Environmental Stewardship

EvergreenHealth is proud to be recognized as a top local company for its conservation and recycling programs.

Conservation and Recycling

Recognizing that human health and environmental health are inextricably linked, EvergreenHealth is committed to being good stewards of the resources we use.

Working together, EvergreenHealth has reduced our environmental footprint and promoted sustainability in several ways, including:

• Construction Management maintains a 70% diversion requirement for waste created from construction and remodel projects.
• 50% of Environmental Services' cleaning chemical purchases are green-certified.
• Our clinics are implementing paperless patient processes to reduce waste.
• Clinics are also expanding telemedicine to increase capacity without increasing their physical footprint and reducing provider commute miles.
• Purchasing is engaging with our group purchasing organizations (GPO) on sustainable procurement.
• EvergreenHealth Medical Center recycled 969 tons (about the weight of 55 Greyhound buses) of waste last year, everything from computers to aluminum cans, batteries to box board, and paper to ink jet cartridges. We are conserving natural resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions while reducing costs to the organization.
• Environmental Services used green initiatives and sustainability efforts as part of the criteria for selecting a new linen provider in 2023.
• EvergreenHealth's Kirkland campus is performing well above the standard required for compliance with the Washington Clean Buildings Act (RCW 19.27A), placing us in the top 5% of energy-efficient healthcare facilities in the country.

Additionally, EvergreenHealth supports efforts to use alternative methods of transportation and educates patients, employees and community members about benefits to both health and the environment of sustainability practices in daily life.

Recognitions

EvergreenHealth has received multiple recognitions for our sustainability efforts, which reflect our ongoing commitment to be stewards of our community's health and wellness.

Greenhealth Champion Award

For 16 of the last 17 years, EvergreenHealth has received the Greenhealth Champion Award, previously called the Partner for Change Award, from Practice Greenhealth. This award recognizes our ongoing dedication to improving our environmental performance and efforts to integrate sustainability and resiliency into every aspect of our organization.

According to Practice Greenhealth, organizations like ours are the hospitals and health care providers of the future – innovative and progressive, finding creative ways to take their environmental programs to the next level.

National Leader In Energy Efficiency

As of 2026, EvergreenHealth Medical Center is performing well above the Washington Clean Buildings Act (RCW 19.27A) standards. Our performance places us among the top hospitals nationally in terms of limiting our environmental footprint.

Through EvergreenHealth's efforts, our annual carbon reduction is equivalent to:

• Removing about 680 passenger vehicles from the road for one year
• Powering roughly 400–450 average U.S. homes annually
• Avoiding the use of an estimated 350,000 gallons of gasoline
• Growing more than 50,000 tree seedlings for 10 years

ENERGY STAR® Achievement

Our commitment to energy efficiency is also demonstrated by EvergreenHealth's ENERGY STAR® score of 95. The is among the leading scores for hospitals in the whole U.S. A score of 95 means that EvergreenHealth:

• Performs better than 95% of comparable hospitals nationwide
• Is firmly positioned in the top 5% of energy-efficient healthcare facilities in the U.S.
• Far exceeds the threshold of 75 required to earn ENERGY STAR certification

While many hospitals work to reach or exceed the ENERGY STAR certification threshold of 75, EvergreenHealth's score of 95 demonstrates performance that is not just compliant or above average—but truly committed to environmental stewardship in our community.

Healthy Food Pledge

In 2012, the Food Services department signed the Healthy Food Pledge to support procurement of local, nutritious, sustainably produced food and demonstrates a commitment to "first, do no harm" as part of a whole hospital approach to preventive medicine that protects the health of patients, staff and communities.

Earth Day Fair

The Green Team organizes the annual Earth Day Fair where local environmental organizations and hospital vendors educate on how we can reduce our environmental footprint at both home and work.