In this section:

Healthcare facilities have substantial resource needs due to their round-the-clock operations, requiring significant energy, water and materials. Aligned with our Mission, we have a social responsibility to mitigate the environmental and public health impacts stemming from our operations.

Climate Action

Texas Health is working to fortify our system’s resilience against climate risks while actively pursuing reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and energy consumption. GHGs can originate from various sources within health systems, such as:

  • Direct combustion of fossil fuels on-site, such as for heating boilers or using on-site generators in case of power loss (Scope 1).
  • The energy purchased to heat, cool and power our buildings and equipment, and from using anesthetic gases, such as nitrous oxide (Scope 2).
  • Gases used in medical equipment, sterilization and cleaning processes, energy consumed during the production and transportation of goods and supplies, and from waste generation and disposal (Scope 3).

In our efforts to reduce emissions, Texas Health has undertaken substantial investments in sustainable building design, advanced lighting technologies, efficient heating and cooling systems, and medical equipment. We also complete retrofitting projects to lower energy consumption and utility costs.

We aim to reduce square-foot energy consumption by 1% annually, and we identify reduction opportunities through routine auditing.

These investments have yielded positive outcomes. Despite expanding our building footprint by nearly 28% since 2012, we have kept our energy consumption per square foot at just 12.4%. In 2020, we began measuring Scope 2 GHGs based on our energy purchases. Our system has increased by 1.3 million square feet in the last three years, but we have reduced our emissions per square foot by nearly 5%.

We will explore additional monitoring and reduction strategies as we continue to strengthen our action plans.

2023 Highlights

Texas Health:

  • Reduced year-over-year energy consumption by 2.7% and cut energy use per square foot by 1.7%, exceeding our goal.
  • Generated 126,967 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent of Scope 2 emissions, nearly 1.3% less than in 2022. Find additional data in Performance Data.
  • Began exploring renewable energy sources to diversify our portfolio and lower GHGs and the system’s reliance on fossil fuels. We are examining options that are logistically and financially feasible.
  • Was recognized for the fifth consecutive year by Texan by Nature, which annually honors the top 20 companies in the state for their commitment to conservation. 

Water

Population growth, drought and agricultural demands continue to strain our state’s water supplies. Texas Health regularly monitors long-term water availability, restrictions, forecasts and storage capabilities to refine its water management strategies.

As conscientious water stewards, we invest in water-efficient plumbing, irrigation and laundry systems. Additionally, we inspect and assess water delivery systems to prevent wastewater and stormwater discharges from exceeding local and state limits.

We aim to reduce annual water consumption by 1% per square foot. Factoring in the growth in square footage since 2015, our efforts have conserved 544.1 million gallons of water — an amount sufficient to fill 824 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

2023 Highlights

Texas Health:

  • Reduced overall water consumption by 0.7%. Water use per square foot increased slightly to 0.3%, falling short of our goal. Find additional water data in Performance Data.

Waste Management

Health systems consume numerous materials for operations and care delivery, generating various waste streams, including medical, office, food, chemical, electronic and pharmaceutical waste. At Texas Health, we are committed to material conservation through strategic measures such as mindful procurement, the use of environmentally friendly supplies, reuse and recycling practices and responsible disposal.

Our policies and protocols emphasize the safe handling, storage and disposal of materials to maintain the well-being of our workforce and comply with applicable laws. A national waste disposal company trains our staff in waste management best practices and also removes chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other hazardous materials from our facilities.

To avoid landfilling waste, Texas Health recycles or reuses:

  • Single-use devices such as pulse oximeters, harmonic scalpels, ECG leads and cables. We return these to the manufacturer for reprocessing so they can be safely used again. Through a program with the National Forest Foundation, we earn points for each single-use device we divert from landfills. The more points we earn, the more trees are planted to restore vital ecosystems.
  • Solid waste such as paper, cardboard, electronics, cans and glass.
  • Sharps containers and bins.
2023 Highlights

Texas Health:

  • Recycled nearly 1.2 million pounds of cardboard at seven hospitals and nine hospitals recycled nearly 311,000 pounds of mixed materials, such as cans, paper and plastic.
  • Collected and reprocessed 221,684 pounds of medical supplies and diverted 49,410 pounds of single-use devices from landfills.
  • Avoided generating an estimated 595,975 pounds of greenhouse gases by reusing sharps containers from September 2022 to August 2023. This is the equivalent of energy used in nearly 33 homes for one year. Additional waste data can be found in Performance Data.
  • Received the Stryker Gold Environmental Excellence Award for waste-diversion practices.