UPMC’s Commitment to Sustainability and Community Resilience

SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT

UPMC’s Commitment to Sustainability and Community Resilience

September 18, 2025

UPMC has a long history of partnering with community organizations to strengthen the health, stability, and resilience of the neighborhoods we serve. The UPMC Center for Sustainability takes a comprehensive approach toward people, the planet, our practices, and partnerships.  One area that intersects all of these areas is community resilience. In today’s rapidly changing world, resilience reflects a community’s ability to resist, absorb, and recover from shocks or crises—such as severe weather events or global disruptions like pandemics. Through collaboration with local partners, the Center helps build stronger, more adaptable communities.

UPMC’s efforts to enhance community resilience are rooted in meaningful partnerships. A prime example is the ongoing collaboration with Tree Pittsburgh, a local organization dedicated to expanding Allegheny County’s tree canopy. UPMC’s partnership with Tree Pittsburgh exemplifies its commitment to resilience. Since 2020, more than 1,800 trees have been distributed to UPMC staff through Tree Pittsburgh’s adoption program. Trees reduce the urban heat effect, improve air quality, and support mental health — making reforestation a vital investment in long-term community well-being.

In Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, UPMC is contributing to the Oakland Energy Master Plan alongside stakeholders such as the the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, the City of Pittsburgh, Green Building Alliance (GBA), and other local institutions. With guidance from consultants at Buro Happold, this multi-phase study aims to identify, analyze, and implement scalable energy efficiency strategies that increase grid resiliency, prioritize equitable outcomes, and consider health impacts and downstream impacts of energy decisions. UPMC’s broader commitment to sustainability is also reflected in its participation in GBA’s 2030 Districts of Pittsburgh, Erie, and New Kensington. Across 31 committed buildings, UPMC is working to reduce carbon emissions, energy usage, and water usage by 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The 2030 District in Pittsburgh achieved its goal of 50% carbon emissions reduction five years ahead of schedule. 

Improving energy efficiency benefits surrounding communities by easing the already stressed energy infrastructure —making it more resilient in the face of outages or extreme weather events.

Food security has been a key focus of the Center for Sustainability since its establishment in 2023. Through strategic partnerships, UPMC has advanced community resilience via food donations, awareness campaigns, and initiatives to provide fresh produce to patients.

In April 2025, the Center for Workplace Culture and Community Engagement partnered with the Center for Sustainability to launch the first Nourishing Our Communities campaign. This initiative aimed to increase food security through education, volunteer opportunities, monetary donations, and regional collaboration. UPMC supported over 20 food banks and animal shelters across its service areas.

UPMC hospitals maintain regional relationships with food donation organizations such as 412 Food Rescue, Pitt Food Rescue Heroes, and York Fresh Food Farms. In the past year, UPMC donated nearly 96,000 pounds of surplus food to 412 Food Rescue. But our efforts go beyond donations. At UPMC York Memorial Hospital, a former golf course has been transformed into a living model of wellness, featuring hoop houses that grow up to 10,000 pounds of fresh produce annually. In collaboration with York Fresh Food Farms, this produce supports the hospital café, a staff and visitor farmers market, and local food deserts. Innovation continues with pilot programs at Mercy and Shadyside hospitals, where discharged patients and caregivers that are experiencing food insecurity receive frozen meals to help bridge nutritional gaps during recovery.

Globally, UPMC extends its impact through a decades-long partnership with Global Links, donating surplus medical supplies and furniture to underserved communities. This initiative reduces waste while improving healthcare access both domestically and internationally.

UPMC is proud to support the long-term health of the communities we serve through initiatives that promote resilience, environmental sustainability, and equitable access to resources. Our mission in healthcare goes beyond medical treatment — it includes a commitment to do no harm and to build a healthier, more resilient world in partnership with our local communities.