Laboratories are some of the most resource-intensive spaces on the planet, using 10x more energy and 4x more water than office spaces and creating 12 billion pounds of waste each year. Going green is no longer an option but a requirement for creating long-term, positive changes to the way we operate in the lab. If you are part of a faculty setting up a new laboratory, or part of a team that is updating an existing lab, incorporating sustainable design elements should be a key priority. Designing a smart, sustainable lab will offer your organization a variety of benefits, including the reduction of energy, water, and waste, helping your organization reach its carbon commitments while simultaneously lowering operating costs and promoting a healthier environment. When establishing a new lab or updating your existing one, here are the top 10 design considerations to remember. 1. Purchase Energy and Water-Efficient Equipment When setting up a lab, opt for energy and water-efficient equipment, especially those with eco-modes or built-in timers for shutdown. This goes for anything from tabletop lab equipment like vortexes, drying ovens, and water baths to bigger items like refrigerators and freezers. Keep an eye out for equipment with the U.S.’s ENERGY STAR, Europe’s EU Energy Label, or the relevant energy efficiency label for your region. Check out the ACT Label database’s equipment category for more sustainable equipment options. 2. Set Up a Sharing System By creating a sharing system within your organization, you can avoid the expense of buying new equipment and instead leverage existing resources. For instance, if your lab needs a specialized microscope or a mass spec, instead of pursuing funding to buy your own, speak with your organizational representative about creating a workflow to share existing equipment. Additionally, if you do need to purchase new equipment, implement a sharing system of your own with those in need. Cultivating a sharing mentality makes new equipment a benefit to the entire department, ultimately reducing resource consumption and fostering a culture of collaboration. 3. Enhance the Energy Efficiency of Fume Hoods Fume hoods are significant drivers of energy usage in a lab. They are generally always on and continuously sucking in heated, cooled, or humidified air out of the building. There are sustainable choices you can make when purchasing fume hoods. If your lab doesn't use many caustic chemicals, consider ductless fume hoods that rely on filter systems to clear the air instead of the ventilation system, making them far more energy efficient. It’s recommended to check organizational and city regulations, as ultimately, this decision should be deferred to these bodies. For fume hoods that are ducted into the ventilation system, there are two main types: constant air volume and variable air volume. Opt for variable air volume fume hoods – when closing the fume hood sash of a variable air volume fume hood, airflow will be reduced, and energy will be saved. Closing your fume hood sash is one of the most impactful things you can do to save energy in the laboratory. To help remind your team to shut the sash, consider purchasing a fume hood with an auto-sash holder or sensor that notifies you if the sash is left open. Fume hoods, at their root, are safety devices. Thinking about the application of the fume hood for the particular lab that you’re designing can be very useful in creating a sustainable environment. 4. Rethink Water Purification Systems Water purification systems consume a lot of water and have expensive filters that need to be maintained. If a system already exists nearby, share! Take the time to walk down the hall to use an existing system instead of installing your own. If you need to buy new, as previously stated, consider a sharing program with other departments. 5. Install Low-Flow Aerators in Lab Sinks Installing low-flow aerators in lab sinks can cut water flow by up to 50%, making it an easy engineering control to reduce water usage. Low-flow aerators simply screw onto the end of faucets and reduce flow without changing water pressure. This simple and cheap option that will significantly reduce water usage. Your organization may even have aerators on hand and can help install them. All you have to do is ask! 6. Eliminate Single-Pass Cooling Systems Single-pass cooling is a term used to describe a process that uses water to cool something once. In contrast, a closed-loop or recirculating system reuses water continuously. The process of single-pass cooling is not only wasteful, but it can be a safety hazard in the lab, as well. Single-pass cooling can be found in equipment such as autoclaves and ice makers, and it’s commonly used to cool reactions in chemistry. By eliminating this process from your workflow, you can save hundreds of thousands of gallons of water each year and prevent the risk of flooding. The alternative? Consider waterless condenser devices such as Findenser or Asynt, which can be used in place to cool chemicals in a synthesis reaction. Or, instead of running water continuously to cool a reaction, see if your building has a closed-loop water system that you can hook into. If that isn’t an option, you can use a recirculating water bath. If you don’t have the budget for a recirculating water bath (they can be expensive), try an ice bucket and an aquarium pump to create your own DIY option. Efficiency on a budget is still efficiency! 7. Strategize Placement of Cold Storage Units Proper placement of cold storage units like refrigerators and freezers is important, as these units reject a lot of heat. Avoid placing them in random areas that don't have good airflow (like closets or hallways). Instead, consolidate this equipment in areas that are designed for cold storage units to avoid overburdening the building's HVAC system. Make sure you have backup power and a proper monitoring system, as well. Cold storage units are usually full of precious, expensive samples. If they fail, you risk the loss of years’ worth of work and potentially a lot of research funding. 8. Lighting Considerations There are a variety of options to reduce the amount of light that is used in your lab, including:
9. Optimize Temperature and Ventilation Controls Your lab will be designed with ventilation and temperature control. However, having further controls in place can help regulate heating and cooling when a lab is unoccupied, reducing unnecessary energy usage. If you have the ability to talk with the building operations team or engineering team for your facility, ask about what options are available for controlling temperature so the lab is not overly heated or cooled when it’s not being used. Regarding ventilation for labs with low-risk factors in terms of hazards, air changes per hour are often set much higher than needed. While these factors can be state or institutionally mandated, performing a risk analysis to determine what air changes per hour are needed for the space and properly updating can help save energy when the lab is unoccupied. Note that this may not be possible for labs that use extremely toxic chemicals or a lab that uses a high number of fume hoods. Occupancy sensors can also be a good option so that the HVAC and temperature systems don’t ramp up until someone walks into the space. 10. Establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Once your lab is physically established, be sure to put together SOP documents with sustainable best practices for future lab occupants. This can include scheduling cold storage maintenance checklists, protocols for packing waste handling, joining and attending organizational or regional green lab group meetings, details on making smart and sustainable future purchases through the ACT Label database, and more. To learn more about lab sustainability best practices, check out the My Green Lab Ambassador program. This free, online program includes a network of over 3,600 ambassadors from 53 countries. Join the program to ignite ideas from community members and experts who have previously established a lab and future guest speakers who can weigh in. At My Green Lab, our team is committed to protecting the earth each and every day – inside the laboratory and out! To celebrate Earth Day 2023, we’ve compiled a few of our team’s favorite sustainability tips that they practice regularly. Read on for tips and tricks to help inspire your personal sustainability journey. From Gardening to Composting Many members of team My Green Lab practice sustainability by spending time in the garden. Pernilla Sörme, Technical Program Director, likes to grow her own vegetables. She’s looking forward to a busy summer in the garden alongside her two dogs, ten sheep, seven ducks, two chickens and Lilly the pony! Senior Business Development Manager Benjamin Hisey is also a garden aficionado. “One of my favorite sustainability tips is participating in community gardening resources - shared composting, community plant sharing! This removes a lot of plastic waste from the gardening process and helps to promote a local healthy ecosystem and community!” “I like to reuse glass jars and plastic containers for growing vegetables in the greenhouse,” says Jack O’Grady, Senior Programmes Manager. Our team is also big on composting. “The amount of waste that is diverted from my trash bin is incredible!” says Stephanie Millar, Senior Director of Business Development. “Composting is the perfect way to reduce waste and give your scraps a second life. Even without a yard, I can bring my compost to a local grocery store or farm to grow more fruits and vegetables. By repurposing your food waste, you decrease methane emissions, save resources, improve soil health, and lower the demand for artificial fertilizers and pesticides in our food,” says Cristalle Ruiz, Business Development Manager. The Art of Recycling “Aluminum is one of the most readily recyclable materials on the planet - so I go out of my way to get it recycled!” says Christina Greever, My Green Lab’s Senior Programs Manager. “If I'm traveling and staying somewhere that doesn't offer recycling, I will carry cans home and place them in my own recycle bin, or seek out organizations that do recycle nearby,” she continues. Below is Christina with several bags of recycling that she brought back from a trip with friends to Montana! “One of my favorite sustainability tips is upcycling - particularly emptied glass jars and wooden boxes. They can be easily rinsed off, and after removing any packaging labels, they are great for storage and decor. Glass jars can be used for storing food items like nuts, seeds, or dried fruits, while wooden boxes can be repurposed as bookshelves or planters. Upcycling not only reduces waste but also adds a unique touch to your living space,” says Senior Marketing Manager Namrata Jain. Sustainable Swaps “Straws! I love straws! But a plastic straw that goes in the landfill is a definite no-no for me,” says IlaSri Bharati Summitt, Sustainability Programs Manager. “I buy sustainable straws made out of bamboo or grass