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IMPROVING HEALTH WHILE LOWERING EMISSIONS & CARE COSTS
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The U.S. healthcare system is responsible for 10% of the nation’s carbon emissions and 9% of harmful non-greenhouse air pollutants.
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Health care organizations have foundational goals of improving their patients’ health, recruiting and retaining skilled staff, and managing costs, all while generating a broader benefit to their communities. Pursuing energy and material efficiency, shifting to renewable energy, and becoming resilient to natural disasters, otherwise known as Climate-Smart Healthcare, is an under-recognized opportunity for organizations to simultaneously make progress on all those foundational goals.
Wisconsin is fortunate to have some of the worldwide individual and institutional leaders in this innovative work.
The Climate-Smart team uses our mission to guide our goals and projects in Wisconsin. To learn more about our work, successes, or to find resources, follow the links below.
Our group meets virtually once a month to push forward climate-smart efforts. We help Wisconsin’s health systems become world-leaders in providing carbon-free care, improve the climate-resiliency of their operations, and help their communities adapt to climate change. Additionally, we engage health system leaders to support critical climate policies.
Feel free to join us for a meeting to listen in, or dive in and join our team of dedicated volunteers that make a difference around the state.
Join the Climate-Smart Team
Is your health system taking Climate-Smart measures?
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Sector Climate Pledge
The HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge is a federal challenge for healthcare systems launched in 2020. Its enrollment is rolling and it challenges its signatories to net-zero by 2050. The pledge also calls for developing a resiliency plan, taking inventory of its emissions, and designating a sustainability leader on the executive level. Visit the HHS Pledge website to learn more.
Department of Energy (DOE) Better Climate Challenge
The Department of Energy released a pledge that commits signees to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions 50% by 2032. This pledge also offers opportunities to learn and technical assistance to meet the needs of businesses and systems committed to carbon reduction.
WI health systems currently signed up for the DOE Better Climate Challenge:
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UW Health
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DaVita
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Mayo Clinic
The CoolFood Pledge
The Coolfood Pledge strives to help businesses achieve sustainability through a three-step plan: Pledge, Plan, Promote. They help pledgees identify commitments that fit their organization and fit with the collective goal to reduce GHG emissions associated with food by 25% by 2030. This pledge could help your organization target Scope 3 emissions.
WI health systems currently signed up for the Coolfood Pledge:
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UW Health
Don't see your system?
Your action could help your system leaders understand the importance of climate-smart measures for the future of Wisconsin and the health of our patients. Learn more by checking out our Climate-Smart Resources page, or e-mailing our climate-smart program coordinator at dawn@wiclimatehealth.org.
Sources cited
1. Cummings, Mike. August 2, 2019. Yale News. Health care industry is a major source of harmful emissions