Sustainability

Resource and environmental stewardship

At St. Luke’s, we work to be good stewards of our resources. It’s important for the health of our organization and our communities. Here are just some of the ways that we have been intentional about our sustainability practices.

Environmental Sustainability

• Composting food waste
• Using compostable products in our cafeteria (silverware, takeout containers)
• Redistributing surplus food to those in need
• Making food to order vs. mass production
• Sourcing local food and ingredients when possible
• Reusable takeout container and mug programs
• Reducing waste and improving efficiency for St. Luke’s and its suppliers through paperless invoicing

Social Sustainability

• Standardized to high-efficiency LED lighting and motion detector switches as applicable
• Heating water for laundry with reclaimed steam
• Consulting with Minnesota Power regarding solar energy
• Collaborations with the DTA to improve access to public transportation, including input on the DuLooper shuttle for the downtown district that includes St. Luke’s campus
• Using hard-sided metal containers to store and sterilize instruments vs. disposable wrappers

Economic Sustainability

• Using environmentally preferred purchasing practices to integrate sustainable stewardship into product sourcing
• Use Star rating-equivalent ranking when purchasing large motors that drive infrastructure, such as water pumps
• Surgery and other high-use areas collect single use devices to be reprocessed for future use or for materials to be recycled
• Converting Building A and any future buildings to hot water heat, which is 30% more efficient than steam
• Redistributing equipment and supplies to countries in need, both diverting from the landfill and extending useful life of items

We are always looking for ways to improve our ecological footprint so we can continue to be a catalyst for change at the local and national levels.

Read more stories about sustainability at St. Luke's here.