that are fully biodegradable OR metal reusable straws.” Jazmine Stenger-Smith, My Green Lab’s Sustainability Programs Coordinator is a die hard thrifter. “Most of my furniture is second hand. The search is like a treasure hunt for me and I usually find some pretty rad items! It’s also invigorating that I am choosing the sustainable options for furniture, decor, clothes, dishes, etc.” Written by Tim Dillon, Mettler-Toledo Rainin Let’s be frank. We are at perfect liberty to continue our current path of negligent consumption, careless pollution, and ecological vandalism, comfortable in the knowledge that Mother Nature will be just fine in the end. If that statement seems unusual coming from someone whose LinkedIn profile describes himself as a “Sustainability Gladiator,” then allow me to elaborate. Life is tough, resilient, and extremely adaptable. We can shift the balance of nature dramatically from its current setting, and life will adapt just as it has adapted to past extreme climactic swings, several mass extinctions, and an ever-changing atmospheric composition. Life will adapt and thrive no matter what mess we make of the planet. Modern Humankind, on the other hand, is not so tough, or at least we have no desire to step back into the deadly game of life as played out in nature. We have a quality of life to protect, and we want to improve this quality as generations pass, so our children and grandchildren don’t experience a harsher, more deadly, and less comfortable life than we do. So, what is the key to looking after our own best interests? The answer is managing our affairs so that we do not force our environment into a new equilibrium, one that will most certainly not afford us the many blessings we have today. It’s crucial to look at our personal, individual actions and assess them in light of their impact on the status quo. We must look at what we consume, what we waste, and what the costs of our consumption and waste mean. When it comes to science, cutting-edge knowledge and research are our superpowers – but this cutting-edge science needs high-quality, often disposable consumables. What cutting-edge science does not need is unnecessary consumption, waste, and irreproducible experimental results or to have to perform an experiment twice where once was entirely possible. In a nutshell, the most sustainable plastic is the plastic you do not use. Tips for Getting a Start on Reducing Plastic Laboratories produce a lot of waste, which is no secret. Starting with an understanding of what your lab is throwing away is a great place to start. Conducting a waste audit can help you gain an understanding of what you’re throwing away, how you’re throwing it away, and how you can create more sustainable habits. Learn more about conducting a waste audit here. There are a variety of ways to reduce your plastic consumption in the lab, which include:
And this is just a start. If you’re interested in learning more, My Green Lab has a free, online Ambassador Program that will provide you with a quick introduction to lab sustainability and ideas for how sustainable actions can be implemented at your organization. My particular area of expertise is in reducing the plastic consumption (and waste) associated with pipetting and safeguarding the highest levels of reproducible experimental procedures. Let's dive in here. It All Starts with One Little Drop Precision liquid handling is a foundational step in just about every Life Science process, from basic serial dilutions to a multitude of complex assays. Every time a sample moves from one vessel to another, every time a buffer or reagent is added, a pipette tip is used. Not only is that pipette tip essential, it must be free of contaminants (DNase, RNase, endotoxins, etc.) as well as manufactured to very high specifications relating to form and function so as to facilitate accurate pipetting. Pipetting is not optional, and high quality single use pipette tips are not optional. Cutting edge science needs these consumables, and until such a time a technology provides an alternative, we should consider pipette tips a “cost of doing essential science.” However, much of the plastic associated with how those essential pipette tips is optional. Step back and look at the plastic that comes in your pipette tip racks – it can total more than the plastic you use in tips. This means that with proper assessment of the options available to you, a large part of your pipetting plastic can now become optional consumption. You manage the essential pipette tip plastic and eliminate the optional tip racking plastic. It’s not just about reducing your plastic use either – it is important to shift to the right type of plastic, too. If you must use plastic in your tip rack, then think about using a plastic with a lower environmental impact that the usual polypropylene. Tips for Sustainable Pipetting So, how exactly do you use less plastic and still perform at the high standard you require? Let’s start with the basic principle that the first step to reducing consumption is to avoid unnecessary consumption, i.e., wasted consumption. Step one is to have good equipment in good working order. We’re going to use the example of precision pipetting. We generally begin with the pipette and then think of the pipette/tip complex. A pipette tip is, after all, simply a disposable extension of the pipette itself. Ask yourself:
All of this is before we even start to think about the pipette tip and the obvious plastic consumption associated with the tip and its racking system!
