Environmental Sustainability

"Going green" at UPMC means saving energy and reducing costs associated with energy waste. By cutting energy waste at UPMC Health Plan, we expand UPMC’s commitment to environmental stewardship and global health. Learn more about UPMC Health Plan’s "greening" programs listed below, and UPMC's environmental initiatives.

Paper and Printing Reduction

Our paper and printing reduction initiative began in April 2009. Since then, the following improvements have been made:

• Nearly 100 personal printers were removed from private offices. All printing has been streamlined to energy-efficient printers located in common work areas.
• All printer cartridges are returned to the vendor for recycling.
• UPMC Health Plan encourages employees to not print emails unless absolutely necessary, and use two-sided paper when appropriate.
• Beginning with UPMC Health Plan’s move to the U.S. Steel Tower in 2012, all department records were scanned in an effort to go paperless.
• Paper consumption was reduced by 35 percent between 2012 and 2015.

Lighting and Energy Reduction

UPMC Health Plan occupies 16 floors of the U.S. Steel Tower in downtown Pittsburgh. All of these floors participate in UPMC’s LEED Certification program. We are proud that nine floors are Gold LEED Certified, and seven floors are Silver LEED Certified. Lighting fixtures on all 16 floors have motion detectors and use energy-efficient light bulbs. We use only Energy Star-certified electronic appliances (refrigerators, ice makers, printers, etc.).

Sustainable Pittsburgh Programs

Sustainable Business Compact Award

An initiative of Sustainable Pittsburgh, the Sustainable Business Compact provides a performance pathway for regional midsize and large businesses to build and demonstrate their sustainability commitments. UPMC earned the distinction of Champion from the Compact in 2014 — thanks in large part to the leadership efforts of UPMC Health Plan.

The Compact evaluates more than 170 sustainable actions in 12 major categories and three levels of recognition: Challenger, Leader, and Champion. To earn recognition as Champion, UPMC Health Plan worked with UPMC facilities and divisions to publicly disclose 100 percent of completed sustainable actions with concrete evidence to substantiate the claims. UPMC scored 300 out of a possible 330 Essential Points as judged by the Compact. UPMC maintains the highest level of recognition for sustainable performance recognized by the Compact, to date.

Green Workplace Challenge

We are also pleased to participate in Sustainable Pittsburgh’s Green Workplace Challenge — a program for employers in southwestern Pennsylvania to implement measurable sustainability initiatives and compare performance to an established baseline. In the spirit of friendly competition organizations earn points based on the volume, scope, and results of their initiatives.