2017 proved to be a year of impressive milestones for Phipps' leadership in the fields of human and environmental health. In January, Phipps launched the Make the Switch at Phipps! Green Power Drive, a partnership to incentivize visitors to switch to fossil-free renewable energy for their home electricity; by year's end, the program had successfully converted more than 2,000 households, preventing annual CO2 emissions equivalent to 33,605 barrels of oil being burned. In September, Phipps announced it had reduced its carbon dioxide emissions since 2005 by 56% per square foot, far exceeding the Paris Climate Agreement goal of a 26 – 28% reduction by 2025.

Photo © Paul g. Wiegman