Learn more about our environmental sustainability
Our commitment to sustainability
We are developing our own sustainability goals to make lasting change throughout Allina Health. Contact us directly with your ideas.
What we are already doing
Energy efficiency
Abbott Northwestern Hospital has completed many energy efficiency projects on our campus. We work closely with Xcel Energy through the Commercial Efficiency Program.
Efficiency Efforts
- LED Lighting: In 2020, the Abbott Northwestern Foundation funded a project to replace fluorescent lights with energy-efficient LED lights.
- Sensor faucets on hand washing sinks in new and remodeled areas
- Low flow faucets in hand washing sinks
- Improved humidity control
- Improvements to reduce outdoor noise of heating, air-conditioning and ventilating systems
Other Energy Efficiency Efforts
- Building management system (controls) upgrades
- Heating and cooling equipment upgrades
- Lighting upgrades
Sustainable Building Design
Abbott Northwestern Hospital Neuroscience Institute
In 2019, the Abbott Northwestern Neuroscience Institute opened featuring many Doing It Right The First Time (DIRTT) sustainable design elements. One feature, the DIRTT modular wall, is designed with the future in mind. The walls and insulation are made with recycled materials. Plus, the walls are removable, so they can change as technologies change, preventing drywall waste from entering landfills.
During this project:
- 12,417 Pounds of drywall waste was prevented from entering the landfill
- Release of airborne particles from 20 pounds of drywall was prevented
- Walls were built with 72.31% recycled content
Highlighted Sustainability Features:
DIRTT Modular walls – removable walls in patient rooms, adaptable as technologies change
DIRTT Flex Gas – “future-proof” safer medical gas with flexible hosing in place of fixed copper pipes
Abbott Northwestern Heart Hospital Windows
The Abbott Northwestern Heart Hospital building houses an array of clinical services and inpatient beds. In 2020, every window in the building was replaced to increase energy efficiency. This included nearly 3000 pieces of glass. To minimize impact on patient care, the project was coordinated at 400 separate locations—meaning no more than 12 patient rooms were taken out of service at a given time.
Food Service Sustainability
Food production is a major contributor to greenhouse gases. That’s why we are taking action to reduce our food waste and improve our food sourcing.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Sodexo provides food service at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. We partner with Sodexo through their ambitious sustainability goals including reducing 2017 levels of carbon emissions by 34% by the year 2025 and reducing food waste by 50% by the year 2025.
Sourcing
Allina Health supports Sodexo’s supply chain program to promote small and medium-sized enterprises.
Food Waste At Our Facilities
By tackling food waste, we can reduce greenhouse gases and support our local community.
At Abbott Northwestern Hospital:
- Excess food is donated to Community Bridge (due to COVID-19 food donation is paused)
- Food waste is turned into animal feed
- Leanpath, a food waste tracking system, will roll out in 2021.
At The Commons, Allina Health Headquarters:
- Organics composting