We’ve made public environmental commitments, and received recognition for them, to provide sustainable health care and reduce our impacts on climate change – regionally and globally. Some examples:
Environment and Climate Change
Circumstances we’re helping to improve:
Climate change
Taking aim at the long-term impacts of climate change and carbon emissions to create a cleaner future for generations
Sustainability
We want our actions and sustainability model to be a case study, and encourage other health systems to make environmental commitments
Some examples of our efforts:
COMMITTED & RECOGNIZED
Awarded for sustainability performance
Practice Greenhealth has recognized UC Davis Health as a national leader in environmental sustainability with its Emerald Award, which recognizes the top 20 percent of applicants. The award takes into consideration advanced sustainability programs with exemplary scores in multiple sustainability categories.
UC Davis Health also received Circles of Excellence designations for procurement, water, transportation, green building and food. The designations honor up to 10 of the highest performing hospitals nationwide in various areas of sustainability.
UC Davis overall was named the greenest university in the nation for the tenth year in a row in the UI GreenMetric rankings, and the world’s seventh most sustainable university.
SMUD also recognized UC Davis Health as its first Clean PowerCity Business Champion. This designation stems from UC Davis Health's partnership with SMUD in achieving shared sustainability and clean energy goals. UC Davis Health is a regional leader in carbon reduction, with 100% of its SMUD-provided power being carbon-free. UC Davis Health also partnered with SMUD to maximize sustainability in its newest facilities: the Folsom Center for Health and 48X Complex.
COMMITTED & RECOGNIZED
Recognized for climate leadership
UC Davis Health has been recognized by Health Care Without Harm as one of the hospitals and health systems pioneering innovative and effective solutions to mitigate healthcare’s climate footprint and enhance their resilience.
In winter 2023, UC Davis Health earned Health Care Climate Action recognition, including gold honors for climate resilience and silver for climate leadership. In 2022, we were recognized as a Climate Champion in a previous ranking system.
COMMITTED & RECOGNIZED
Green building practices
We’re incorporating green building in the new and expanded patient care facilities we’re constructing in Sacramento and around the region.
For example, we plan to add 640 kilowatts of solar at our new Folsom Medical Office, and 3-5 megawatts for our main Sacramento medical center campus. And our new 48X Complex outpatient surgery center is slated to be LEED Certified, and among the first Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) facilities to be completed in California. The Arbor Day Foundation named UC Davis Health a 2025 Tree Campus for its commitment to using trees and green spaces to support human health, environmental sustainability and broader community well-being.
Also in Sacramento, the Aggie Square project is at the forefront of sustainability, from sustainably powered buildings to drought-resistant landscaping. The groundbreaking project is designed to minimize its carbon footprint and use highly efficient energy systems.
COMMITTED & RECOGNIZED
Cleaner transportation
As one of the region’s largest employers, our green commuter programs help get cars off the road and support employees who choose cleaner options like electric cars and public transit.
For the sixth year in a row, UC Davis Health has been named a Best Workplace for Commuters for 2026. It’s an honor achieved by providing a robust employee commuter benefits program that promotes and supports sustainable transportation methods like walking, biking, public transit or carpooling.
Our medical center campus is also home to more than 90 electric vehicle charging stations, with plans to expand to 215 stations with 410 handles after construction. Electric vehicles also make up nearly 40% of our fleet vehicle inventory.
COMMITTED & RECOGNIZED
Learn more in our virtual sustainability tour
This self-guided StoryMaps walking tour for staff, health professionals, and community members discusses UC Davis Health System’s efforts in reducing emissions, reducing water use, expanding solar energy usage, and more. You can also scroll through the tour virtually without leaving your desk.
More Believe in Better Highlights
Some recent examples of our ongoing efforts to advance health for all.
Conversations that matter: Making advance care planning standard care
UC Davis Health improved advance care planning through systemwide, team‑based efforts, boosting document completion rates, advancing equity and ensuring care aligns with patients’ values.
How the School of Medicine built a primary care pipeline to address physician shortages
UC Davis graduates a higher share of primary care physicians than most medical schools, which expands access and addresses shortages in underserved California communities.
UC Davis Pediatric Mobile Clinic brings specialty care to children and families across Sacramento region
This community-centered clinic on wheels offers general pediatrics, mental health, developmental-behavioral pediatrics and asthma care.
School of Medicine students spotlight global health inequities affecting displaced communities
UC Davis Health hosted a conference spotlighting major health gaps facing displaced communities worldwide and strategies to address them.