Differences in pipette insertion into the tip will cause a difference in the pipette/tip complex air column and fundamentally affect the physics of operation for an air-displacement pipette. In brief, a tip that seats the pipette deeper will shorten the air column, and a tip that is overly tight and seats the pipette less deep with lengthen the air column. This affects the relationship between the pipette piston stroke and the force it can exert to draw liquid up into the tip. This is why the current ISO 8655 stipulates that pipettes MUST be calibrated with their manufacturer’s tips.
These types of considerations should be evaluated before you choose a pipette/tip complex, as all can contribute to the risk of experimental re-runs, irreproducible data, or poor data quality. Reducing plastic usage Now we can start to look at what I’m sure you assumed would be the first port of call when thinking about sustainable Pipetting: the amount and type of plastic you are consuming with your pipette tips. Can you use less plastic? The answer is yes. Refill systems use up to 85% less plastic than the equivalent number of racks of tips. But sometimes, you cannot use a refill system. What if you need filter tips? The most common material for pipette tip racks is polypropylene. This is far from ideal for several reasons. Polypropylene (PP) cannot be recycled to produce a product of the same intrinsic mechanical properties as the original product(7). This is because the Molar Mass Distribution of the recyclate is different from the original raw material. This means that even if your PP is recycled, you will never stop the flow of virgin fossil fuel into the product cycle. Your recycled PP must be “downcycled,” and virgin material is needed to make a replacement product. That virgin material represents oil that should stay under the surface of the earth, as well as a whole chain of embedded energy in its extraction, processing, and transport(1,2,3). That is all assuming your PP is recycled. PP is a Grade 5 polymer(4,5), it requires a high-energy (400F) specialist system to process. It is not widely recycled and has little value in the aftermarket due to the downcycling aspect. Therefore, you have a separate recycling collection for PP in the lab, and as such it will not be recycled in a regular mixed recycling stream. (Click here for further reading about Plastic Resin classifications.) Here is where sustainable alternatives come into play. PET, on the other hand, is a Grade 1 polymer, meaning it is easy to recycle and can be processed in a general mixed recycling stream. It also requires a lower energy process, 200F in this case(6). Recycled PET produces a recyclate of very similar characteristics to the virgin material, meaning that, when you recycle PET, you ARE stopping new plastic and new oil from entering the product cycle. PET is in higher demand in the recycling aftermarket and will be recovered from a general mixed recycling stream. Because it is lighter, it demands less energy to transport and process at end of life. Rainin has invented the TerraRack, a PET-based rack that uses 50% less plastic in the rack, is half the weight, and produces empty racks that nest inside each other reducing waste volume by up to 80%. TerraRack is a hinged rack that contains BioClean Ultra sterile filter and sterile non-filter tips, so you have options, even with the most demanding of quality requirements. You can find TerraRack in the ACT Database here. Coming soon will be a Rainin racked tip that removes 100% of the plastic from the rack and lid, substituting a Home Compostable material for the ubiquitous plastic. It is not universally available yet, but we are looking for sustainability-minded pipettors to help us make less plastic the new normal. If you would like to learn more about how you can remove up to 85% of the plastic from your pipetting processes and at the same time shift your plastic consumption to a grade of plastic that is practically (and not just theoretically) recyclable, I am happy to elaborate and expand on the subject. I can be reached at Tim.Dillon@MT.com, or look for me on LinkedIn.