Health & Well-being
Healthy Planet, Healthy People
From our campus buildings and landscape to transportation, food, and energy, our activities to improve the environment can also enhance the health and well-being of the Yale community, as well as those surrounding it.
Yale’s Efforts
- In 2015 Yale announced its tobacco-free public health campaign, which reflects the University’s commitment to reduce pollution and provide a healthier environment for all members of the campus community.
- Yale Hospitality emphasizes the importance of health and wellness through its food service offerings. Examples of the Yale Hospitality offerings include a plant-based protein program, salt reduction initiative, spa water program, emphasis on local food sourcing and catch of the day, and more.
- Yale’s custodial teams utilize a technology that uses electrolysis (a mixture of water, electricity and salt) to provide a powerful and disinfecting solution that avoids the use of chemicals entirely. In addition, they follow a set of Green Cleaning Standards that promote human health, and health of the environment.
- The Yale Climate Change and Health Initiative utilizes Yale’s multidisciplinary expertise and global reach to train future leaders, provide a comprehensive educational program, and catalyze innovative research, all to address one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century.
What You Can Do
- Get active! Utilize the Yale Shuttle or other public transportation, walk or bike around campus.
- Refer to our Healthy Meeting Guidelines when planning a meeting or event.
- Save energy. Reducing energy use improves air quality as well.
Our Objectives and Goals
A Healthy, Vibrant Campus
Encourage decision-making and behaviors that lead to a healthy, vibrant campus and surrounding community.
Recognizing climate change as a serious public health challenge, the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) released a Climate Change Handbook in spring 2024 with rigorous climate science from Yale Center for Climate Change and Health experts and action items for a healthy planet. It contains essays written by YSPH faculty, students, staff, and alumni on the effects of rising temperatures and polluted air on human health and well-being; the impact of food choices on the planet’s health; and more. Highlighting the interdisciplinary work being undertaken by leaders across campus, including the vice provost for Yale Planetary Solutions, the handbook aims to inspire with stories of climate solutions that can be implemented in one’s own community, as well as an interactive tool to help readers create their own action plan.
Sustainability, Health, and Well-Being
ON TRACK
By 2025, advance universitywide programs and policies to improve health and well-being outcomes.
Developed in 2019, the Collective Well-Being assessment was piloted with groups across the Yale community to inventory resources and measure a group’s well-being. We are exploring additional tools to gather and institutionalize data collection to inform strategic planning across the university.
Resilient Food Systems
Promote resilient food systems through on-campus food service and community-wide efforts.
Food Literacy and Resilience
ACHIEVED
By 2020, align University efforts to increase awareness of health benefits of sustainability initiatives and improve health outcomes.
This goal was achieved in 2020. Yale Hospitality has continued to raise awareness around sustainable and healthy food, through cross-departmental collaborations, student food enrichment events, and healthy menu architecture.
Sustainable Catering
ACHIEVED
By 2020, establish campus-wide sustainable catering standards.
This goal was achieved in 2020 when a comprehensive matrix of sustainable catering criteria was developed for external vendors, including considerations around diversity, menu development, health, labor, waste, and communication. Internally, Yale Hospitality has prioritized sustainable catering by focusing on reusable materials, exploring the purchase of electric vehicles for their fleet, and supporting local businesses.