Green Timeline
A Brief History of Kaiser Permanente and Environmental Stewardship
2011
Kaiser Permanente was named the No. 1 green-IT organization by Computerworld. This follows a study which demonstrated that using electronic health records reduces carbon emissions, waste and water consumption.
Kaiser Permanente enters into agreement with Bloom Energy to deploy four megawatts of solid oxide fuel cell generated power across seven California facilities.
Sets ambitious waste reduction target to reduce, reuse, and recycle at least 40 percent of the organization’s waste by 2015.
Kaiser Permanente’s West Los Angeles Medical Center earns EPA ENERGY STAR® Certification; Kaiser Permanente Orange County awarded LEED Building Certification.
2010
Kaiser Permanente joined five leading health care systems to launch the ‘Healthier Hospitals Initiative’ to help speed the health care sector toward environmental sustainability.
Kaiser Permanente launches ‘Sustainability Scorecard’ for medical products, the first of its kind in health care. Kaiser Permanente will require suppliers to provide environmental data for $1 billion worth of medical equipment and products used in its hospitals, medical offices and other facilities. The scorecard will allow Kaiser Permanente to evaluate the sustainability of each medical item it purchases while also encouraging suppliers across the industry to provide greener products for the health care sector.
Breathe California has recognized Kaiser Permanente for its efforts to reduce global warming and air pollution. Kaiser Permanente was named as the Clean Air Award recipient in the leadership category at Breathe California's 20th annual ceremony in San Francisco.
Committed to improving the health of the communities it serves, Kaiser Permanente has agreed to deploy 15 megawatts of solar power in a deal that will put solar power systems at 15 facilities across the state by the summer of 2011. The agreement with Recurrent Energy, an independent power producer and a developer of solar power projects, launches one of the largest sustainable energy programs in U.S. health care.
Kathy Gerwig, Kaiser Permanente’s vice president for Workplace Safety and environmental stewardship officer, testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environment, about Kaiser Permanente’s efforts to curb the use of potentially toxic chemicals.
2009
Kaiser Permanente Division of Research released the first human study to look at the effect of BPA on the male reproductive system.
Kaiser Permanente received the System for Change Award, for the second consecutive year, for its leadership in improving environmental performance in the health care sector. Kaiser Permanente received the award today from Practice Greenhealth at CleanMed 2009, a global conference for environmental leaders in health care.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized Kaiser Permanente for its commitment to environmental protection at the agency’s 11th annual awards ceremony in San Francisco. The EPA’s Environmental Achievement Award program seeks to recognize individuals and organizations working in several western states to protect and preserve the environment.
Kaiser Permanente provided $1 million grant for La Maestra Community Health Center construction. The grant will help La Maestra build a 34,660 square-foot "green" community health care in San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood. The entire facility will comply with the Gold Level LEED (Leadership in Environmental Excellence Development) Certification offered by the United States Green Building Council.
2008
Kaiser Permanente helps to launch the Global Health and Safety Initiative, an organization that connects senior leaders from major health systems, leading non-governmental organizations, government agencies and group purchasing organizations, to discuss ways to advance health care’s contribution to worker, patient, and environmental safety. Partnering organizations include the American Nurses Association, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the EPA.
Kaiser Permanente’s Modesto Medical Center opens Oct. 1, earning national recognition from green building experts as one of the "greenest" health care facilities in North America. The 670,000-square-foot hospital features advanced green hospital practices such as furnishings and fixtures that use fewer toxic chemicals, energy-reducing materials, and health-promoting facility design.
Kaiser Permanente wins 12 awards at the global conference CleanMed 2008 for various projects to reduce waste and prevent pollution, including eliminating 630,000 grams of mercury from our system in the past several years, leaving Kaiser Permanente 95 percent mercury free.
2007
Kaiser Permanente is the first health care organization to report greenhouse gas emissions to the California Climate Action Registry.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Green Electronic Council named Kaiser Permanente a "Green Electronics Champion." Kaiser Permanente is the first and only health care organization that the EPA has honored with this award for "going green."
Kaiser Permanente begins to replace traditional x-ray equipment with digital imaging machines, reducing toxins and greenhouse gases, and saving energy and more than 154 million gallons a year of potable water.
2006
Kaiser Permanente contracts for "greener cleaners" that are safer for workers and patients by limiting exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
Dr. Maring leads Kaiser Permanente's efforts in Northern California to drive more organic produce into patients’ meals — by 2007, 60 tons of locally sourced produce, mostly organic, were included in thousands of patient meals (video) in 19 medical centers.
2005
Kaiser Permanente has the first vending machine in the country to offer Fair Trade coffee.
2004
Kaiser Permanente works with C & A Carpet (now Tandus) to create first vinyl-free carpet for health care.
2003
Kaiser Permanente’s Preston Maring, MD, founds the first Kaiser Permanente farmers market at the Oakland Medical Center. Today, 30 Kaiser Permanente facilities in California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, sponsor farmers markets.
2002
Kaiser Permanente neonatal departments become DEHP-free (and mostly vinyl-free). DEHP (Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) has been commonly used as a plasticizer in medical devices such as IV tubing and bags, catheters, dialysis bags and tubing, blood bags and transfusion tubing, and air tubes.
1997
Formation of Health Care Without Harm, a global coalition of 473 organizations in more than 50 countries, including Kaiser Permanente. The organization works to protect health by reducing pollution in the health care sector.
1970s – 80s to present
Individual Kaiser Permanente hospitals form "green teams" to minimize the environmental impacts of their facilities’ everyday activities. Green teams continue to meet in many Kaiser Permanente facilities, and have achieved successes by increasing recycling, decreasing use of disposable items, and substituting safe chemicals for more hazardous materials.
1963
Rachel Carson, author of the groundbreaking book, "Silent Spring," addresses Kaiser Permanente physicians and scientists. Considered to be a radical writer at the time, Carson’s keynote address, titled ‘The Pollution of Our Environment,’ was her last public appearance before her death in 1964. Her book, which exposed the hazards of the pesticide DDT, has been widely credited for launching today's environmental movement.
1950s
Henry Kaiser’s engineers install $5 million worth of air pollution control equipment at the Kaiser Steel Mill in Fontana, Calif. "We’re working to be a part of the answer, instead of part of the problem," a Kaiser leader said at the time.
