LLUH receives 2026 “Greenhealth Champion Award” for efforts to improve environmental impact of operations

For the second consecutive year, Practice Greenhealth, the nation's leading organization dedicated to sustainability in healthcare, has honored Loma Linda University Health for its commitment to enhance the environmental sustainability of its operations. The 2026 "Greenhealth Champion Award" recognizes Loma Linda University Health's efforts to advance sustainable operations, reduce and recycle waste, lower energy and water use, source more sustainable products, and embed sustainability into its culture.

"As a major academic healthcare institution and key provider of healthcare to Inland Empire residents, Loma Linda University Health has both an opportunity and a responsibility to lead," said Lyndon Edwards, MBA, MHS, Chief Operating Officer for LLUH Hospitals. "Environmental sustainability is not separate from our work. It is an important way to protect health, reduce environmental health risks, and ensure that future generations can thrive."

In 2023, LLUH formally launched its Environmental Sustainability Committee, a multidisciplinary team that now includes more than 60 healthcare leaders, educators, students, and residents - with active engagement from senior leadership. During the past year, the committee members built data infrastructure to make sustainability data more accessible and actionable, presented to national audiences, and created a Board-approved Sustainability Strategic Plan to guide future efforts.

In addition, LLUH has made meaningful progress in reducing environmental impact through several high-impact projects across departments. Highlights include:

• Connected LLU students to extra catered food on campus to reduce catered food waste, lower carbon emissions, comply with new state food donation laws and reduce student food insecurity.
  • To help lower the operating room's environmental footprint, LLUH modified its policy to allow reusable surgical scrub caps after research confirmed they are as safe and effective as disposable alternatives.
    • In surgical services, LLUH removed desflurane from general use and completed decommissioning of the piped nitrous oxide infrastructure at five hospital locations, reducing the environmental footprint of anesthesia care.
    • The Clean Tag Project in respiratory care replaced plastic bags with paper tags to mark clean equipment, cutting more than 12,000 bags from annual waste.
    • Completed a renewable microgrid project featuring 3,622 solar panels and a 1-megawatt battery storage system, strengthening operational resilience, lowering energy costs, and reducing the environmental impact of facility operations.
    • Rather than sending thousands of retired waste and recycling containers to a landfill, LLUH partnered with local schools and school districts to repurpose them, diverting more than 12,000 pounds of material from the waste stream.

"Sustainability is no longer a side project at LLUH - it is increasingly becoming part of how we think, plan, and operate," said Jasmine Hutchinson, Director of Community Benefit and system sustainability lead. "This award recognizes the collective efforts of teams across the organization who are helping turn that vision into action."

LLUH's membership with Practice Greenhealth provides all employees with access to best-in-class tools, data, and technical support. To take advantage of these free resources, create an account using your LLU email address and the institution's access code instructions. Once logged in, you'll find practical guides, toolkits, and success stories to help make your department more sustainable.

Learn more about Environmental Sustainability at LLUH on the One Portal Sustainability page.