At Montage Health, care goes beyond clinic walls. Caring for our community also means caring for our environment. From the energy that powers patient care to the ways buildings are designed, environmental sustainability is an essential part of how we serve our community.
Across the organization, these efforts show up in big and small ways, all working toward the same goal: building a healthy community and a healthy environment.
Powering Community Hospital with clean, green energy
Bloom Energy generators at Montage Health
While patients get the care they need at Montage Health’s Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, a new and unique energy system is powering that care behind the scenes with emissions-free energy.
In November 2025, the hospital completed a multi-year installation of Bloom Energy fuel cell technology. The system generates electricity from natural gas and water without combustion, creating high-efficiency electricity on-site and significantly reducing emissions compared to traditional power sources.
Bloom provides about 65 percent of the hospital’s daytime electricity and 100 percent at night, greatly reducing utility expenses and providing a nearly net-zero carbon dioxide alternative to standard grid electricity.
While healthcare regulations require the hospital to maintain traditional generators and city power for emergencies, the Bloom system supplements these sources. Since its installation, the system has provided more than $1.5 million in energy cost savings and prevented thousands of tons of carbon emissions.
Bright ideas for energy efficiency
While our teams spend their days caring for our community, simple upgrades like energy-efficient lighting help us deliver that care in a more environmentally friendly way.
Across Montage Health, more than 2,500 light fixtures were recently replaced with high-efficiency LEDs. That means less energy, less heat, lower maintenance costs, and reduced HVAC demand.
Since installation, Montage Health has reduced energy use by nearly 500,000 kilowatt-hours. That’s about the same amount of energy as it takes to power 45 homes for a full year. It has also resulted in more than $165,000 in energy, maintenance, and HVAC savings.
And when it comes to the environment, the reduction in energy equates to:
- Planting 5,423 trees
- Saving 329 forest acres
- Removing 77 cars from the road
- Saving 36,937 gallons of gas
- Eliminating 328 metric tons of carbon dioxide, 6,866 grams of nitrous oxide, and 5,464 grams of methane
Turning sunshine into savings
Even our rooftops play a part in providing environmentally sustainable patient care.
1,400 solar panels were recently installed at Montage Health’s campuses throughout Monterey County, providing an average of 85 percent of each location’s total energy use. In addition to the massive reduction in carbon emissions, the project is projected to save more than $6 million in electricity costs over the next 25 years.
Ohana’s campus: Letting nature lead
At Ohana, Montage Health’s youth and family mental health program, a nature-centered, sustainable campus design is fundamental in creating a calm, restorative environment for patients to heal.
The campus is shaped by the land it sits on, using its natural terraces to improve drainage, support vegetation, and strengthen the surrounding watershed.
The building sits on a raised foundation that allows rainwater to flow naturally while minimizing disruption to the land. Permeable paving and plant-lined rainwater channels slow and clean runoff, helping to capture and filter water while natural collection areas create a habitat for burrowing owls, red-legged frogs, and native plants.
Inside, mass timber beams and cross-laminated floors reduce construction waste, lower the building’s carbon footprint, and create a calm environment. Locally sourced stone roots the building in the community, and native and immune-supporting gardens enhance biodiversity and offer restorative spaces for staff and patients.
Waste that doesn’t go to waste
Back at the hospital, even everyday tasks like managing waste are part of how we care for our community and environment. Recycling and composting programs sort and divert recyclables and organic waste into the right places. Food scraps and compostable materials are separated, while cardboard, plastics, and other recyclables are captured and processed appropriately.
Cardboard alone makes a measurable impact. In 2025, the hospital recycled more than 137 tons of cardboard — the equivalent of about 9 fully loaded garbage trucks — keeping it out of landfills and in circulation as reusable material. That volume was collected through more than 150 pickups throughout the year, showing how consistent, day-to-day efforts add up over time.
A model for sustainable healthcare
Fuel cells, solar, LEDs, and nature-first design each tackle a different piece of the puzzle: energy, water, emissions, habitat, and human experience. Together, these efforts make a positive impact on the environment, save money, and show that healthcare can care for patients and the planet, one clever project at a time.
