The Sustainable Laboratory

The SustainableLaboratoryAllen DoyleSustainability ManagerUniversity of California, DavisLaboratory Research AndTechnical Staff(Lab.R.A.T.S.)

Dumpster Diving for ScienceScience, October 5, 2007

My Career Curve

25 years: ChemicalOceanography &Soil Ecology…What we studied:BioGeoChemistry

Study Sites: Arctic Alaska

Boreal Forest, Alaska

High Sierra, California

Savannah & Chaparral,CaliforniaObserving, and not helping…

Global Cooling?OC1950 1970 1990 2000 2007 ??

Conclusive Evidence!

Why bother?Feynman’s ConundrumI invented anothermyth for myself—thatI'm irresponsible…. Ilike to do physics …and so I'm selfish,okay? I want to do myphysics.―Let George Do it‖

Meet “George”Laboratory Research AndTechnical Staff

Laboratory Focus forSustainability, of course!• Energy• Solid Waste• Chemicals• Electronics• Water

Green LaboratoryTimelineUC Santa BarbaraPilot Programs, Implementation, EnrollmentNational Roll-out2006 2007 2008 2009UC Davis, UC Irvine, HarvardPrograms…

Who are Lab.R.A.T.S.?• 6 Undergraduate interns• 2 Research Staff• 1 Administrator• All “< ¼ time” orvolunteer

Lab.R.A.T.S. everywhere…Shop Staff60-80 “Change Agents”ResearchStaffStudentsFacultyFacilitiesEH&SGeography

• Introduce• Inventory• Interview• Inquire• Inform• Inspire * *Laboratory Assessment:

Assessment Goal:Provide a Service,Product orInformation ……that will improve researchperformance.

Programs atUCSB:AssessmentsSurplus EquipmentChemical ExchangeMercury ThermometersCampus NetworkHoods & HVACEfficient AppliancesFreezer ExchangeZone LightingGreen Chemistry

Conservation ThemesGood Design Essential• Occupants Matter• Paying Attention Pays Off:“Does that make sense?”• Set Clear Goals; Follow through• Communication: Students, Staff,Faculty, Admin•Leadership & Promotion matter!

Occupants Make aHVACDifferenceLaboratoryEnergyLightingPlugLoad―I have no control over plug load andlighting‖ Jim Dewey, UCSB Energy Manager

Hoods, Hoods, Hoods~ 2-3 kW energy each• Sashes CLOSED! Especially V.A.V.• Over £80,000 saved annually, 2 buildings

Heat and Chemical Zones> 5 Gallons inseparate roomHallwayappliances

Old Freezersvs NewPlug LoadIncubators≠ Refrigerators!

Appliances:Right Sizing

EfficientDesign?http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.

Water: No Aspirators!

Water: Use timers!

Water: Watch the drains1.6 lpm = 200,000 lpyAvoid single pass cooling;water miser

Water: Use DI or RO insteadof Distilled (if feasible)£ 3-6,000/ y

Recycling & landfilldiversionDiversion % ?New Guideline:―If it’s safe to throwout, then it’s safe torecycle.‖

Dumpster Diving—How’dthat get there??

Plastic: ReUse and Recycle• Only if:Accurate,Fast & Easy• Ions, non-sterile• Basins

Disposable Plastic--ahuge issue…50% MeOH£30,000 /y in disposalGive Away (liability?);Demand less material in packagesEnvironmentally Preferred Purchasing

Shipping containersRe-used, Public Health LabAn easy systemSaves money & resourcesDirect Relief International: DRI.org

PAPER: 40% of wasteReUse it!G.O.O.S.Paper:Good On One Side―No page leftblank‖Flyer available

Chemicals:PollutionPrevention

Scintillation cocktail…£30 / 4LMini vials = 75% savings on cocktail anddisposal.

Mercury ThermometerExchange• Highly Toxic; Hg-Free Hospitals• Student-Funded• Intern staffed• 800 thermometers collected• Saved ~£6-10,000 in clean-up

Toxic Chemicals can be…eliminated…

…or Given Away.Surplus Chemicals Website:• Open or sealed;clean• Student-Funded• Interns• Interactive Website

Electronics & Equipment:Facilitate good management• £3-6,000 - High Value• Property management• Decontamination

Surplus Equipment• in lab> £ 10,000• on campus> $£15,000• off campus> £ 80,000www.Seedinglabs.org

Old Computers:1 large trailer/moNew Computers:www.epeat.net/*Certified disposal*

Furniture & cabinetsDon’tTrash it!Re-use it!Give Away:• www.ir-network.com/• www.habitat.org/local/

Surplus Equipment:• Valuable• Existing system not effective• Stored alreadyEffective exchange methodneeded:

