Takeaways from the report on climate change
On Aug. 9, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change — a “code red for humanity,” according to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. Below are some key takeaways.
Earth is on track to cross the critical 1.5°C threshold within 20 years
Earth’s climate is warming faster than scientists previously thought, and even if nations sharply cut greenhouse gas emissions, total global warming will reach 1.5°C within the next 20 years. The 1.5°C increase is the critical threshold defined in the Paris Agreement to prevent the worst effects from climate change. If this 1.5°C increase occurs, we can expect to see an increase in climate impacts such as sea level rise, declining biodiversity, fishery and crop decline and rising poverty, as well as many other health-related impacts.
Warming is “unequivocally” due to human activity
“It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land,” causing widespread and rapid changes, the report said.
We can still prevent the most dire climate hazards
We must take drastic action now in order to stave off the most dire climate outcomes. Doing so will require a coordinated effort among nations to rapidly shift away from fossil fuels and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.
How is health related to climate change?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change is expected to be responsible for 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. Key health threats of climate change, according to the WHO and the CDC:
- Heat stress, as seen in the recent heat waves in the Northwestern states
- Waterborne and vector-carried diseases, for which a warmer climate means a wider geographic and seasonal distribution
- Air pollution, which is associated with diminished lung function, asthma and premature deaths
Health organizations like the medical center play a key role in providing the quality care and support needed for the communities to face the effects of climate change.
How the medical center is doing its part
The UN report emphasizes the importance of large organizations achieving their sustainability goals. The med center is striving to be carbon neutral by 2030, alongside a number of other goals. Visit the med center’s dashboard to find out more.
Resources for individuals
- LiveGreen website
- Count Us In’s list of 16 actions
- United Nations individual action site
National Honey Bee Day
This Saturday, Aug. 21, is National Honey Bee Day. Did you know that honey bees are responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat?
Honey bees account for 90% of the pollination required for our crops to grow and are responsible for more than $1 billion in agricultural productivity within the U.S. Not only do bees contribute to most of the food we eat, they also:
- Help create medicines and raw materials;
- Provide food for wildlife;
- Keep waterways clean;
- Prevent soil erosion;
- Help with the production of oxygen; and
- Absorb CO2, which helps mitigate climate change and keep our air clean.
We can all help save the bees. In 2020, the med center received a grant to replace turf grass with native plants that help support pollinators like honey bees. Take a walk over to the lower level of parking lot 16, between the Truhlsen Eye Institute and Home Instead Center for Successful Aging, to check out the prairie and see some pollinators in action.
Despite the country’s massive reliance on honey bees in agriculture and other systems, these bees are declining at an alarming rate. In 1988, there were around 5 million hives in the U.S.; today there are only 2.5 million. The decline of honey bees can be attributed to several different factors: parasites, pesticides, habitat destruction, air pollution and climate change. If honey bee populations continue to decline toward extinction, many of our everyday necessities will no longer be available, and our health will be in jeopardy. We won’t have access to food we eat every day and medications we use, there will be much more air pollution, and the environment will experience huge shifts within all ecosystems.
National Honey Bee Day is an opportunity to recognize how much honey bees do to sustain our ecosystems, protect natural resources and ensure human health. It’s also a day to appreciate all of the beekeepers and honey bee associations that help support these important pollinators.
Some ways you can help save the bees in your own life include: avoiding pesticides and fertilizers, providing more trees and bee gardens in your yard, helping local beekeepers and organizations and educating others on the importance of bees. Check out this blog from City Sprouts to find out more about how you can help.
Shutting the fume hood sash saves energy
If you spend time in a lab, you have an opportunity to help reduce a significant amount of energy during the hot summer months — and all year round.
Fume hoods that are left open when not in use consume the same amount of energy as 3.5 homes in a day, and the ventilation can account for half of all energy used in a lab. Not only does closing the fume hood conserve UNMC’s energy and reduce environmental impact, it also:
- Ensures safety of self and colleagues
- Saves the university at least $700,000 to $900,000 annually by ensuring the air exchange system runs efficiently
- Limits the amount of conditioned air that exits the building
- Prevents alarms from being triggered in the evening for some research buildings
Fume hood sashes are usually see-through panels that open and close to let air in and out. When a fume hood sash is open, it essentially creates a large hole in the lab’s wall that leads directly outside, using a significant amount of energy. This is important because it filters out noxious fumes so the air in the lab doesn’t get contaminated, but when the fume hood is not in use, there is no need for it to be filtering clean air.
