Sustainable UC Davis

High temperatures can create serious health risks for people, especially if they are engaged in physical activities—even routine walking or gardening outside. A person’s age and health status, such as the presence of lung, heart, or kidney disease, and their hydration status, can influence our natural body-cooling processes.

As Earth Month comes to a close, UC Davis Health reflects on a year marked by progress in environmental sustainability. Through innovations in energy, waste reduction, transportation, purchasing, water reduction, design and construction and clinical care, the health system has demonstrated a strong, ongoing commitment to advancing both human and planetary health—one impactful step at a time.

Here is a look at how UC Davis Health is building a more sustainable and resilient future for our campus and community, starting with national and global firsts.

The second UC Davis Health Sustainability Summit, held on February 12, 2025, explored strategies to reduce the organization’s environmental impact and highlighted recent successes across the health system.

With nearly 100 participants in attendance, speakers from the departments of emergency medicine, radiology, campus planning and grounds, and the Clinical Practice Council brought a holistic view of reducing waste, lowering water and energy use, and improving resilience to climate hazards.

Nikunj is a final year Masters student in the Energy Graduate Group at UC Davis. He holds an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses on industrial decarbonization and eliminating the use of fossil fuels. He is also a Bonnie Reiss Climate Action Fellow for Decarbonization, helping UC Davis Sustainability in developing and improving their Scope 3 Emission calculation methods.

In Fall 2024, the “Sustainable Aggies” First Year Aggie Connection, or FYAC, conducted a mini-waste audit of the Segundo residence halls at UC Davis. The results were eye-opening: of the 22.1 pounds of waste audited, less than 25% was actually landfill-destined. Instead, 44% of the waste consisted of recyclable materials, and 32% was compostable.