Mission 2030: Methodist's Commitment to Sustainability

What Every MHS Employee Should Know About Our Progress & New Goals

Methodist is a family caring for other families. That’s what The Meaning of Care is all about: real people and their kids and grandkids and those grandkids’ grandkids. And that’s why our progress toward sustainability is so important.

We must do the right things to protect our children’s health and future. They deserve abundant clean air and clean water. They deserve an unspoiled world and bright future.

Understanding Sustainability

In simple terms, sustainability means preserving the world’s resources. A truly sustainable organization carries out its mission with a net-zero environmental impact, leaving no negative trace of its existence for future generations.

Sustainability is not easy or inexpensive. Progress toward sustainability at Methodist Health System is especially challenging because most of our facilities were designed and built years ago to different standards, long before more energy-efficient materials and technologies became available.

Real Progress

The good news is that for years we have quietly been making real progress through our green initiatives. For example, did you know about these Methodist successes? 

• Since 2008, the shredding events sponsored by Methodist and the Better Business Bureau have collected 684 tons of paper for recycling.

• Methodist Health System recycles over 200 tons of shredded paper every year.

• Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital recycled more than 172 tons of paper, plastic and cardboard in 2016.

• Methodist Women’s Hospital feeds electricity back into the power grid during every routine generator test and at the request of OPPD. Such requests often come during peak power usage in the summertime.

• We have kept the annual MHS electric bill down to its 2012 level, despite inflation and despite increasing our facilities’ overall square footage.

• By switching to microfiber mops, we have saved more than 3.5 million gallons of water over the past six years, almost enough to fill six Olympic swimming pools. 

• Our new Corporate headquarters  is being designed and built for Energy Star certification. 

To ramp up our sustainability efforts, we began working with the Verdis Group, an expert environmental and sustainability consulting agency, two years ago. They started by helping us do the research to confirm our people really believe in sustainability. Ninety percent of those who took the MHS sustainability survey agreed or strongly agreed that engaging in activities that promote sustainability helps support Methodist’s mission.

Next, we took the time to carefully assess our data and determine how to best measure our progress over time. We identified sustainability benchmarks for our energy emissions, water consumption, waste/recycling, employee commuting and engagement.

In March 2017, we brought together a core group of three dozen MHS employees for an off-site sustainability workshop led by the Verdis Group. I thank all participants for your insights and suggestions, which have helped to shape our long-range vision and new sustainability goals.

Mission 2030: Our Moon Shot Toward Sustainability  

I’m proud to announce our new Mission 2030. These are the sustainability goals Methodist Health System is committed to achieving over the next 13 years:

• Energy Emissions
  Decrease our annual average of carbon dioxide emissions created as a result of building energy being used from the current 52,645 tons to net zero by 2030 — and net positive by 2040.

• Water Consumption
  Decrease our average annual water usage from the current 46.2 gallons per square foot to 33 gallons per square foot by 2030.

• Waste Diversion Rate
  Increase our percentage of outgoing materials recycled or otherwise kept out of the landfill from the current 18% to net zero (industry standard: 90%) by 2026.

• Commute Mode Split
  Increase the percentage of MHS employees commuting by means other than alone in personal vehicles from the current 8% to 12% by 2026. 

• Sustainability Engagement (100-Point Maximum Score)
  Increase our score on the Verdis Group engagement survey from the current 42/100 points to 80/100 points by 2026.

Be Part of the Sustainability Solution

We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we need people who are passionate about tackling sustainability’s challenges and achieving solutions. To volunteer for any of the internal teams that are forming to attain our Mission 2030 goals, or to submit sustainability suggestions, contact MHS Environmental Services Contract Coordinator Carl Morello at @email or 402-354-6712.

Watch Employee Connections, mhsintranet and future employee forums for updates and more opportunities to help us achieve Mission 2030. Thank you.

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