Check out what some of your colleagues have to say about the importance of shutting the fume hood sash:
“If you care about reducing our energy footprint, which means helping both the environment and our bottom line, please shut the sash of your fume hood when it is not in use!” – Jennifer Larsen, MD, vice chancellor of research
“By shutting the fume-hood sash, med center colleagues not only can ensure safety and significantly reduce energy use but also save money. If a fume-hood sash is left open, the exhausted air must be replaced with fresh air, which in turn must be heated or cooled, all of which uses energy. The med center could save nearly $1 million every year by shutting the sash and ensuring our air systems run efficiently.” –Andrew Balus, facilities management and planning
New “Shut the Sash” stickers are being put up in UNMC labs this week and next week. If your lab still needs new stickers or you would like to put up posters, please email LiveGreen.
Med center receives Better Buildings Award
UNMC and Nebraska Medicine have been awarded the 2021 Better Buildings Goal Achiever Award. Better Buildings is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy designed to help drive leadership in energy innovation. Better Buildings Goal Achievers are leaders in energy efficiency and stand as an example for their peers in the public and private sectors as organizations who have met their sustainability commitment(s) within 10 years.
In 2016, the med center committed 6.8 million square feet of building space to the Better Buildings challenge. As part of the challenge, the med center committed to a goal of 20% reduction in water use intensity by 2022. This year, that goal was exceeded, with a 23% annual reduction in water consumption.
This was achieved by:
- Replacing non-recirculating cooling systems on freezers, MRI, and electron microscopes.
- Repairing faucet aerators and switching to high-efficiency faucets.
- Installing high efficiency toilets and urinals.
- Updating water fountains with bottle refill stations.
- Improving cooling tower efficiency.
Along with the med center’s commitments to the Better Buildings challenge and goals, it has committed to achieving a number of other sustainability goals by 2030. These include becoming carbon neutral (net zero emissions), achieving zero waste and using less water than what falls on the Omaha campus yearly during average rainfall (currently 104 million gallons). Check out the progress and projects being implemented to achieve these goals.
By pursuing the 2030 goals and being a part of programs like the Better Buildings Challenge, the med center is striving to have a positive impact on the planet and therefore creating a healthier environment for all people to live and thrive. Everyone’s actions on campus help to achieve these goals. Here are some simple ways you can help each day at work or at home.
Energy curtailment continues
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 – has returned.
This week is another hot one, and the medical center has been and will continue to be in and out of curtailment throughout the summer.
By using less energy on curtailment days, we:
- Ensure continuity of essential systems for critical hospital and research functions;
- Reduce pollution;
- Improve the health of the entire community; and
- Help to save money — both now (consumption) and for the next 12 months. The next year’s electrical rate is based on our maximum usage at any given point in time. This is always important, but especially now, as budgets are tight.
So what simple things can you do to help?
- Close shades, blinds and curtains whenever possible to reduce solar heat gain;
- If you are on campus but your neighbors aren’t, please help by closing their window coverings and turning off any lights or equipment you can.
- 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 us to control curtailment better. It is possible that spaces will get warmer as the day goes on, but there shouldn’t be freezing spaces, as colleagues have requested. For a full explanation, please visit 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 your space may not be the exact temperature you want. Only call 2-3347 (Nebraska Medicine) or 9-4050 (UNMC) to report spaces colder than 66 degrees or warmer than 78 degrees.
Patient care and research spaces are not affected by energy curtailment.
Design guidelines improve sustainability
Building design, including the construction, demolition and planned operations of spaces, is an important topic in the field of sustainability. Building design impacts greenhouse gas emissions, water use, waste management and even active transportation.
“Green” buildings take into consideration the health and safety of their occupants as well as the building’s impact on the environment. In 2020, the medical center revised its building design guidelines for new construction and major renovations. This revision process included enhancing the med center’s sustainability criteria. These changes in designing, constructing and operating spaces will help the med center reach its 2030 sustainability goals and will create a safer, healthier workplace for colleagues.
