Overview:
Climate/Transportation initiative addresses our ongoing efforts to combat climate change.
Transportation contributes a large share of greenhouse gas emissions and is a main producer of air pollution. Decreasing emissions from transportation will improve air quality and community health. Transportation-related work includes improving fleet management, reducing fleet emissions, and increasing use of alternative fuels. The provision of electric charging stations at a unionized state facility has unique challenges that result in slow progress. Stony Brook is delighted that the first two electric charging stations for general use near the hospital have been installed. The area is on the main campus, but hospital employees may also park there. This deployment marks a milestone toward a more complete project that will directly impact Stony Brook University Hospital. This initial step also provided the opportunities to set administrative approaches to various concerns including use, equity, and costs. We anticipate that electric charging stations should be more widely available at the Hospital by 2027.
The Climate group looks at and supports greenhouse gas reductions across multiple other work groups and Hospital efforts – from food sourcing to installation of electric vehicle charging stations, to use of anesthetic gases, to waste reduction and energy use intensity reductions.
Goals for 2026:
The work of this group is closely tied to other working groups at the Hospital and across the University. The group endeavors to decrease the climate footprint, and track progress towards GHG emission reduction goals.
Recent Highlights:
COVID has changed many aspects of our world. One change is that we have greatly increased our telehealth and telework options, resulting in a large avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation to and from the Hospital.
Recent Recognition:
In 2022, Practice Greenhealth recognized the Hospital as a Circle of Excellence in Transportation.
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) awarded SUNY Stony Brook (including Stony Brook University Hospitals) the Outstanding Commitment to Energy Efficiency award! The award recognizes NYPA customers for their leadership and innovation in advancing clean energy projects throughout New York State.
“SUNY Stony Brook was selected as a recipient of this award for its continued focus on energy efficiency across an extensive campus. Stony Brook completed three energy master plans with NYPA and identified an estimated $16.9M in annual costs savings. The campus has continued to grow while also achieving a 20% reduction in campus-wide energy use intensity (EUI) and meeting Executive Order 88. Stony Brook shows no sign of slowing down and is currently updating its energy master plans to identify new opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce emissions and upgrade critical infrastructure.”
Policies:
EC0013 Parking