Valley Signs Monumental Environmental Pledge

RIDGEWOOD, NJ, November 17, 2022 – Valley Health System has joined over 800 U.S. hospitals and thousands of other organizations across the country in signing the Health Care Sector Climate Pledge.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the White House, developed this initiative to mobilize the U.S. healthcare sector in driving down greenhouse emissions, improving the environment, and helping focus industry response to climate challenges. In addition to reducing their carbon footprint, signatories also commit to producing detailed plans to prepare their facilities for both chronic and acute catastrophic climate impacts.

Valley has joined a growing list of leading organizations in the healthcare sector and related industries that have committed to addressing the potentially massive impacts of climate change.

“Valley has pledged to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, building more climate resilient infrastructure, and more, as part of the Health Care Sector Climate Pledge,” said Audrey Meyers, President and CEO of Valley Health System. “We are proud and delighted to join this pledge.”

Valley, and others, have specifically pledged to, at minimum, reduce organizational emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050; publicly report on progress; designate an executive-level lead for their work; conduct an inventory of Scope 3 (supply chain) emissions by the end of 2024; and develop and release a climate resilience plan for continuous operations by the end of 2023.

One hundred two prominent health companies in the U.S. have signed the White House/HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge, including organizations representing 837 hospitals as well as leading health centers, suppliers, insurance companies, group purchasing organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and more. Federal systems like the Indian Health Service (IHS), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and Military Health System (MHS) are working together to meet similar goals to those these private sector organizations have embraced. Combined, this means that over 1,080 federal and private sector hospitals have made such commitments, together representing over 15 percent of U.S. hospitals. 

Valley has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and for years has been recognized by national organizations, including Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in healthcare.

In keeping with this commitment, sustainability has been a key guiding principle for the construction of Valley’s new hospital, the heart of a 40-acre health and wellness campus in Paramus. The project was planned, constructed, and will operate in alignment with the principles of healthcare sustainability. The campus will include a cogeneration plant that will produce anywhere from thirty-five to forty-five percent of the building’s power. Cogeneration uses what would otherwise be wasted heat to produce additional energy benefits. As a result, Valley anticipates about 9,000 tons in carbon emission reduction.

Valley also anticipates its new hospital will achieve gold-level status for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification in several categories, including space usage, water conservation, and use of natural light. 

To learn more about Valley’s commitment to green initiatives, please visit ValleyHealth.com/Green.