New equipment• Borrow or share?• Simplest models• Ask your Sales Rep forEnergy Star• Check the insulation andkWh/year• Recycled Content?• Timers off at night.• Low standby power (1 W)Buyers Guide available; EPA Energy Star

Transportation & Meetings• Car pool & bicycling support• Mass transit development• Zero Waste Conferences• Green hotels and catering• Carbon Offsets

Take the Bus to London…from the University of California

Conservation ThemesGood Design Essential• Occupants Matter• Paying Attention Pays Off:“Does that make sense?”• Set Clear Goals; Follow through• Communication: Students, Staff,Faculty, Admin•Leadership & Promotion matter!

Set Clear Goals• Research Quality• kWh & therms• % landfill diversion• Save $, £, €• % compliance• Pounds of plastic• Tons CO 2Note successes!

Challenge Assumptions:Rock the Boat

Goal: ―Safe‖ Laboratory Air:Rapid air changes: 10-12 ACHTemp ControlHeat GenerationSolventsBiohazard

The lab is secondarycontainment: 6-8 ACH OKTemp ControlHeat GenerationSolventsBiohazard

Goal: Safe, efficient DNA Storage:Frozen, REALLY Cold?Ultracold Freezers:15-20 kWh per day:One Building:= €10 – 30,000/yPlus Initial costPlus repairPlus HVAC LoadPlus alarms…

DNA Storage atRoom Temperature1. Storage Integrity2. Emergency Safe3. ArchivalInformation4. Energy Savings5. Floor Space

Goal: turn down the lightsBarrier: How does this work?

How Many Scientists does ittake to dim the lights?All OnAll Off50% 50%~TwentyAbout 5% of the lab workers we asked knewhow to operate these switches.How would you motivate a change?

Solution: Simple Tags

Simple Designs Work20% 20% 20% 20% 20%

Strategy: Zone LightingTop-Down Bottom-UpFunding PolicyRequire lightingassessmentLab PolicyAssign the jobMake a signFlip the switch

Zone LightingBulb FreeTask lampsTag template available

Zone LightingDim the Halls …60 W each fixture£20/y ―

Standard Procedures,2,000 LabsMar, Apr, May….

Conservation ThemesGood Design Essential• Occupants Matter• Paying Attention Pays Off:“Does that make sense?”• Rock the boat; Follow through• Communication: Students, Staff,Faculty, Admin•Leadership & Promotion matter!

Green Lab Task Force:1. Career Researchers (2-4):Technical expertise, conservation interest, mentor,focal projects2. Student Liaisons (1-3):3. Chair:Priorities, focus, enrolling4. Administration Angel:5. Network of resource coordinators

In the loop: engineers,maintenance and custodians:

Doing it like the YanksIt’s easier to ask forgiveness…than permission.(Bottom Up)…especially with forgivingsupervisors(Top Down)

Communication StrategyOperationsStaffLab ALab BAdminLab C…

The Obvious DozenMonth-by-Month• Hoods, Hoods,Hoods• Plug load• Light Zones• Surplus: Chemicals& Equipment• Water• Plastic• Travel: Commuting andconferences• Toxicity• Recycling• Purchasing• Moving• Communicate with staff& peersBe Aware; Go a little out of your way.

Resources for Green Labs• LabRATS website-sustainability.ucsb.edu/LARS/• Surplus Chemicals– UCSB, Iowa State• Surplus Equipment– Cal Poly SLO, UC Davis ―Bargain Barn‖– Institutional Recycling Network, SeedingLabs.org• Hospitals: -PracticeGreenhealth.org• TheStoryofStuff.com

Resources II• Management TrainingUC Davis, Laboratory Management Institute• Green Chemistry toolkithttp://web.mit.edu/ENVIRONMENT/academic/purchasing.htmlDivision of Toxic Substances Control (CA) website andprograms• Clean Air, Cool Planet– Carbon offset evaluation, GHG calculators• VendorsThermo-Fisher, VWR, etc.• Freezer RebatesStanford, UC Davis

Resources IIIRecycling and Zero-Landfillhttp://r4.ucdavis.edu/Vimeo on plastic waste; TheStoryofStuff.comCommunicationBeyond BrochuresPurchasingBuying for the Future, Kevin Lyons―Environmentally Preferred Purchasing‖

Thank You.We’re in thistogether;Let’s get busyNEXT STEPS:•Your lab…•Sustainability ambassadors?•http://sustainability.ucsb.edu/lars

London & Sea Level Rise

Coping with High Water

I’m from Davis, California,… and I’mhere tohelp.

Tropical Bicycle

Genetically Modified Bicycle