RxOrganics: Environmental Sustainability Awards for UCSF

Environmental Sustainability Awards for UCSF

"By conserving water, improving energy performance and incorporating healthy building materials, we are taking conscious steps to keep Mission Bay sustainable from the start."

- Gail Lee, Sustainability Manager for UCSF

Practice Greenhealth, a non-profit group that promotes environmental sustainability in the healthcare community, has awarded UCSF Medical and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals with three outstanding environmental awards:

Emerald Award - for overall performance in the nine categories of judging;
Climate Award - for reporting and setting emission goals at the Medical Center; and,
Green Building Award - for sustainable design of the new hospitals opening in February 2015 at Mission Bay.

UCSF has taken many steps to ensure their medical institutions and overall workplace environment are safer, greener, and healthier for both patients and employees. They are a leader in building responsibly and utilizing best practices when reviewing and implementing green operations, all of which contribute to better healing environments for patients while reducing harmful impact on the outside environment. Furthermore the medical college is saving millions of dollars annually in energy costs through its various methods of alternative and electric reduction activities and hopes to "become the first research university to achieve carbon neutrality" by 2025 (Janet Napolitano UC President).

The combination of environmental advancement through green design and incorporation of sustainable features and practices within UCSF's current and future buildings is really transforming the way we look at and understand health. Congratulations UCSF on your well-earned environmental excellence awards!