Sustainability Annual Report 2021
Even with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, UC San Diego Health continued to innovate ways to reduce waste, increase procurement of local, sustainable food and other products; reduce energy and water demand; and increase engagement across the organization.
UC San Diego Health sustainability milestones in 2021 included developing a Green Clinic/Unit Certification program (GCC), initiating a Greening the OR (GOR) working group, and growing waste reduction and single-use medical device (SUD) reprocessing programs.
GCC development included beta-testing and pilots, working with two student Carbon Neutrality fellows, the Sustainability Committee, and staff from the Hemophilia and Thrombosis Treatment Center, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center and postpartum women and infant services.
GOR made tremendous progress on priority actions in the first year due to the tenacity and dedication of physicians, nurses, and staff involved in environmental health and safety, sterile processing, procurement, environmental services, energy management and other areas. Successful GOR metrics included eliminating 18,000 Bair Paws disposable gowns from landfill, saving $170,000 annually; increasing SUD reprocessing education, collection and buy-back, with $450,000 in annual savings; benchmarking greenhouse gas impacts from anesthesia gases and eliminating desflurane from the formulary; and replacing over 2,500 operating room lights with LEDs for $65,000 in annual energy savings.
Stories
The Uncertainty of Climate Change Is Hurting Us
UC San Diego’s Tarik Benmarhnia and other researchers are now learning that the changing climate is having immediate and direct effects on human health — and will continue to affect people for years to come.
Mental Health Trauma Plagues Wildfire Survivors
Stressful events like the Camp Fire, the deadly 2018 fire in Butte County, are on the rise due to climate change. “Since the 1970s, fire extent in California has increased by 400%,” said study co-author Veerabhadran Ramanathan, professor of atmospheric and climate sciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
FOOD
The health system increased plant-based menu offerings from 15% to 20% over the past fiscal year. Its sustainable purchasing also continued to increase; in fiscal year 2020–21, 15% of its purchases met sustainability criteria.
ZERO WASTE – Generation
UC San Diego Health saw an 8.5% increase in total waste in the past fiscal year, disposing 24.86 pounds per adjusted patient day, although during this period, there was also a 4.1% annual increase in patient days. Municipal solid waste and regulated medical waste increased by 8% and 4%, respectively. Recycling increased by over 16%, while food waste for composting declined due to reduced public-facing services during the pandemic.
Awards
UC San Diego Health was the proud recipient of a Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Award in 2021.
A full list of awards is featured on the UC Office of the President’s website.
Combined Data
Progress on the following policy areas for this Health System is reported by the campus location: