Carle Health continues to develop initiatives that advance sustainability throughout the healthcare system. Driven by the fundamental connection between population health and environmental health, sustainability initiatives aim to reduce the system’s environmental footprint and operating costs while improving patient and ecosystem health.
“We are building partnerships to deliver a more sustainable and resilient future,” Anthony Corso, manager, Sustainability and Energy for Carle Health said. “Informed by the passion of Carle Health team members and the priorities of the communities we serve, we are collaborating to address environmental, social and economic challenges through our policies and practices.”
Carle Health is expanding efforts to improve the energy and resource efficiency of the hospitals and healthcare facilities across the system with energy use benchmarking and optimization. Five new energy efficiency projects planned for completion in 2025 will reduce the intensity of energy use and utility costs to direct those resources towards patient care.
Through Illinois Shines, a state program to make clean and renewable solar energy accessible throughout Illinois, several Carle Health locations will act as an anchor, helping expand solar energy projects within the region. As an anchor, Carle Health provides the opportunity for other eligible customers to reduce their electricity costs through community solar subscriptions.
The first two locations in the Carle Health system taking part in the program are Carle Health Methodist Hospital and Carle Health Methodist Atrium Medical Office Center in Peoria. Community solar anchor subscriptions will expand to more than a dozen additional locations across the system over the next year.
“Anchor subscribers allow individuals, businesses, schools, and other customers to access clean energy even when installing solar panels on their property isn’t feasible,” Nicholas Crompton, vice president, Construction and Facility Services for Carle Health, said. “Anchor subscribers reduce subscription costs to non-anchor subscribers in the community to continue promoting renewable energy.”
Following a 2024 transportation electrification study provided by Ameren Illinois which found significant opportunities for cost savings, Carle Health integrated its first battery electric vehicle (BEV) into the courier fleet in spring, 2025.
“We hope to quantify how fleet electrification can reduce operating costs and transportation emissions while maintaining or improving level of service,” Matt Ashmore, executive director, Supply Chain Services for Carle Health, said.
After months of research, Carle Foundation Hospital reFresh Eatery and North Star Café implemented a food waste reduction program. Leanpath is a food waste prevention solutions company, and with their technology, Carle Health Food and Nutrition Services have reduced food waste at the hospital by almost 40 percent in less than a year of use.
“It’s really been embraced by our team members,” Kevin Steffes, director, Food and Nutrition Services with Carle Health, said. “Leftover food is weighed and the reason it was discarded is tracked. That helps us adjust food purchases and preparations to what will be used. It also calculates how much waste would cost us and how much of an environmental impact we’re having.”
In April, Carle Health hosted a conference focused on food as medicine, titled “Microbiomes and Health: Advancing Sustainable Food Systems in Health Care.”
Presenters from Carle Health, Carle Illinois College of Medicine and the University of Illinois engaged healthcare professionals and other stakeholders in the interconnections between soil health, human health, agricultural practices and food systems.
Key takeaways from the conference include the need to expand regenerative agriculture, sustainable and resilient regional food systems, as well as the need for healthy eating habits to help combat chromic disease, support planetary health and rebuild social cohesion. The conference also addressed the need to improve economic viability in diversified agriculture at the regional scale.
For the second year in a row, Carle Health participated in the One Healthcare Ecochallenge. This month-long competition between healthcare organizations builds healthy and environmentally friendly habits, creates a collective impact and promotes team members to participate in ongoing sustainability efforts.
Daily actions are logged for points, and in 2025, the Carle Health team earned 12,523 points. Actions included saving 2,215 pounds of CO2 and 2,148 gallons of water, taking 23,020 more steps, and spending 1,910 more minutes outdoors.
“We look forward to building on the success of this and other sustainability initiatives for the benefit of communities we serve across the Carle Health system,” Corso said.
Carle Health looks holistically at the planning and facility design process and incorporates features that improve environmental performance, patient outcomes, and the productivity and well-being of team members.
The ‘sustainable design’ or ‘high-performance building’ approach promises to improve the experience of patients, visitors and team members while significantly reducing the Carle Health environmental footprint.
It is the generous support of thousands of donors throughout the Carle Health Service Area that provides the funds needed to invest $1 million in this important work. Charitable gifts to the Greatest Needs Funds in each region make this possible.
“Carle Health is a steward of sustainability for our team members, patients and their communities,” Beth Katsinas, vice president, Carle Health Center for Philanthropy, said. “The initiatives Carle Health Center for Philanthropy supports advance community benefits and improve wellness through positive environmental action.”
For more information about continuing community dedication at Carle Health, visit Carle.org.
“We are building partnerships to deliver a more sustainable and resilient future,” Anthony Corso, manager, Sustainability and Energy for Carle Health said. “Informed by the passion of Carle Health team members and the priorities of the communities we serve, we are collaborating to address environmental, social and economic challenges through our policies and practices.”
Carle Health is expanding efforts to improve the energy and resource efficiency of the hospitals and healthcare facilities across the system with energy use benchmarking and optimization. Five new energy efficiency projects planned for completion in 2025 will reduce the intensity of energy use and utility costs to direct those resources towards patient care.
Through Illinois Shines, a state program to make clean and renewable solar energy accessible throughout Illinois, several Carle Health locations will act as an anchor, helping expand solar energy projects within the region. As an anchor, Carle Health provides the opportunity for other eligible customers to reduce their electricity costs through community solar subscriptions.
The first two locations in the Carle Health system taking part in the program are Carle Health Methodist Hospital and Carle Health Methodist Atrium Medical Office Center in Peoria. Community solar anchor subscriptions will expand to more than a dozen additional locations across the system over the next year.
“Anchor subscribers allow individuals, businesses, schools, and other customers to access clean energy even when installing solar panels on their property isn’t feasible,” Nicholas Crompton, vice president, Construction and Facility Services for Carle Health, said. “Anchor subscribers reduce subscription costs to non-anchor subscribers in the community to continue promoting renewable energy.”
Following a 2024 transportation electrification study provided by Ameren Illinois which found significant opportunities for cost savings, Carle Health integrated its first battery electric vehicle (BEV) into the courier fleet in spring, 2025.
“We hope to quantify how fleet electrification can reduce operating costs and transportation emissions while maintaining or improving level of service,” Matt Ashmore, executive director, Supply Chain Services for Carle Health, said.
After months of research, Carle Foundation Hospital reFresh Eatery and North Star Café implemented a food waste reduction program. Leanpath is a food waste prevention solutions company, and with their technology, Carle Health Food and Nutrition Services have reduced food waste at the hospital by almost 40 percent in less than a year of use.
“It’s really been embraced by our team members,” Kevin Steffes, director, Food and Nutrition Services with Carle Health, said. “Leftover food is weighed and the reason it was discarded is tracked. That helps us adjust food purchases and preparations to what will be used. It also calculates how much waste would cost us and how much of an environmental impact we’re having.”
In April, Carle Health hosted a conference focused on food as medicine, titled “Microbiomes and Health: Advancing Sustainable Food Systems in Health Care.”
Presenters from Carle Health, Carle Illinois College of Medicine and the University of Illinois engaged healthcare professionals and other stakeholders in the interconnections between soil health, human health, agricultural practices and food systems.
Key takeaways from the conference include the need to expand regenerative agriculture, sustainable and resilient regional food systems, as well as the need for healthy eating habits to help combat chromic disease, support planetary health and rebuild social cohesion. The conference also addressed the need to improve economic viability in diversified agriculture at the regional scale.
For the second year in a row, Carle Health participated in the One Healthcare Ecochallenge. This month-long competition between healthcare organizations builds healthy and environmentally friendly habits, creates a collective impact and promotes team members to participate in ongoing sustainability efforts.
Daily actions are logged for points, and in 2025, the Carle Health team earned 12,523 points. Actions included saving 2,215 pounds of CO2 and 2,148 gallons of water, taking 23,020 more steps, and spending 1,910 more minutes outdoors.
“We look forward to building on the success of this and other sustainability initiatives for the benefit of communities we serve across the Carle Health system,” Corso said.
Carle Health looks holistically at the planning and facility design process and incorporates features that improve environmental performance, patient outcomes, and the productivity and well-being of team members.
The ‘sustainable design’ or ‘high-performance building’ approach promises to improve the experience of patients, visitors and team members while significantly reducing the Carle Health environmental footprint.
It is the generous support of thousands of donors throughout the Carle Health Service Area that provides the funds needed to invest $1 million in this important work. Charitable gifts to the Greatest Needs Funds in each region make this possible.
“Carle Health is a steward of sustainability for our team members, patients and their communities,” Beth Katsinas, vice president, Carle Health Center for Philanthropy, said. “The initiatives Carle Health Center for Philanthropy supports advance community benefits and improve wellness through positive environmental action.”
For more information about continuing community dedication at Carle Health, visit Carle.org.
Categories: Culture of Quality
Tags: Earth, Efforts, Energy, Environmental, Facilities, Green, Impact, Initiatives, Philanthropy, Renewable, Solar, Sustainability