Green Labs Program

A cartoon showing green colored lab equipment with green liquids

UMBC’s Green Labs Program is a set of initiatives and guidelines designed to reduce the environmental impact of laboratories. This program focuses on reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste, and promoting the use of sustainable practices in the laboratory setting.  UMBC’s Green Labs Program is derived from the Green Office Program and can help laboratories learn about operational sustainability, reduce their carbon footprint, and support overall sustainability efforts.

 

Join UMBC Green Labs 

 A UMBC Green Lab is a lab that has successfully had one faculty or staff member complete the My Green Labs Assessment. These labs and their associated departments will be featured on a special interactive webpage, receive a ranking, and will be published in the Sustainability Office’s Newsletter. Additionally, all UMBC Green Labs have the option of submitting more information about their research. This information will be used by the Sustainability Office to highlight the lab’s research efforts and commitments to sustainability. A UMBC Green Lab certification is valid for 4 Academic Years.

Additionally, this effort enagages labs about the The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a set of global goals to address the world’s most pressing challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, and environmental degradation. Lab sustainability can support several of the SDGs, including SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). For example, by reducing energy consumption and waste in laboratories, we can help achieve SDG 7 by increasing the use of renewable energy sources and SDG 12 by promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns. Additionally, by promoting sustainable practices in laboratories, we can support SDG 13 by mitigating the impact of climate change and protecting the environment.

YES! Student researchers can also be a part of this program. UMBC’s Office of Sustainability will highlight research work from UMBC students who successfully complete the program.

Use this handy interactive checklist to gather some information for your lab’s assessment: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xptejwdH5SShIfAQAVEU1lvh0Io72x_q9d_iJqw3Nsc/edit?usp=sharing