Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Reduces Carbon Footprint

South San Francisco, CA    August 9, 2018  Submitted by Joe Fragola, Kaiser Permanente

With the installation of more than 100 new solar panels and other equipment upgrades, Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco is becoming an increasingly sustainable facility.

The investment is part of a program-wide goal of being carbon neutral by 2020 and carbon positive by 2025, Support Services Administrator Bill Bowdle said.

“Having a clean environment is key to total health and to our organizational mission,” he said. “We’re committed to making the kinds of investments that allow us to do our part to take care of our communities.”

To be carbon neutral, Kaiser Permanente needs to offset as much greenhouse gas as it emits. To be carbon positive, it must offset more than it emits.

“Over the past 10 years, the organization has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent — even as membership mushroomed by 24 percent to an estimated 12.2 million people during the same time frame,” according to a July 2018 article in GreenBiz.

The new solar panels at 1200 El Camino Real will offset 344 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year, the equivalent of emissions from 38,661 gallons of gasoline or 842,103 miles driven by the average car.

New solar panels at Kaiser Permanente in South San Francisco

In addition, a number of recently completed and planned energy-efficient projects will help transform the environmental impact of the South San Francisco building systems including air handler replacements, energy efficient lighting, and water savings fixtures. The facility also upgraded its heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment.

Planned projects for the next couple of years include replacing more air handlers and adding energy efficient lighting. A new state-of-the-art automated building management system to closely monitor and manage energy consumption also is planned.

“All of these projects will help move us much closer to our 2020 and 2025 goals,” Bowdle said.