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Pernilla Sörme to the My Green Lab team! Originally from Sweden and residing in the UK, Pernilla recently signed on as Technical Program Director. She's a sustainability advocate who loves spending time in nature and at her farm with her animals. Learn more about Pernilla, her interests, and her sustainability journey below! Please tell us a little bit about yourself & your background. I was born in Sweden but live in the UK since 6 years back now. After receiving my Ph.D. at Lunds University in organic chemistry, I made my way north to AstraZeneca Gothenburg where I worked in the lab for 8 years designing and synthesizing candidate drugs. After a while, I wanted to try something different and ended up in Pharmacovigilance, where our group was investigating the adverse effects of medicine. During that time I happened to cross paths with the global sustainability group, as I was helping them out in setting up the new Eco-Pharmacovigilance processes at AstraZeneca. It was like coming home, and I knew that’s what I wanted to work with. At that time, I went back to school and did a masters in environmental risk analysis and got myself a job in that very same organization. That’s where I worked on green labs and started the Green Lab movement at AstraZeneca. A match made in heaven! What is your role at My Green Lab? My role as Technical Program Director is to project lead the improvement and update of the My Green Lab Certification Program. I also support the implementation of the My Green Lab program across various organizations and give guidance on how to best implement the program. I run a variety networks, like the My Green Labs BioPharma network, and lead our technical and steering committees that support us with the My Green Lab program. What inspires you to do the kind of work you do? I am so lucky to be able to combine working with reducing environmental impact, as well as collaboration with research groups all over the world. In the end, I just hope it somehow may contribute to a better place. I love to work with people. The interface of a meeting is fascinating and is one of the most important aspects of life, I think – how working together can lead to a much higher outcome. What are your personal sustainability goals? I have loads! My carbon foot print is not what it could be (if you haven’t calculated yours, try it ). One step at a time, I hope to get my carbon footprint down this year. My New Year’s resolution was to do one action each month. In January, I changed the laundry powder to more a more environmentally friendly brand. I love to grow my own vegetables, too, and I try to plant more trees when I can. It will be a busy summer in the garden! What are your hobbies outside of work? I live with my James. We share our space and time with 2 beautiful Rhodesia Ridgebacks dogs, 10 sheep, 7 ducks , 2 chickens and, Lilly the pony. They all keep me very busy most of the time I am off. As well as looking after the land at the farm. I love nature and try to spend every second I have outside and outdoors. To live and breath as close to nature as I can makes me the happiest. What are your favorite books / movies?
I am a film buff and watch way too many movies to pick one! I used to help run the local cinema before I left Sweden. We had shows on Tuesdays and I used to run the machines – it was a true joy. I do like to read and the last book I read that keeps lingering in my head is Firekeeper's Daughter. On my top list is The Birth House and Witch Light. Where do you call home? UK is slowly but surely becoming my new home. I always say my heart is big enough and has room for both Sweden and UK. So, I no longer need to decide which I call home. Written by JacobsWyper Architects If you’ve ever been involved in a laboratory renovation project, had your lab relocated, or been involved with lab management, you’ve most likely needed to prepare or participate in preparing a laboratory equipment list; a list noting all your equipment by manufacturer, model, power requirements, utility requirements, location, and which lab group or department operates the equipment or might share it with other labs. Typically, the list is created in excel and usually gets very long, as it can contain anywhere from an individual lab’s equipment to an entire department or even an entire company. The equipment list can be a valuable tool for both the scientific team and the design team. However, the key is knowing how to leverage it.
