The UNMC community is familiar with “energy curtailment,” when colleagues and students are asked to help the campus by using less energy on days when the combined heat and humidity put extra stress on campus energy systems. Starting today, the med center will be in and out of curtailment throughout the summer.

By using less energy on curtailment days, the med center:

• ensures continuity of essential systems for critical hospital and research functions;
• reduces pollution;
• improves the health of the entire community; and
• helps save money — both now (consumption) and for the next 12 months as the next year’s electrical rate is based on UNMC and Nebraska Medicine’s maximum usage at any given point in time. This is always important, but especially now, as budgets are tight.

So what simple things can be done to help?

• Close shades, blinds and curtains whenever possible to reduce solar heat gain;
• When on campus and others aren’t, please help by closing window coverings and turning off any lights or equipment not being used;
• Lower lighting levels where possible, turn off lights in unoccupied areas and when leaving a room;
• Turn off and unplug all electrical equipment not in use (computers, coffee makers, printers, chargers, etc.);
• Shut fume hood sashes when not in use;
• Open doors manually instead of using the ADA buttons if possible
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator; and
• Tell others.

Updated technology has allowed the med center to control curtailment better. It is possible that workspaces will get warmer as the day goes on, but there shouldn’t be any freezing spaces. For a full explanation, see the Energy Curtailment page.

Spaces are not controlled individually, the system cools larger areas. So while the med center has a temperature range to maintain, it’s possible a colleague’s individual space may not be the exact preferred temperature. Only call 402-552-3347 (Nebraska Medicine) or 402-559-4050 (UNMC) to report spaces colder than 66 degrees or warmer than 78 degrees.

Patient care and research spaces are not affected by energy curtailment.

Diet choices affect not only an individual’s health. How people eat also has a significant impact on the planet.

Eating more sustainably can help improve health while ensuring the planet has enough resources to feed future generations.

Increases in food production over the past several decades have positively impacted life expectancy, hunger, infant and child mortality and poverty. Unfortunately, these changes also have shifted people toward unhealthier diets — high in processed foods, added sugar and animal products. This shift to modern diets, for all its convenience and low cost, can compromise human health and be detrimental to the environment, especially as the global population grows. Industrial agriculture consumes a lot of natural resources, leading to deforestation and species extinction. Food production makes up about 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions (about 15% from the livestock sector alone) and accounts for approximately 66% of water usage. In short, current dietary patterns in many parts of the world demand more from the planet than is sustainable in the long term.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization defines sustainable diets as those that protect food security and guarantee healthy life for present and future generations. In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission developed scientific targets for healthy and sustainable food systems. The “planetary health diet” is characterized by high-quality plant-based foods and low amounts of animal-based foods, refined grains, added sugars and unhealthy fats. It includes more legumes, such as beans and lentils, whole grains, vegetables, fruits and nuts, and it is designed to be flexible based on culture and geography. According to the commission, around 11 million early deaths could be avoided each year with the adoption of the planetary health diet. Lower consumption of fat, meat and sugar also reduces the risk of health conditions such as cancer and type 2 diabetes.

There are lots of ways to eat healthier, discover new foods and flavors and be more sustainable. Focusing on seasonal and local foods, reducing food waste and learning more about where food comes from are just a few changes people can incorporate into their diet.

On April 12 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the UNMC community is invited to a virtual event focused on healthy and sustainable food. Peter Pellerito from the UNMC Center for Healthy Living will talk about maintaining a nutritious diet, followed by a live cooking demo with Prepped by Lauren, a local small business specializing in healthy food prep. Register here.

Do you have supplies you’re not using that someone else could use? Do you need office, lab or other supplies? Before you get rid of your materials or purchase new ones, check out LiveGreen’s supply exchange tool.

The online tool is available to list items to get rid of or find.

Here’s how the tool works: Browse through listings to see if there’s anything you can use. If you find something you need, reach out to the person who created the listing. You can contact them directly if a phone number is provided or use the contact feature within the tool. If you need specific items or supplies that aren’t offered, create a listing in the “Looking for Supplies” category, and others can contact you about those materials.

By trading items through the supply exchange tool, you help the med center strive toward its goal of net zero waste with a 90% diversion rate by 2030 and avoid sending materials to the landfill.

Landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions — in 2019, they accounted for about 15% of those emissions. That’s equivalent to 21.6 million passenger vehicles on the road for one year. Methane is more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, and it has significant implications for human health. Emissions from methane are a contributor to ground-level ozone pollution, which is a dangerous form of air pollution that can aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Reducing methane emissions by 45% would prevent 260,000 premature deaths and 775,000 asthma-related hospital visits and can improve labor hours and crops lost to extreme heat, according to a U.N. study.

So far, the med center has achieved a 41% diversion rate, meaning 41% of its waste was not sent to a landfill. Using the supply exchange tool is just one action to reduce waste and help increase the diversion rate. Check out the online tool and tell colleagues it’s available.