With these new requirements, all building design projects over $1 million must meet the requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v4 Gold Certification. While formal certification is not required, the framework and criteria needed to achieve LEED v4 Gold raises the bar for design processes, practices and building performance. Buildings designed to LEED standards have cleaner air (both inside the building and out), more natural lighting and fewer harmful chemicals. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, “improving indoor air quality can reduce absenteeism and work hours affected by asthma, respiratory allergies, depression and stress, and leads to and self-reported improvements in productivity”.
Below are just a few of the sustainability requirements in the new guidelines:
- Sustainable sites
- Harvest 95% of rainwater on site with green infrastructure and low impact development strategies
- Reduce heat island effects and light pollution
- Energy
- Demonstrate via energy modeling that the project achieves the Med Center’s energy targets
- Water use
- Reduce indoor potable water use by 35%
- Provide water filtration for potable sources
- Reduction of water use outdoors by at least 50% using the EPA’s WaterSense Water Budget tool
Webinar Thursday
To hear more about sustainable building design and its positive impacts on health and the planet, attend a LiveGreen webinar on Thursday, July 22, from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Lindsay Neemann, whose team has been leading the charge in creating and implementing the med center’s Green Design Guidelines, will discuss the sustainability features included in new construction, as well as the general process for incorporating sustainability into architecture projects. Join here at 11 a.m. Thursday.
World Population DaY
Last Sunday, July 11, was World Population Day. This day was first recognized in 1987 to bring awareness to the importance of population issues. There are currently 7.8 billion people in the world, and the population is projected to continue growing until 2100.
Instead of looking at the issues surrounding the growing population, we can look at some opportunities.
With a growing population comes more motivation to protect the environment. Currently, Earth’s Overshoot Day is July 29, meaning by that day humanity has consumed “nature’s budget” for the year. As natural resources are being depleted at a faster rate than ever before, and our land and oceans are increasingly polluted, consuming less is critical.
The good news is, there are plenty of ways individuals can help make a collective impact. Use this ecological footprint calculator to estimate your own impact and discover ways to reduce your footprint, including:
- Using public transportation, carpooling or riding a bike;
- Eating locally grown food and consuming fewer animal-based products;
- Adopting energy efficiency practices, like turning off lights when not in use or purchasing appliances with Energy Star labels; and
- Recycling or composting instead of sending trash to the landfill.
By reducing your footprint, not only are you helping the environment and the future population, but your own and others’ health. For example, biking and walking reduce your chance for heart disease, diabetes and cancer. By choosing more locally produced non-processed foods, you’re consuming less saturated fat, sugar and salt, which reduces your risk of stroke, diabetes and many different cancers. And all of the strategies above help reduce air pollution and emissions, which means lower risk of respiratory disease and a healthier environment.
World Population Day reminds us that there are billions of people on Earth. By lowering your carbon footprint, you’re helping ensure there are resources for everyone, now and into the future. Check out this list of organizations that are working to solve population issues, and learn more about how population growth impacts our planet.
Project reduced energy use
Reducing energy use is an important part of the medical center’s effort to achieve net zero building emissions by 2030.
In February of 2020, a local energy management firm partnered with the department of facilities, management and planning to optimize the Lauritzen Outpatient Center with this goal in mind. The six-month project helped make the building more efficient and correct pressure issues, which were most noticeable in the walkway between the Lauritzen Outpatient Center and the UNMC Center for Drug Discovery. More lighting controls also were installed, all of which helped the med center reduce emissions.
In buildings that have operating rooms and labs, there are different air requirements to keep everyone safe. More air is exhausted outside and is replaced with fresh, conditioned air. Replacing the air faster in these spaces not only uses more energy but sometimes can create pressure issues. Because almost all buildings on campus are connected, you can often feel a “breeze” in smaller spaces, like hallways and walkways.
The energy optimization project examined the programming of all HVAC systems to ensure proper functionality and appropriate conditioning of spaces. Occupants should be comfortable during the day, but systems can be slowed during unoccupied times in order to save energy. Alongside the optimization project, new lighting sensors were installed to adjust lighting levels based on number of occupants in a space.
With the changes from this project, the med center reduced energy use by 3.7 million KBtus and saved more than $103,000 in just the first year. The facilities department expects energy savings to continue and cost avoidance to increase as well. The emissions impact from this reduction in energy use is equivalent to removing 167 passenger vehicles from the road for one year.
Reducing emissions from energy use contributes to the med center’s mission to create a healthy future for all. Emissions cause a variety of health impacts, including cancer, asthma, respiratory allergies, foodborne disease, mental health disorders and more.
Facilities will continue to work on optimizing buildings on campus, and there are many ways you can help. Discover steps you can take during the work day or ways to implement energy saving strategies at home.
International Plastic Bag Free Day is July 3
Did you know that 5 trillion plastic bags are produced annually? If they were put end to end, those plastic bags would wrap around the entire planet seven times!
This Saturday, July 3, is International Plastic Bag Free Day, an initiative that aims to eliminate plastic bags as part of an effort toward a cleaner planet. Plastic has become a very prevalent topic in the past few years because it is a huge problem when it comes to pollution and the health and well-being of the Earth, and especially our oceans.
As of February 2021, only eight states and a few cities in the U.S. have banned plastic bags in supermarkets and businesses. Other states have begun using different types of compostable/ biodegradable bags or have incorporated reward systems for bringing in reusable bags. Even with efforts like these to reduce the use of plastic bags, the bags and other plastic waste are harming the environment at an alarming rate.
Any plastic bag ever used is still degrading and will likely continue to degrade for 1,000 years or longer. After that, it breaks down into microplastics and fibers, which absorb toxins and can get washed into the ocean, where sea animals often mistake them for food. Recent studies show large amounts of microplastics and fibers in sea animals’ guts, which directly correlate to human health if humans consume any type of seafood. There still are some uncertainties around the negative effects of humans ingesting plastic, but some might include: cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic inflammation and stroke.
Any type of plastic, whether it’s plastic bags or plastic water bottles, is detrimental to the environment and ecosystems. If plastic doesn’t get washed into the ocean, it can get into other water systems or into soil which also circles back into our supply of drinking water and our food.
Overall, plastic use is still increasing. To learn more about the effects of plastic and what you can do, check out the following resources:
- An informational Prezi presentation highlighting the most common plastics used at home and how to eliminate them.
- Plastic-Free webinar with the med center’s own Brian Jefferies, who has almost completely eliminated plastic in his household.
- The med center’s Plastic Free Ecochallenge team — From July 1-31, you can pledge to take specific actions to reduce plastic in your life.
Recycling event a success
This year, the medical center was fortunate to have its annual recycling event during Earth Month as usual, in partnership with the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Over the course of the two-day event in April, materials received included:
- 471 lbs. of assorted media (VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs and floppy disks);
- 7,466 lbs. of electronic waste;
- 3,910 lbs. of paper for shredding;
- 190 lbs. of alkaline batteries (approximately 2,500 batteries); and
- 3.5 lbs. of rechargeable/button batteries
That’s 12,040 total pounds diverted from the landfill. That impact equates to approximately:
- 31 trees saved
- 163 gallons of oil not used
- 367,212 hours of electricity saved
- 4,971 gallons of water conserved
Also donated:
- $800 and a carload of food to the Maverick Food Pantry;
- A blue recycling bin full of eyeglasses to the Truhlsen Eye Clinic; and
- Three boxes of pop tabs to Ronald McDonald House.
Event organizers offered a “thank you” to volunteers Mithla Albulushi, Marion Entz-Harris, Helga Fensterman, Sarah Fleenor, Elizabeth Hill, Sushma Kolumban, Jessica Macossay, SarahMcLain, Leracha Simon, Lacy Snyder and Jennifer Wemhoff.
This year’s collected waste was about half the amount collected last year, when nearly 29,000 lbs. of material for recycling was collected. That’s not bad news, though — during the first few months of the pandemic, lots of people cleaned out their houses, which meant they were looking for ways to responsibly dispose of materials in 2020. This year, plenty of materials still were diverted from the landfill.
Alongside proper disposal of items like the ones collected in April, there is more that everyone can do to reduce waste with regard to paper and technology. To reduce environmental impact and save money, do some research before buying products to see how long the product will last. Consider spending more for something that will last longer.
Other ways to reduce waste include printing less, unsubscribing from mailing lists and upgrading to rechargeable batteries. Reducing waste is a crucial first step, while recycling is an important last step, for ensuring waste is disposed of responsibly.
