Environmental Sustainability & Carbon Neutrality

• Green anesthesia
  In 2022, the Academic Medical Campus (AMC) set a goal to reduce the GHG emissions associated with anesthetic gases by 80% by FY 2024 (with a FY 2021 baseline).   At the end of CY 2024, we overachieved our goal by reducing anesthesia-related GHG emissions by 83%.  We continue to reduce our GHG emissions by removing desflurane from our formulary and decommissioning piped nitrous oxide systems in our facilities.
  
  The green anesthesia initiative had no compromise to patient safety, as judged by various outcome measures such as anesthetic concentrations, pain scores, and incidence of intraoperative awareness.
• Renewable energy purchasing
  Michigan Medicine’s electricity objectives align with the University of Michigan's electricity objectives, which is to secure all purchased electricity from Michigan-based renewables.  Our near-term priority is to procure 100% of our purchased electricity from renewable sources by the end of 2025 and begin receiving 100% renewable electricity in FY27.
  
  Procuring renewable energy is complemented by our energy efficiency efforts, which reduce the amount of renewable energy that we will need to purchase.
• Virtual care
  In 2018, Michigan Medicine began providing patients with the option to schedule virtual health care visits. Virtual visits increase access to healthcare by offering more flexible scheduling and eliminating patients’ need for physical proximity to healthcare facilities as well as access to reliable transportation.  Eliminating the need for patient transportation saves millions of miles of travel, leading to major reductions in gas consumption and the accompanying greenhouse gas emissions.  Over 466,000 virtual visits occurred in 2024, saving more than 35,500,000 miles traveled and 13,000 MT CO2e.  Clinics also use less resources, like paper, sanitation supplies, and medical instruments, during virtual visits.

Purchased goods can potentially contain harmful chemicals that off-gas into the air, increasing exposure to patients, staff, and visitors. Michigan Medicine purchases environmentally preferable products, such as:

• Furniture and furnishing that are free of formaldehyde, per and poly-fluorinated compounds (PFAS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), antimicrobials, and flame retardants
• Flooring and carpeting that meet Health Care Without Harm’s Healthy Flooring/Carpeting criteria
• Ethelene oxide-free sterilant
• Glutaraldehyde-free disinfectants
• PVC- and phthalate- free clinical products and devices
• UL ECOLOGO and Green Seal certified cleaning products

In 2002, our main medical campus received Practice Greenhealth’s Making Medicine Mercury Free Award, acknowledging our mercury-free purchasing and operational practices.

• Medical plastics recycling initiative (MPRI)
  Michigan Medicine recycles hard-to-recycle plastics from our operating rooms, such as blue wrap, rigid trays, and clean personal protective equipment (PPE).  The program began as a pilot in 2021 at C.S. Mott Children's and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospitals and has since became a permanent program that has expanded to University Hospital and Frankel Cardiovascular Center.  Since the initial pilot, over 30,300 pounds of medical plastics have been recycled through MPRI. 

  
• Reusable Sharps Container Program
  In 2023, Michigan Medicine replaced single-use sharps containers with reusable sharps containers on our main medical campus.  Switching to reusable containers provides benefits beyond the 83 tons of plastic that was diverted from landfills in 2024; it also minimized the risk of procurement shortages as well as decreased the risk of sharps-related injuries.
• Food composting
  Michigan Medicine started composting pre-consumer food scraps from our patient meal kitchens at University Hospital and C.S. Mott Children's & Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital in 2016.  Our composting program expanded to include post-consumer food scraps from patient rooms in 2020.  Compost is sent to My Green Michigan to be turned into high-quality soil.

• Local food purchasing
  Local food travels shorter distances from the farm to our kitchens, which reduces the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation.  The food requires less storage time during transportation, which often leads to fresher products.  Purchasing locally also builds a sense of community by supporting local farmers and businesses. It can also increase resilience to global supply chain disruptions.  Michigan Medicine considers the locality of food and beverages when purchasing for our patient and retail kitchens.  In 2024, 35% of our food and beverage spend was local.

• Meals on Wheels
  Since 1974, Michigan Medicine has been providing financial support for Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels (AAMOW).  AAMOW reduces hunger and food insecurity in the Ann Arbor area by delivering nutritious meals to those who are unable to shop and prepare meals for themselves.  The meals are prepared by our Patient Food & Nutrition Services (PFANS) staff in the University Hospital kitchen.   In 2019, our PFANS staff began preparing meals for the Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels (YMOW) program.  Both AAMOW and YMOW help contribute to Michigan Medicine's Million Meal Mission, which has a goal of donating one million meals to families, children, individuals, and seniors in the Washtenaw community.
• Habitat for Humanity Partnership
  Access to consistent, safe, decent, and affordable housing influences mental health and plays a vital role in the pursuit of health equity.  Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley (HHHV) is a community-based affordable housing organization that serves low-income residents of Washtenaw County.  Through their Home Improvement Program (HIP), HHHV provides residents with critical home repairs and appliance replacements.  Michigan Medicine supports HHHV through monetary donations to HIP and by volunteering to build homes.

Michigan Medicine requires all new buildings, additions and construction projects with a budget of $10,000,000 or more to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver level.  LEED is one of most widely accepted international rating systems for measuring the environmental impact of new construction. 

Specifically, designing LEED-certified buildings helps Michigan Medicine to achieve:

• energy savings
• water efficiency
• reduced CO2 emissions
• improved indoor environmental quality
• stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts

Michigan Medicine’s newest patient care facility, the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Health Care Pavilion, is designed with carbon neutrality and environmental sustainability in mind. Opened in Fall 2025, the Kahn Pavilion was built to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the highest level of recognition for energy-efficient design, while exceeding Michigan Energy Code efficiency targets by approximately 20%. In May 2026, the pavilion officially achieved LEED Platinum certification.

C.S. Mott Children's and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital (C&W) received LEED Silver level certification in 2012. Learn more about C&W's LEED Silver certification.

• Sustainable Labs - U-M Office of Campus Sustainability
  Michigan Medicine labs can undergo a certification process through the U-M Office of Campus Sustainability.  After completing the certification process, the lab is benchmarked against other U-M labs based on its performance on energy efficiency, waste management, and sustainable procurement and is given a sustainability rating (from Bronze to Platinum).  Opportunities to increase the efficiency of the lab’s operations are also identified.
  
  For more information about the Sustainable Labs Certification, please visit the Office of Campus Sustainability website.