Environmental sustainability
Our commitment to sustainability
Taking care of our environment is critical to ensure good health for our patients, employees, and our community.
Practice Greenhealth's Partner for Change Award
United Hospital earned a Practice Greenhealth Partner for Change Award in 2025. The award recognizes superior performance in a range of different sustainability programs and activities including energy, waste, procurement, and greening the operating room.
United Hospital Green Team
In 2024, United Hospital created their first ever Green Team, pulling staff from Facilities, Supply Chain, and Administration. This Green Team put together a successful Clean Sweep in 2025, which diverted thousands of pounds of office supplies, e-waste, medical equipment, and more from the landfill, yielding significant cost savings.
Pictured: United Hospital Green Team staff and Systemwide Sustainability Team.
Food waste reduction
United Hospital was a pioneer in diverting food waste by sending food scraps to Barthold Farms for animal feed. United has diverted over 170,000 pounds of food waste in 2023.
Plant-forward food menus
In fall of 2024, Sodexo and United Hospital food services staff piloted a plant-forward food menu.
Energy efficiency
United Hospital sources their energy from District Energy. District Energy is a renewable energy service provider. A combined heat and power plant (CHP) uses urban tree waste to provide energy to both District Energy and Xcel Energy. Since 2011, District Energy has also provided hot water and space heating through solar.
Donations to Matter
Surplus medical equipment and supplies are donated to Matter. Matter sends the material to hospitals and clinics in places like Senegal, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Kenya.
Rheaply
In 2021, Allina Health created the system's first ever circular economy program through a partnership with Rheaply. Rheaply is a reuse platform that allows staff to post unused and surplus items and exchange them with internal staff or external donation partners. This is a major waste diversion and cost savings initiative for the entire system.
Reusable sharps containers
Reusable sharps containers were implemented throughout the Allina Health system in 2014-2015.
Styrofoam elimination
In 2019, Styrofoam cups and containers were replaced with paper products. Even the site's cafeteria eliminated all Styrofoam products!