Hospitals save lives, but the healthcare sector also accounts for nearly 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Keeping patients healthy extends beyond the walls of the hospital for one Chicago health system.
Photo Credit: Rush University Medical Center
Rush University Medical Center, a major medical institution in Chicago, believes environmental sustainability and preventative medicine go hand in hand, improving public health today and into the future.
We sat down with Ian Hughes, Director of Environmental Sustainability at Rush University Medical Center, to learn more about the environmental impacts of healthcare and Rush’s efforts to mitigate its footprint.
“If we’re truly focused on improving health, we have to look at our contributions to climate change and waste,” Hughes says.
Why Sustainability Matters in Healthcare
Hospitals and healthcare businesses consume enormous amounts of energy, water, and generate significant waste.
According to the Cornell University ILR Scheinman Institute, the largest contributors within healthcare include hospital care, clinical services, and prescription drugs.
Interview between Ian Hughes and Nautilus Solar, discussing the intersection between healthcare and renewable energy.
Ian Hughes, Director of Environmental Sustainability at Rush University Medical Center, sees this impact firsthand. The Rush campus spans seven city blocks and 23 buildings. It is said that stacked together, it’d rival the height of the Sears Tower.
Rush’s Five Pillars of Sustainability
To address these challenges, Rush is aligned with the Health Sector CARES Pledge, committing to:
Additionally, Rush’s Office of Environmental Sustainability focuses on reducing their environmental footprint across five pillars:
Through investments in energy efficiency projects, Rush has already lowered its scope one and two emissions by about 13% across these five pillars.
“Through community solar and some RECs (Renewable Energy Credits) purchases to match that community solar, we hope to take another big chunk and hit that 2030 goal,” Hughes explains.
Nautilus Solar's Highway 20 Solar Farm in Hampshire, Illinois
Why did Rush choose community solar?
Instead of rooftop solar installations, which are high-capital investments, Rush chose community solar.
Community solar is a way for multiple customers to share the benefit of a single solar array. In this case, Rush joined a solar farm operated by Nautilus Community Solar that lets multiple residents and businesses access the benefits of solar energy without installing rooftop solar. It’s part of Illinois Shines, a state-incentivized program supporting the development of solar energy in Illinois.
“We’ve got some amazing leadership here in the state of Illinois that’s built out some amazing frameworks to make community solar happen—not just with the intent of greening our grid but building a new green energy workforce,” Ian states.
On just two of Nautilus Solar’s recent projects in Illinois, local workers contributed more than 28,470 man-hours to their development, directly creating income for Illinois families and driving economic growth.
In the fall 2025, Governor J.B. Pritzker celebrated the opening of one of these Nautilus community solar farms in Hampshire, Illinois. He emphasized the impact these projects have on the power grid and local economy.
The Impact Beyond the Hospital
Illinois community solar delivers benefits that go beyond businesses. Many projects reserve 50% of their capacity for low-to-moderate-income households, ensuring equitable access to clean energy savings.
These efforts are especially critical for lower income residents and socially vulnerable populations, who are more heavily impacted by the effects of lower air quality from fossil fuel power plants. Research shows a direct link between these emissions and increased rates of childhood asthma, as well as other health problems associated with fine particulate matter. Solar helps reduce the reliance on pollutant-emitting fossil fuels that impact these communities.
Hughes coins that “the environmental sustainability work that we’re doing is preventative medicine. This is helping people—whether it’s right now, directly, or into the future—by having a positive impact on people’s health.”
Leading by Example
Rush University Medical Center’s commitment to community solar demonstrates that environmental sustainability is preventative medicine for the city of Chicago and an attractive option for other businesses, homeowners, and even other hospitals.
“It’s a no-brainer,” he says. “You’re able to support workforce development, green our grid, improve air quality in the process, support environmental justice communities from a wide variety of different perspectives, and walk away at the end of the day with a discount on your bill. Like, why wouldn’t you do something like this, right?”
*The partnership between Nautilus Solar Energy and Rush University Medical Center was made possible through E4, LLC, a leading energy and sustainability consulting firm.