About Us

About The Office

The health care industry is among the most carbon-intensive service sectors in the industrialized world. US health care greenhouse gas emissions account for approximately 8.5% of domestic US greenhouse gas emissions,– which is about a quarter of all global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to spending more on health care than any other high-income nation, the US produces significantly more greenhouse gas emissions per patient than any other country.  (Health affairs 39, No. 12 (2020) 2071-2079). Researchers believe that  

Health damages stemming from US health care pollution are on the same order of magnitude as deaths from preventable medical errors. (Eckelman MJ, Sherman JD. Am J Public Health. 2018;108 (S2): s120-2).  

In addition, the health care industry constitutes the second-largest industry contributing to global landfill waste. 

It is crucial, as a leading school of health sciences it is crucial, that we enhance education, awareness, and adoption of environmentally sustainable practices across all facets of our mission.  

Healthcare must achieve environmentally sustainable practices to fulfill our obligation to do no harm. Achieving this goal will mean changing clinical practice.  

The Mission

To develop sustainable health care practices by decarbonizing our own operations, training eco-literate future healthcare leaders, and researching sustainable solutions that improve human and planetary health.   

The Vision

• Update and expand the curriculum of our health science schools to include a robust understanding of the human health effects of climate change. 

• Graduate students with a solid understanding of the principles of sustainability and the ability to put these into practice. 

• Reduce the carbon footprint of our own operations. 

• Pioneer research that “un-engineers” climate change (Pioneer research that paves the way to sustainable healthcare.)  

• Understand and mitigate the unequal effects of climate change on vulnerable populations. 

•  Strengthen our own work by aligning and providing representation between the schools of the health sciences and the significant efforts at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC.