prices have fallen 70% and solar photovoltaics have fallen 89% on average with the price of renewables falling below the cost of coal in 2018. The cost of renewables is predicted to considerably beat fossil fuels for decades to come. Advocate Health Care – now part of Advocate Health – has committed to a 100% renewable electricity goal by 2030 across their Midwest system. This goal builds on extraordinary energy efficiency work throughout the health system including Atrium Health – also now part of Advocate Health – receiving the U.S. EPA’s Energy Star Partner of the Year Award for the sixth year in a row in 2023, Energy Star certification for 10 Midwest hospitals as of 2023, a renewables strategy evaluating both onsite projects and power purchase agreements, and eight locations throughout Illinois and Wisconsin hosting solar panels. With funding through the Illinois Solar for All program, one of these sites, Advocate South Suburban Hospital, has installed a 400 AC kW (541 DC kW) ground solar array to supply 5% of the facility’s electricity. Ascension’s environmental stewardship program met the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge goal of 20% energy reduction by 2020 across its acute care hospital portfolio. From 2008 through 2018, Ascension reduced energy usage by 29.2%, saved $61.9 million in cost avoidance, and reduced over 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emission across 141 health care facilities. Ascension also deployed a data dashboard to report facility operations (energy, water, temperature, humidity, and air changes) on a real-time basis. From 2005 to 2015, Gundersen Health System became 56% more energy-efficient and installed every form of renewable energy – solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, anaerobic digestion – supporting community health and growing the local economy. Gundersen first achieved energy independence in October 2014. The health system saves $3 million annually from energy efficiency improvements. In 2019, Gundersen expanded its energy portfolio by installing a battery and microgrid at a new clinic. New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act requires a state-wide reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and at least 85% from 1990 levels by 2050. Northwell Health’s strategies to support these goals include hybrid energy solutions to maximize on-site efficiencies and maximizing load from the grid with distributed energy resources. By the end of 2021, Northwell reached 12.7% in electricity procurement from renewables, reduced its electricity usage by 4.5%, and achieved a 28.5% emissions reduction. HealthPartners works collaboratively with electricity, heating, cooling, and natural gas utilities and uses utility data to increase energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and save money. HealthPartners’ participation in the Xcel Energy Commercial Efficiency program in 2021 and 2022 saved facilities over 2.4 million kWh of electricity and over 120,000 therms of natural gas. The system received over $215,000 in rebates from Xcel Energy and additional cost savings from decreased electricity and natural gas consumption. Inova’s decarbonization plan serves as its roadmap for reducing energy use and Scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions at the health system’s five legacy hospitals. The plan includes interim energy use intensity and carbon reduction goals with interventions including energy management and efficiency improvements, energy transition and electrification strategies, and renewable energy opportunities. In 2017, Rochester Regional Health became the first health system to publicly announce a 100% renewable electricity goal by 2025. They have built a 500-kW solar array at their system headquarters, completed building a 5.5 MW solar farm, and have invested heavily in being an anchor for community solar systems, allowing the community members they serve to receive local renewable power and save money on their electric costs. Seattle Children’s Hospital’s energy use intensity (EUI), as measured by the Washington State Clean Buildings Law , was 21% higher than the state-mandated target at the main hospital campus in 2021. An ASHRAE Level 2 audit was Seattle Children’s Hospital’s roadmap for reducing its EUI. After implementing a series of projects, its utility cost savings were approximately $600,000 in 2023, with an estimated $1 million in savings per year when the facility reaches compliance in 2024. The implemented projects have a payback of five years or less. Learn how you can be part of the solution. Healthier food As health care takes a more holistic approach to improving health, food is a critical element, both in terms of what a patient consumes as well as what a hospital serves or wastes. Hospitals and health systems across the country are achieving their organizational priorities by focusing on food-related initiatives . Consider the following: Research from University of Michigan and Tulane University found that replacing 50% of animal products with plant-based foods in the U.S. would prevent more than 1.6 billion tons of GHG pollution by 2030. Agriculture is responsible for 24% of global GHG...