Sustainability Year in Review: 5 Ways Methodist Made Strides in 2023

In 2023, Methodist continued to show its commitment to sustainability in big ways. Here’s an overview of highlights for sustainability action over the past 12 months.

Engagement

Sustainability Ambassador Leadership Teams (SALTs) were formed at Methodist Fremont Health, the 825 Building, Methodist Women’s Hospital, Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Methodist Hospital. These leadership teams focus on expanding sustainability communications and engagement across each of these affiliates, and their efforts will continue to expand in 2024. Watch for affiliate-specific Earth Week events in April.

Energy

Recent building updates and retro-commissions emphasized Methodist’s commitment to reaching its sustainability goal of lowering building emissions and reducing its impact on the environment. The 825 Building’s retro-commission project, completed in the second quarter of 2023, led to noticeable reductions in energy use. For example, in the third quarter, there was a 13% reduction in natural gas use and an 8% reduction in electricity use when compared to the third quarter of 2022.

Waste Management

Methodist continued to look for options to expand compost and recycling at each affiliate. In summer 2023, postconsumer recycling went live at Methodist Women’s Hospital, meaning that composting is now available at the 825 Building, Nebraska Methodist College, Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital. Expansion to Methodist Jennie Edmundson and Methodist Fremont Health is being explored.

Employee Commute Support

After a successful one-year pilot, Methodist renewed the Commute with Care Program, which offers several benefits to employees who commute using active methods (e.g., carpool, public transit, walking or biking). One such benefit is a free bus pass to any interested employee, an effort that currently is supplying about 100 employees with active, free transportation to work.

Emissions

Methodist continued to track and measure emissions and report progress toward its sustainability goals in a public dashboard. Early in 2024, Methodist will be updating the dashboard with emissions data from 2023.

Get Involved With Sustainability at Methodist!

Interested in learning more about Methodist’s sustainability efforts? Visit the sustainability page on the MHS intranet. To get involved in efforts to foster a culture of sustainability at Methodist sign up for the Sustainable Health Implementation Plan (SHIP) Ambassador program.