For an architectural and engineering team, the list provides the basis for lab bench space, temperature and humidity requirements, air cleanliness, electrical and plumbing infrastructure, and more. Any architect or engineer that works in the Science & Tech Sector will quickly realize that managing spreadsheets and organizing critical data is crucial for the design process, especially when it comes to equipment. Equipment (laboratory or process) is often the driver for environmental conditions and space requirements – the humble excel equipment list is an important (and time-consuming) part of every project. Sometimes existing equipment is relocated from one project to another, but more often than not scientific teams are purchasing new equipment to fit out a space as they expand the scope of their capabilities or are requiring new equipment. The exciting part of our work at JacobsWyper is that we get a glimpse into how different Science & Tech clients organize their information each time we request and receive an equipment list. And, you guessed it, everyone does it differently. Having been inspired by the work of My Green Lab and other Science & Tech sustainable leaders in the industry, we have been thinking about how we might leverage our humble equipment lists to help contribute to sustainable lab design. We’ve asked ourselves how the My Green Lab Certification could help positively influence the collection of lab equipment information by scientific teams for the development of laboratory equipment lists to allow for more sustainable lab operations. How can these lists aid in planning for the equipment, the design of new spaces, and client education around new lab equipment procurement? Below, we've compiled 6 tips for the development of an equipment list that allows for more sustainable lab operations. 1. Avoid the duplicate purchase of energy-consuming equipment Why? One function of the equipment list and its visibility would be to help the scientific team reduce duplication of energy intensive pieces of equipment. Planning can inform design, perhaps facilitating the development of core facilities or shared resources where there weren’t any before. Of course, some equipment will need to be duplicated depending on usage and scientific requirements. For instance, every lab might need its own drying oven, or their own PCR machines, water baths, and incubators. But perhaps autoclaves, microscopes with lasers, high-throughput sequencing equipment, mass spec facilities, x-ray, or other radiation equipment could be used more collaboratively to save money, save square footage, and reduce energy use. 2. Ensure sustained power supply Why? An accurate equipment list can help designers ensure redundant power systems in areas that need it are put on backup power generation, e.g., equipment rooms with cold storage. What else on the equipment list needs uninterrupted or backup power? Preventing catastrophic equipment failures is part of sustainability, too – avoiding the need to repeat experiments and spend additional money to re-do things. 3. Identify equipment power options and usage schedule Why? Most of the time lab equipment needs to be running or in standby mode to support the work of the lab, but often times equipment is only used for a specific purpose and then can be turned off. Consider asking the following about your equipment usage to determine if there are opportunities to reduce equipment usage, runtimes, and energy.
4. Identify/ask if the equipment has an Energy Star certification or other energy efficiency rating Why? The client procurement team gains an understanding of options for more efficient equipment for long-term energy saving. Moving energy efficient equipment into a new build could be prioritized and opportunities for eliminating energy inefficient equipment from the new space could be identified. Or, if a lab receives funds to set up new equipment in the new area, they can make more educated decisions of what to purchase new. 5. Identify/ask if the equipment is ACT Label Certified Why? The client procurement team gains an understanding of the environmental impacts of their lab chemicals, consumables, and equipment. The Accountability, Consistency, and Transparency (ACT) Label was designed to address the need of manufacturers, scientists and procurement specialists for clear, third-party verified information about the environmental impact of laboratory products. Using a standardized method, the evaluation of these products by a team of independent auditors results in an ACT label that scores a product on a number of Environmental Impact Criteria, including energy and water use, responsible chemical management, lifetime rating, and disposal of the product and packaging at the end of life. 6. Identify potential end-of-life terms and opportunities for replacement equipment to improve sustainability Why? Older equipment is often less efficient than more current models. When budget allows, replace equipment with more efficient models or processes. Updating outdated equipment can allow for more cutting-edge science, which can draw in a higher caliber of scientists to an institution. An organization could consider working with a nonprofit like Seeding Labs to get functional lab equipment to labs that need the resources in the developing world. During project programming, speak with clients/users about typical plug load contributions to lab spaces and specific energy-saving strategies related to equipment operation and procurement. By sharing and promoting these ideas early in the project, design can allow for wider adoption of sustainable practices. Whether you’re a lab manager, department head, junior or senior scientist, we’d invite you to take a look at your equipment list though a difference lens – ask yourself and your team: how might we leverage the humble equipment list to improve and promote sustainability in our labs? If you are a lab manager or scientist and want a sample equipment list to get you started, email us at clee@jacobswyper.com to request one. |