A new program called Sustainable Labs<\/a> empowers NC State researchers and lab users to adopt sustainable practices in campus lab spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program is a result of collaboration between the University Sustainability Office<\/a>, Energy Management<\/a>, Waste Reduction and Recycling<\/a> and Environmental Health and Safety<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainable Labs, launched as a pilot program in January 2024, targets energy consumption, waste reduction, water conservation and safety enhancement in lab spaces at NC State. It also aims to contribute toward the university\u2019s value<\/a> of sustainability in our commitment to wise stewardship of resources, prudent financial planning and environmentally responsible operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sustainable Labs program is currently being piloted in the following spaces:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
• Biotechnology Program Teaching Lab<\/a> (BIT) with Dr. Carlos Goller and Robert Thomas<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• The Laboratory of Soft Materials & Green Chemistry<\/a> with Dr. Lucian Lucia<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Whitehill Lab – Christmas Tree Genetics<\/a> with Angela Chiang<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Buchler Lab<\/a> with Jason Flynn<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

  Others interested in joining the Sustainable Labs program can kickstart their journey online with the REPORTER course, Sustainable Labs Certification<\/a>.  Information is also available on the program website, go.ncsu.edu\/sustainablelabs<\/a>, which hosts an interest form for a Sustainable Lab Certification<\/a> that will be available by the end of the spring semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Critical to the development of the Sustainable Labs program is student Sarah Jacobs, an economics<\/a> and environmental technology and management <\/a>student who has focused on lab sustainability through her two-semester internship in the Campus As A Classroom<\/a> program. Campus As A Classroom engages students in real-world efforts to advance sustainability on NC State\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  \u201cAt NC State, labs make up less than half of campus spaces yet account for a significant portion of the university’s overall energy use,\u201d Jacobs said. \u201cWe have found that taking actions as small as remembering to shut a fume hood sash or running a dishwasher at full capacity can make a huge difference in reducing energy use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Jacobs notes that most sustainable actions can fall into infrastructure-based enhancements, like the installation of variable air volume fume hoods, behavioral approaches or a combination of both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  \u201cThe program is only as successful as the people who care about it. Everyone who works in a lab has the potential to impact its environmental footprint on a daily basis. A sustainable lab recognizes that environmental consciousness also encourages a strong safety culture,\u201d Jacobs said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Other best practices that people can make in their labs include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  \n
  • Turning off lighting when not in use<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Shutting the fume hood sash<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Recycling laboratory materials correctly<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Using less hazardous chemicals<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Running dishwashers at full capacity<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Inventorying materials and chemicals to reduce over-ordering<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    NC State is currently ranked 2nd<\/a> among public universities in the country for research technology transfer and commercialization. This achievement underscores the importance of the Sustainable Labs program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cIf we can embed sustainable practices in our research here, just imagine how large of an impact we can have on the world around us,\u201d Jacobs said.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n

    A new program called Sustainable Labs<\/a> empowers NC State researchers and lab users to adopt sustainable practices in campus lab spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The program is a result of collaboration between the University Sustainability Office<\/a>, Energy Management<\/a>, Waste Reduction and Recycling<\/a> and Environmental Health and Safety<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sustainable Labs, launched as a pilot program in January 2024, targets energy consumption, waste reduction, water conservation and safety enhancement in lab spaces at NC State. It also aims to contribute toward the university\u2019s value<\/a> of sustainability in our commitment to wise stewardship of resources, prudent financial planning and environmentally responsible operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Sustainable Labs program is currently being piloted in the following spaces:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    • Biotechnology Program Teaching Lab<\/a> (BIT) with Dr. Carlos Goller and Robert Thomas<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The Laboratory of Soft Materials & Green Chemistry<\/a> with Dr. Lucian Lucia<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Whitehill Lab - Christmas Tree Genetics<\/a> with Angela Chiang<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Buchler Lab<\/a> with Jason Flynn<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Others interested in joining the Sustainable Labs program can kickstart their journey online with the REPORTER course, Sustainable Labs Certification<\/a>.  Information is also available on the program website, go.ncsu.edu\/sustainablelabs<\/a>, which hosts an interest form for a Sustainable Lab Certification<\/a> that will be available by the end of the spring semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Critical to the development of the Sustainable Labs program is student Sarah Jacobs, an economics<\/a> and environmental technology and management <\/a>student who has focused on lab sustainability through her two-semester internship in the Campus As A Classroom<\/a> program. Campus As A Classroom engages students in real-world efforts to advance sustainability on NC State\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cAt NC State, labs make up less than half of campus spaces yet account for a significant portion of the university's overall energy use,\u201d Jacobs said. \u201cWe have found that taking actions as small as remembering to shut a fume hood sash or running a dishwasher at full capacity can make a huge difference in reducing energy use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Jacobs notes that most sustainable actions can fall into infrastructure-based enhancements, like the installation of variable air volume fume hoods, behavioral approaches or a combination of both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cThe program is only as successful as the people who care about it. Everyone who works in a lab has the potential to impact its environmental footprint on a daily basis. A sustainable lab recognizes that environmental consciousness also encourages a strong safety culture,\u201d Jacobs said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Other best practices that people can make in their labs include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
      • Turning off lighting when not in use<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Shutting the fume hood sash<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Recycling laboratory materials correctly<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Using less hazardous chemicals<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Running dishwashers at full capacity<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Inventorying materials and chemicals to reduce over-ordering<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        NC State is currently ranked 2nd<\/a> among public universities in the country for research technology transfer and commercialization. This achievement underscores the importance of the Sustainable Labs program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \u201cIf we can embed sustainable practices in our research here, just imagine how large of an impact we can have on the world around us,\u201d Jacobs said.<\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        The new Sustainable Labs program empowers NC State researchers and lab users to adopt sustainable practices in campus lab spaces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[127,40],"tags":[128,129],"class_list":["post-24031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research","category-sustainable-materials-and-technology","tag-_from-newswire-collection-209","tag-_from-newswire-collection-226"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24031"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25010,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24031\/revisions\/25010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}