Cleveland Clinic was named 2016 ENERGYSTAR Partner of the Year by the Environmental Protection Agency. Our energy conservation program is designed to enhance patient outcomes and the patient experience while reducing operating expenses. We have committed to reducing our energy intensity by 20 percent by 2020 from our 2010 baseline, and at the end of 2016 we were over halfway there at 13%. As our model of healthcare evolves, we are firmly committed to reducing our environmental, economic and human impact by reducing our energy intensity.

Climate change has been recognized by the World Health Organization as one of the greatest threats and opportunities facing public health this century. Cleveland Clinic is committed to improving our institution-wide initiatives to prepare for climate change. In 2016, we increased our Scope 1 & 2 emissions 0.5% from 2015, which is a 7% reduction from our 2012 baseline.

We are committed to reducing waste across our healthcare system. By engaging our caregivers to minimize the waste we send to our landfills, we are protecting the environment, reducing costs, and improving land, air and water quality in our communities. Our goal is to reach 50% landfill diversion or more by 2018.

We recognize that people living in a healthy environment will be healthier people. Our buildings support the health of our caregivers, patients and communities. We continue to grow and set new standards for our buildings and development. We have 4 LEED Gold and 8 LEED silver projects, and many new construction projects seek to be LEED silver or higher.

We purchase thousands of different products each year that are utilized throughout the care of our patients. We are working to reduce unnecessary packaging and evaluate our purchasing decisions based on their environmental impacts so that we can eliminate items that may be toxic to our patients and caregivers.

Our involvement at multiple levels, from global to local, has made us a veritable leader in sustainable healthcare. We work in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and communities to support strategies for mitigation and adaptation. We engage with these groups and provide leadership in both thought and practice.

Freshwater resources such as Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River represent an invaluable local asset that has shaped Cleveland’s identity, both in the way that the city has perceived itself and how it has been recognized outside the region. As stewards of our community's health, we see preservation of our community's natural resources as a vital part of our health mission. Cleveland Clinic is actively protecting our water supply through conservation measures such as condensate recovery and storm water management.