Sustainability at UCSF

Thomas B. Newman, MD, MPH

December 4, 2007

Sustainability at UCSF Context What others are doing What we are doing Discussion: next steps

Context

Potentially catastrophic climate changes loom

– faster than projected Business as usual is not an option

– profound changes needed

Cultural Context

"We live in a wasteful, technology driven, individualistic and death-denying culture."

--George Annas, New Engl J Med, 1995

What Others Are Doing

University Leaders for a Sustainable Future– Goal: make sustainability and

environmental literacy a major focus of teaching and research, in addition to service and operations

– Talloires Declaration: 356 Signatories (156 in US and Canada), including UCSB

Harvard Green Campus Initiative Fiscal year 2008 operating budget of $1.8

million– 19 full-time staff– 38 part-time students

Green Campus Loan Fund– $12 million loan fund for conservation projects.

Annual Savings:– “The HGCI has generated annual savings that

far exceed the cost of the programs.” Courses on sustainability

http://www.greencampus.harvard.edu/about/funding.php

Kaiser Permanente E-mail (10/12/07) from KP CEO

George Halvorson: KP as the “Queen of Green”– Awards from the EPA, LA-PSR– Favorable stories in WSJ, NPR, JAMA– Spending $24 billion on 4000 new

construction projects by 2014, following 176 environmentally friendly design standards

Global Health and Safety Initiative

Patient, workplace, and environmental safety and sustainability– Sharing best practices– Combining purchasing power– Research– Advocacy/education

UCSF Medical Center one of 22 Co-founding organizations

UCOP Policy on Sustainable Practices (3/22/07) Green buildings, U.C. equivalent to LEED

Certification Clean energy standards

– 20% renewable by 2010– Improve efficiency

Climate protection– Reduce GHG by 2020 to 1990 levels– Measure environmental footprint

College Sustainability Report Card*: B+ (top 5-10%)

*http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/sustainability/ExecutiveSummary2008.pdf

UCSF Sustainability Committee Assoc VC Steve Wiesenthal, chair Work groups

– Budget– Education and communication (chair open)– Green Building– Medical Center– Natural Resources– Procurement– Transportation

Sustainability coordinator: John Pihl

Dept of Epidemiology & Biostatistics Green Committee

All faculty and staff welcome (N~25) Educate/facilitate re: green environment

– Reduce paper use; using 100% recycled paper– Recycling – Commuting: shared bicycles, fast passes, Muni tokens– Seminars

• Carbon offsets• Video conferencing

– Lobby landlord to become LEED building– Menu changes for departmental lunches*

Web site: Google Epidemiology Green Committee

*http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~gidon/papers/nutri/nutriEI.pdf

6 things I know the UCSF leadership cares about

Nobel prizes, IOM, NAS memberships NIH Grant funding ranking Educating students Sexual harassment Protecting human subjects Diversity

6 things I know the Medical Center leadership cares about

US News and World Report Ranking Patient satisfaction Financial performance Confidentiality Quality of care Safety

Next steps Increase visibility and effectiveness of

existing efforts by UCOP, Chancellor, etc– We’re moving in right direction, but behind– Cultural change via Deans, MSO’s, Chairs

Develop new efforts – Sign Tailloires Declaration

– Academic Senate Committee

– “Pathways” model for students

– Carbon offsets for University travel

Health Care Costs

$2,930

$2,820

$2,740

$2,520

$2,160

$2,080

$5,270U.S.

Canada

Germany

France

Sweden

U.K.

Japan

$ Per Capita

OECD, 2004 & Health Affairs 2002; 21(4): 99, Courtesy Bree Johnston, MD

Rank of 13 industrialized nationsRank of 13 industrialized nations

Low birth weight %

Infant mortality

Years of potential life lost

Age adjusted mortality

Life expectancy @ 1 yr

Life expectancy @ 40 yrs

Life expectancy @ 65 yrs

Life expectancy @ 80 yrs

Average for all indicators

BestPoorest

(U.S. in Red)

US ranks 37th out of 191 countries in overall health measures.

Courtesy Bree Johnston, MD

Examples of successful cultural changes

Sexual harassment Valuing diversity Confidentiality