Kaiser Permanente recently became the first health system to achieve carbon neutral status in the country. As the largest integrated, nonprofit health system in the United States, this achievement demonstrates its longstanding commitment to sustainability.
Certified by the CarbonNeutral Protocol, the organization has eliminated or offset its 800,000-ton annual carbon footprint, the equivalent of taking 175,000 cars off the road. The certification applies to its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, as well as select Scope 3 emissions including corporate travel.
For decades, Kaiser Permanente has been working to improve energy efficiency in its buildings, sourcing electricity from renewable sources including more than 360 MW of wind and solar generation and installing 44 MW of onsite solar arrays. In addition to these building improvements, they credit purchasing carbon offsets that also provided a strong health benefit with helping them reach carbon neutrality.