UC Davis Health Sustainability

UC Davis Health Sustainability

Welcome to our collection of articles highlighting the remarkable strides our Sacramento campus is taking towards a more sustainable future. Discover how we're integrating environmentally conscious strategies into every facet of our operations, ultimately paving the way for a healthier planet and community. 

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Beat the Heat: New Extreme Heat Toolkit

  • by Tahlia Aghily

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.

Big Shift construction

UC Davis Health Marks a Year of Sustainability Milestones

  • by Tahlia Aghily

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.

jita buno sustainability summit

UC Davis Health Summit features sustainability leaders, impact of departmental programs

  • by Tahlia Aghily

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.

Three people sit at a table under a banner that reads Clinical Practice Council Sustainability Subcommittee

UC Davis Health receives ‘Top 25’ national sustainability award for 3rd consecutive year

For the third consecutive year, national environmental leader Practice Greenhealth has named UC Davis Health one of the top 25 hospitals in the country for sustainability. This is the highest honor for hospitals and is based on a rigorous scoring system measuring leadership in sustainability, including greening the operating room, sustainable procurement, green building, energy, water, climate, chemicals, waste, food and transportation.
Kristina Cullen

Leadership message: Sustainability progress at UC Davis Health

  • by Kristina Cullen
April is the month we celebrate and honor Earth Day. While providing equitable access to health care, we must also promote the whole health of our planet. That’s why UC Davis Health is committed to reducing waste and increasing the sustainability of our organization. Nationwide, we are a recognized leader in creating more sustainable practices ...
Mixed Recycling Acceptable Items: Items need to be clean and empty. When in doubt, throw it out!

Seeing green? UC Davis Health re-engineers recycling to reduce landfill waste

Throughout the main UC Davis Health campus, bright green signs now appear in break rooms, nursing stations, offices, clean utility rooms, and just about everywhere else. Look closer and you’ll see that these pops of color are part of a new recycling program that ensures re-usable materials reach one destination: the recycling plant.
Illustration of trees

Sustainability team hosts multiple Earth Month activities

Each year, UC Davis Health celebrates Earth Month with different events and programs throughout the month, and this year is no different. The sustainability team welcomes you to join them at a variety of fun programs, including Earth Month Bingo, another Sustainability Walking Tour, and an exciting Earth Month Celebration.
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