GHG Emissions  -  December 16, 2020

Blue Shield of California hits carbon neutral goal

Blue Shield of California announced Dec. 15 that it has achieved its carbon neutrality target.

The nonprofit healthcare provider received carbon-neutral certification from Natural Capital Partners and is committed to take action to curb the impact of climate change. The amount of emissions that the company offsets with its carbon neutrality achievement is equivalent to taking 6,300 cars off the road each year.

“We know that environment and health outcomes are linked, and California is among the most polluted states in the country with low-income neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by unhealthy air quality,” Kimberley Goode, senior vice president of External Affairs, Blue Shield of California, said in a statement. “As a mission-driven nonprofit health plan, we want all of our communities to have good health and great quality of life – for this generation and the next.”

Blue Shield’s sustainability initiatives have includes projects such as the installation of on-site solar at its offices in Lodi and El Dorado Hills, installing electric vehicle charging stations at its office in Redding, relocating its HQ to a LEED Gold certified building with EV chargers and supporting emission reduction projects to offset unavoidable emissions. Some of these projects included supporting Arcata’s Community Forest in Northern California and truck stop electrification across the country, in addition to purchasing RECs to cover electricity use.