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Apr. 2016
UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica has been selected as a grand-prize winner in the annual "Sustainable Quality Awards" competition sponsored by the city of Santa Monica, its nonprofit affiliate called Sustainable Works and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. The Sustainable Quality Awards (SQA) inspire local businesses to adopt sustainable practices and support Santa Monica as a sustainable community. Awards are given for excellence in Sustainable Economic Development, Social Responsibility, and Stewardship of the Natural Environment. Businesses demonstrating excellence in all three categories are awarded the Grand Prize. The oldest and most rigorous sustainable business award in Southern California, the SQA has honored over 130 businesses since it began in 1995. UCLA Health's commitment to sustainability demonstrated to the City of Santa Monica that we are stewards of the environment and will continue to serve the community with as little impact as possible.
Paul Watkins, Chief Administrative Officer for UCLAMC-SM accepted the award at the 2016 Sustainable Quality Awards Ceremony on April 21st.
Oct. 2015
Online competition asks staff, faculty and students to take action to reduce carbon footprint
The University of California launched The Cool Campus Challenge, a 10-week online competition between the 10 UC system campuses designed to motivate and reward staff, faculty and students who take steps to reduce their carbon footprints and help the UC system reach Carbon Neutrality by 2025.
Each week of the Challenge will highlight an important theme along with suggested actions participants can take that will directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase education and awareness about climate disruption. These activities can be as simple as turning off the lights, taking public transportation, or eliminating space heaters.
The Cool Campus Challenge is an important part of President Janet Napolitano's 2013 Carbon Neutrality Initiative, which outlines the direct actions the University will take to address the growing crisis of climate change driven by fossil fuel emissions. The Challenge, a collaboration between the University of California and the UC Berkeley Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, is the first major cross-campus effort to engage staff, faculty and students alike in a communal effort to become carbon neutral.
"UC campuses are already leading the world in so many ways. Now we're on our way to becoming the very first university system to wipe out our carbon footprint for good," said President Napolitano. "It's a daring goal, and one that we can only meet if we work together, which is why the Challenge is so important."
In the spirit of competition, staff, faculty and students will have an opportunity to score points for their campus and department each time they complete one of the activities. Campuses with the most points will be eligible for raffle prizes, and the one with the most points accrued by the end of the Challenge will earn the title of "Coolest UC Campus."
Participants can help promote the Challenge and track Challenge updates via social media using the hashtag #UCool.
To sign-up for the Challenge, campus participants should visit www.coolcampuschallenge.org.
Sept. 2015
Food and the Environment - Did you know that your diet can impact the environment in either a negative or positive way? It's not just about the type of food you eat, where it comes from and what it goes through before it meets your plate has an effect on global health. Learn about what our Nutrition and Foodservices departments are doing in sustainable food and get a sneak-peak of Food Day, a national event to promote real, healthy food. Guest Speaker: Nichole Matsuura-Kuo, MS, RD - Senior Dietician, Computrition Specialist
Please join us:
Monday, October 5th
Noon-1:00pm
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
6th Floor Conference Room 6234
Thursday, October 22nd
Noon-1:00pm
UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica
Conference Room 2 (G360)
Register for these events.
May 2015
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center has been honored for outstanding performance in health care sustainability in the area of Food by Practice Greenhealth, the nation's leading health care community that empowers its members to increase their efficiencies and environmental stewardship while improving patient safety and care through tools, best practices and knowledge.
New this year, the Circles of Excellence recognize hospitals for outstanding performance in one specific topic area. The Circles of Excellence are determined by the highest scoring facilities in each category of the Greenhealth Partner for Change Award-based on the Practice Greenhealth's thorough scoring and evaluation criteria. Categories include:
These Awards highlight those hospitals that are pushing the envelope and driving innovation in sustainability performance in each sustainability category. There can be up to 10 designees selected for each Circle of Excellence category.
In addition to outstanding performance in the area of food, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica received the Greenhealth Partner for Change Award which recognizes health care facilities for their demonstrated commitment to minimizing their environmental footprint by incorporating sustainability into their day-to-day practices.
The Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards were presented in Portland, Oregon on May 14 at the CleanMed Conference.
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Dec. 2014
In October 2014, the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Dining Commons was awarded the Los Angeles Green Business Certification. This recognition shows our continued commitment to environmental sustainability. In order to obtain this certification, a facility must show compliance with many sustainability standards ranging from reducting waste and recycling to preventing pollution. In December 2014, the UCLA Medical Center-Santa Monica cafeteria was also awarded a green business certification from the City of Santa Monica. Similar to the LA Green Business Certifcation, we had to show our current sustainable practices within the food service and nutrition department. This is the first certification for both facilities and the first hospital cafeterias to hold these certifications in the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica.
Nov. 2014
The University of California announced that it will make the largest solar energy purchase by any U.S. higher education institution to help power its campuses and medical centers more sustainably.
UC signed two Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with Frontier Renewables, a power provider focused on solar photovoltaic technology. The agreements secure solar energy for UC for 25 years, and will allow the university to supply 206,000 megawatt-hours per year (MWh/year) of solar energy to California's electrical grid.
Click here to read more from the University of California News
Oct. 2014
What is sustainability? This broad, complicated subject can often cause confusion. Knowing the basics is the first step in understanding a topic that impacts every part of our lives. UCLA Health Sustainability presents the first in a series of lunch & learns focused on expanding the knowledge of environmental sustainability throughout the organization. This session will offer an overview of sustainability and why it is important, especially in the healthcare sector. Many of the health system's accomplishments will be presented giving a look at how our efforts are reducing the impact on the environment. The presentation will conclude with a Q&A session. Guest Speaker: Nurit Katz, UCLA Chief Sustainability Officer and Instructor for UCLA Extension's Global Sustainability Certificate Program.
Please join us:
Thursday, November 13th
12:00-1:00pm
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, B-level Lobby
*Please feel free to bring your lunch.
Sept. 2014
On September 16, 2014, UCLA Transportation, Plug In America, and UCLA's Smart Grid Energy Research Center (SMERC) together are hosting a Drive an Electric Vehicle event as a part of National Drive Electric Week. You are invited to test drive any one of 15 electric vehicles at 365 Portola Plaza, North of Perloff Hall. In addition to the test drive, come talk to industry experts, learn about public charging options, powering an EV with solar energy, pricing, state rebates, and much more. See Test Drive Map here.
More details at our Be a Green Commuter Blog:
http://beagreencommuter.com/ucla-celebrates-national-drive-electric-week/
Jun. 2014
Both Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, have been honored with 2014 Partner for Change awards by Practice Greenhealth, a nonprofit organization that works with the health care community to increase efficiencies and environmental stewardship while improving patient safety and care through the use of best practices and new tools and knowledge.
"The UCLA Health System has worked tirelessly to protect its patients, staff and environment through smart goal-setting and careful monitoring," said Gary Cohen, president of Practice Greenhealth. "As a system, they are truly demonstrating leadership for the future of health care."
Click here to read entire article on Newswise.
Apr. 2014
UCLA has been a leader in environmental sustainability and has received many accolades throughout the years. Last month, there were a few more lauds worth mentioning. The UCLA Sustainability Committee was named Environmentalist of the Year by the nonprofit organization Faith2Green and Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz. The committee is comprised of over 70 staff, faculty and students serving on subcommittees and task forces. There is representation from many areas of the campus including the medical center.
Click here to read more.
Apr. 2014
Earth Day is celebrated globally on April 22nd to increase awareness of environmental issues and to reinforce the message that we need to be good to our planet. Learn how you can help make everyday Earth Day at these scheduled events. If you are unable to participate in person, you can still participate by submitting your "Green Pledge" here for a chance to win a prize. Tell us what you promise to do to help the environment.
UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica (Harman Garden)
Monday, April 21st
10:00am - 1:00pm
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Outdoor Dining Area)
Tuesday, April 22nd
10:00am - 1:00pm
Click here for the event flyer.
