Environmental sustainability
The world around us has a big influence on our health and quality of life. That’s why caring for the environment is central to Allina Health’s mission, vision and values as a nonprofit health care system.
Our environmental sustainability program is one of the important ways we support the health and well-being of our patients, employees and neighbors across the communities we serve.
Our climate-action commitments
We recognize climate change as one of the greatest public health threats of our time. It increases the risk of harm from severe weather and makes us more vulnerable to malnutrition, respiratory problems, heat-related illness, and diseases caused by rising temperatures and extreme weather.
Through company-wide initiatives and site-based activities, we’re taking steps to reduce our environmental impact and increase our capacity to respond to climate-related health effects in the communities we serve.
Released in April 2023, our Climate Action Plan describes Allina Health’s climate-action commitments in three focus areas:
Greenhouse gas reduction
We pledge to reduce our carbon footprint and be transparent about our progress.
Using 2019 as our baseline year, our goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Resilience
We pledge to prepare for increasing incidents of extreme weather and their impact on health.
We will incorporate climate resilience into our policies and procedures.
Engagement
We pledge to educate our staff and communities on challenges and solutions related to climate and health.
We will continue to foster and expand our partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
Aligned with a global movement
Allina Health’s environmental sustainability program is strengthened by our participation in the Health Care Climate Challenge, a coalition of more than 28,000 health care institutions in dozens of countries around the globe that are implementing solutions to reduce pollution, strengthen resiliency and build collective impact. Together, we are the vanguard for climate action as a standard practice in health care.
Read our Climate Action Plan
Learn more about our commitments related to climate change.
What environmental sustainability looks like at Allina Health:
- Reducing energy use: Energy-efficiency projects save more than $1 million every year in avoided utility costs.
- Reducing waste: Food-waste-to-hogs program at five of our hospitals saved 290 tons of food waste from incinerators and landfills in 2022. Plus, all copy paper is now 30% recycled content across our system.
- Protecting pollinators: Honey from a honeybee hive at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Golden Valley is used in the site cafeteria. Native plants at the new Purple Ramp at Abbott Northwestern Hospital will reduce stormwater runoff and provide a pollinator habitat.
- Following green building practices: In 2022, we agreed to certify all major new construction projects to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, starting with new facilities in Cambridge and at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.
- Supporting site-based initiatives: Sustainability is a priority for our workforce. Committed staff members at each of our locations work individually or in “green teams” to make their sites more sustainable.
Industry leadership
In 2024, Allina Health’s sustainability efforts have earned the health care system multiple awards from Practice Greenhealth, including the 2024 System for Change Award for the second consecutive year.
Explore environmental sustainability efforts at Allina Health locations near you
- Abbott Northwestern Hospital
- United Hospital - Hastings Regina Campus
- River Falls Area Hospital
- New Ulm Medical Center
- Cambridge Medical Center