Sustainable Labs
Labs are an essential component of a research university and can play an important role in advancing NC State’s sustainability goals.
Sustainable Labs at NC State is an effort to promote sustainability in the lab environment, focusing specifically on four major pillars: energy consumption, waste reduction, water conservation and safety enhancement. Sustainability is one of NC State’s core values, and Sustainable Labs embody the university’s commitment to wise stewardship of resources, prudent financial planning and environmentally responsible operations.
NC State researchers solve society’s most pressing problems in laboratory facilities that demand a substantial amount of energy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, laboratories can be responsible for as much as 70% of a campus’s energy consumption. By incorporating energy conservation best practices within NC State’s labs, we can reduce our environmental impact and overall electricity demands. These strategies include:
- Integration of energy-efficient LED lighting
- Turning off lighting when not in use
- Shutting the fume hood sash
- Unplugging dormant equipment
- Sharing freezer space
Explore Energy Management’s ULT Freezer Rebate Program and connect with the Fume Hoods and Lab Exhaust Program to learn more about NC State’s energy initiatives and get involved.
NC State labs generate both hazardous and non-hazardous waste. A Sustainable Lab partners with both Environmental Health and Safety and Waste Reduction and Recycling to best assess its specific waste management strategies. Sustainable labs also explore lab product suppliers that design out waste in their processes and offer take-back programs for recycling and reuse. Other strategies include:
- Inventorying lab supplies
- Sharing equipment among different lab spaces
- Considering the following factors for sustainable lab purchasing:
- Is it durable and made to last a long time?
- Can it be reused, recycled and/or returned to the manufacturer?
- Is it available in bulk, shipped locally using less packaging?
- Is it made with recycled content and/or a reduced amount of natural resources?
- Is it energy and water-efficient?
Some labs require significant amounts of water to fulfill their operational and cooling requirements. For instance, a single lab sink faucet can consume nearly 4 gallons per minute. Given the challenging nature of identifying and minimizing water usage in busy labs, a combined approach that involves both infrastructure modifications and behavioral practices is key. These approaches include:
- Running autoclaves and dishwashers at full capacity
- Reducing the usage of deionized (DI) water
- Phasing out single-pass cooling systems
- Installing low-flow aerators on faucets
- Reporting leaks and/or equipment malfunctions immediately
NC State is committed to both safety and environmental stewardship. By adopting management practices that increase our material awareness, decrease our reliance on hazardous chemicals and foster more collaborative atmospheres, workplace safety can be significantly bolstered. Other measures include:
- Embracing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 12 principles of green chemistry
- Regularly updating lab management plans
- Ensuring compliance with routine lab inspections
- Substituting hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives
- Enhancing awareness of the contents within the laboratory space
The four pillars of Sustainable Labs can be classified into two complementary approaches to the Sustainable Labs program: Facilities and People.
Facilities
This approach concentrates on facility and infrastructure-based enhancements in lab design, such as:
- Installation of Variable Air Volume (VAV) fume hoods
- Integration of energy-efficient LED lighting
- Phasing out single-pass cooling systems
- Implementation of other mechanical improvements
These initiatives collectively establish a baseline for minimizing the environmental footprint of laboratory operations.
People
Sustainable Labs adopts a behavioral approach by empowering individuals to voluntarily adopt environmentally-friendly practices to “green” their labs, such as:
- Turning off lighting when not in use
- Shutting the fume hood sash
- Recycling laboratory materials correctly
- Using less hazardous chemicals
- Running dishwashers at full capacity
By choosing to implement just a few of these best practices, substantial economic and environmental savings can be achieved.
Labs at NC State account for:
Interested in hosting a Sustainable Lab?
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Additional Resources
- Smart Labs Toolkit
- U.S. General Services Administration’s Sustainable Facilities Tool
- My Green Lab
- International Institute for Sustainable Labs (I2SL)
- Take the pledge!
Program Contacts
- Sarah Jacobs, Sustainable Labs Intern
- Jessica Bast, University Sustainability Office
- Raheem Ariwoola, NC State Energy Management