Sustainable Laboratories
Our laboratories across campus play a role in cutting edge research and innovation in various scientific disciplines. However, laboratories normally consume 5 to 10 times more energy per square meter than usual academic spaces. Additionally, laboratory buildings account for a high percentage of carbon emissions and energy use across the University.
To tackle this issue, the Environmental Sustainability Team has designed the Sustainable Laboratory program to reduce energy consumption and promote sustainable laboratory practices on campus. Our main goal is to integrate sustainable laboratory practices into every day and to reduce the negative environmental effects of laboratories on campus and beyond.
We have various ongoing projects throughout the Academic Year, which aim to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable laboratory practices and provide useful tips on how students and staff members can reduce the environmental footprint of their laboratory work. Please see below the main projects of the S-Lab branch for the 2022/2023 Academic Year:
- S-Lab role models: interviews with inspirational scientists who pioneered in making their lab more sustainable. Episodes to be released monthly on the GUEST YouTube channel.
- S-Lab information sessions: short seminars on how to reduce the environmental footprint of your laboratory work. Dates and locations to be announced.
- LEAF certification
Contact: Vi Amara
The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF)
LEAF is a new tool designed by the University College London to support staff members, researchers, and students to make their laboratories more sustainable and cost-effective. LEAF consists of various criteria, which can be implemented by lab users. Examples of these criteria include cold storage, waste & recycling, water usage, and many more. These criteria are based on previous observations and actions which have already been proven to work in other laboratories. One of LEAF's main advantages is that it enables users to quantify the impact of any laboratories in both financial and carbon savings.
LEAF was designed for anyone working in laboratories or NHS facilities. LEAF can be used by technical staff, lab management, PhDs, and post-docs interested in sustainable laboratory practices.
If you would like to participate in the LEAF framework or know more about it, please contact sustainable-labs@glasgow.ac.uk.