Apr. 2014
Patients, staff and visitors to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica can now enjoy a healthier version of the traditional burger-and-fries lunch. The hospitals' menus now include burgers made from antibiotic-free, grass-fed beef and herb roasted potatoes, as well as antibiotic-free chicken breasts.
With the changes, the hospitals are helping lead the trend toward serving healthier, antibiotic-free meats.
This move is in line with other initiatives instituted recently by the health system to promote a healthier community, including banning fried foods, offering "meatless Mondays," and using biodegradable utensils and plates.
The menu enhancements were spurred in part by concern about bacteria's growing resistance to antibiotics. According to Dr. Daniel Uslan, an assistant clinical professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, an overuse of antibiotics in cows, chickens and other food-producing animals has helped make bacteria resistant to commonly used antibiotics, which in turn has led to more antibiotic-resistant infections in humans.
"With the effectiveness of key antibiotics dwindling, bacterial resistance presents a major public health challenge," said Uslan, who also is director of the antimicrobial stewardship program at the UCLA Health System. "It's critical that we reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in agriculture and support appropriate antibiotic use by clinicians and patients."
Read the full article in the UCLA Newsroom.
Jan. 2014
President Napolitano annoucnes the University of California will be carbon neutral by 2050.
"...Now, this is a steep mountain, and we have to figure out how to reach the top. But we are the University of California. And there is no reason that UC can't lead the world in this quest, as it has in so many others...The good news is that research universities like UC are in the business of breaking through barriers. That's why we call them breakthroughs. It is the essence of what research universities do."
- UC President Janet Napolitano
With partnerships across sectors and communities, UCLA will develop a comprehensive plan to achieve self-sufficiency in energy and water in the Los Angeles region by 2050. The plan, which will be ready in 2019, will include:
To learn more, visit www.grandchallenges.ucla.edu.
Oct. 2013
The University of California Sustainable Practices Policy goal of achieving 20 percent sustainable food purchases has been met and surpassed seven years early by UCLA Health. The UCLA Department of Nutrition, along with all of the academic and medical campuses under the University of California umbrella, have worked toward this goal for many years. Sustainable food purchases are defined as foods and beverages that meet one or more of the criteria provided in the policy, including locally grown, fair-trade certified and USDA organic food.
Oct. 2013
The Wellness Initiative and UCLA Health's Sustainability Program invite you to do something good for your health while supporting local farmers.
Santa Monica campus staff members now can enjoy seasonal organic fruits and vegetables delivered to Café Santa Monica for convenient pickup every Wednesday, between 2 and 7 pm. Launched in partnership with the South Central Farmers' Co-Op, the program offers participants the choice of ordering a full box ($20 to $25) or mini-box ($15 to $19) of fresh produce.
To order or for more information, visit www.scfcoop.southcentralfarmers.com or call (800) 249-5240.
Sep. 2013
UCLA Health has been making the shift from disposable to reusable products because they are less detrimental to the environment. One shift that has occurred and has caught the attention of other medical centers is the use of precaution gowns that can be washed and reused.
In May 2012, the laundry and linen department introduced reusable precaution gowns on a unit-by-unit basis. To date, 60 percent of the units at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center have switched from disposable to reusable gowns. Every time a gown is reused, it keeps a disposable gown out of the landfill. A total of 605,795 reusable gowns have been used, keeping 108,900 pounds of trash out of the landfill.
August 2013
Want to earn meal tickets to Café Santa Monica year-round, rather than just for the annual Holiday Meal Celebration? Join our Santa Monica Campus Rideshare Program today!
You can earn up to four meal tickets each month by carpooling, vanpooling, taking the bus, bicycling or walking to work. In doing so, you also will help bolster our health system's Sustainability Program.
To get on-board, contact our Photo ID and Parking Office at (424) 259-9109.
July 2013
Filling stations are now available in Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, providing easy and convenient access to water and reducing disposable water bottle waste.
Currently, the following three locations are available:
