Energy

Learn more about energy efficiency below!

 

 

Close fume hood sashes ALWAYS: Fume hoods draw out warmed or cooled air from your lab 24/7. Closing them when not in use or lowering them to their lowest positions slows down air intake by 60-80%, saving anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars per year and making it the easiest and biggest payback item in any lab! If a fume hood in your lab is rarely used or non-operational, you may request maintenance staff to turn off its circuit breaker.

Ask for Energy Star appliance and instrumentation: Most laboratory equipment is not supplied with energy efficient features because scientists rarely ask for them. When purchasing equipment, ask for efficient features, such as installed times on autoclave heaters or ovens. As a bonus, it is very likely that your campus energy manager or Southern California Edison may give you a rebate!

Choose the right size appliance: Right-sized autoclaves, incubators, and ovens can save 50-80% energy, around 10-80 kWh per day. This can add up to $300-2,000 in energy costs for that one appliance (250 days per year, $0.12/kWh)! An example of using a right-sized appliance would be if you only had a small amount to autoclave and you chose to either combine this load with another labs's in order to do a full load, or to autoclave the small load using a countertop version of the typically large autoclave.

Choose the right size appliance: Right-sized autoclaves, incubators, and ovens can save 50-80% energy, around 10-80 kWh per day. This can add up to $300-2,000 in energy costs for that one appliance (250 days per year, $0.12/kWh)! An example of using a right-sized appliance would be if you only had a small amount to autoclave and you chose to either combine this load with another labs's in order to do a full load, or to autoclave the small load using a countertop version of the typically large autoclave.

Turn off chilled centrifuges, ovens, and gas chromatographs when not in use: Many scientists consider their equipment too unstable or slow to warm/cool to turn off, thus wasting a lot of electricity. However, most ovens, GCs, and centrifuges reach their temperature in 30-45 minutes, so planning ahead and turning them on a few minutes before use would make no inconvenience to your work! You can save 5-10 kWh per day per oven or centrifuge that you leave off.

Defrost and clean refrigerator/freezer coils: Establishing a preventative maintenance schedule can extend the lives of your ULTs as well as increase their efficiency! Investigations at the National Institutes of Health have indicated that for every year of a ULT freezer's life, its energy consumption increases by 3%. The study was conducted on well-maintained freezers; therefore, 3% is a likely conservative estimate. Maintained freezers are defined as those operated at ambient temperature (25°C to 27°C); are operating at a set point higher than -80°C; are properly spaced; have little or no frost on the outer door gaskets; and have no dust on the filter and condenser fins.

Turn off overhead lights if daylight is adequate, or use a task light if alone in the lab: Lighting energy uses about 10-20% of laboratory energy. With 20 overhead lamps per lab at 50 W each, adding up to 1 kW per hour -- with 700 labs on campus, this number starts to add up. During the day, utilize natural lighting wherever possible! Also, consider using a task lamp over your work area at night if alone.

When in doubt, measure the power consumption yourself: Think some appliances in your lab might be inefficient, but do not know for certain? Borrow a Watt meter from LabRATS to find out! You may find out your machine really isn't as bad as you though, or you may find out it's not working correctly and needs repair. Your data may become part of our growing data file on instruments and power efficiency

 

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Water

From both a laboratory and sustainability standpoint, water is an invaluable resource. Below are some best practices in water conservation.

 

Purchase energy-efficient/water-efficient equipment: 
When purchasing new water-intensive equipment for the lab (e.g. autoclaves, dishwashers), watch for the Energy Star logo, ACT label, or look to see if the item has any water conservation or energy saving features in its product description.

Eliminate single-pass cooling: Single-pass cooling in equipment such as autoclaves, ice maker condensers, distillation/reflux condensers, etc. utilizes a continuous flow of water from faucet to sewer at a rate of 0.25-2 gallons/minute, resulting in up to 1,000,000 gallons of water per year if left on continuously. Alternative condenser technologies include:

  • Simple recirculating bath
    • Cost: ~$50 to $160
    • Flow rate: up to 1 gallon/minute
    • No installation required
    • Can be as simple as an ice-water bucket and aquarium/fountain pump
  • Recirculating bath with Plumbed Heat Exchange
    • Cost: ~$2600
    • Flow rate: 0.5 gallons/minute
    • Requires installation to connect to building chilled water loop + extra plumbing cost
    • Suitable for most application in laboratories
    • Recirculating bath with built in heat exchange could be used for permanent or long-term distillation application
  • Radleys' Findinser Condenser
    • Cost: ~$400
    • Flow rate: uses no water
    • No installation required
    • Aluminum foil for heat exchange
    • Suitable for 95% of chemistry application

Eliminate vacuum aspirators: Replace vacuum aspirators with membrane/diaphragm/oil-free pumps. For more information on which pump is best for your lab's needs, visit our Dry vs Oil Vacuum Pumps page.

Establish protocols for washing lab supplies which take into account water efficiency practices: Efficient washing and drying does not have to be tedious! Set up bins for dirty dishes to soak in after they have been used and rinse out glassware beforehand to avoid unnecessary build-up of chemicals. Utilize tap water for initial rinsing of dirty glassware and use progressively purer water with each step as needed.

Install shut-down timers for water-intensive equipment: 

Look for and report leaks on water-using equipment or any other plumbing issues within the lab: Reporting faulty equipment and faucets to maintenance staff at the first sign of a leak is one of the easiest things anyone can do to greatly reduce unnecessary water waste. Encourage fellow lab members to regularly check for signs of dripping water around the lab space and report such leaks immediately.

 

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Waste

The purchase and disposal of single-use plastics in a laboratory often create large amounts of waste. Learn and share best practices for reducing the amount and types of waste commonly generated in a laboratory setting.

 

Utilize take-back programs: 
Some of the companies who manufacture and produce single-use plastics offer take-back programs, where the company accepts the waste back for recycling or reprocessing. Most of these programs are free to participate in -- others may charge for shipping or require purchase of program-specific receptacles. All materials intended for recycling must be clean and non-hazardous, and very few require additional verification of sterilization. Below are a few of the take-back programs available in California:

Reduce the amount of non-recyclable material purchased and reuse materials whenever possible: Take advantage of glass alternatives in place of single-use plastics, utilizing hand washing, solvent rinsing, and autoclaving to clean and reuse glassware, thereby diminishing plastic waste levels. Some applications include swapping out plastic petri dishes for glass ones, and using glass bottles for media storage. Common non-recyclable laboratory items you may be able to reuse include: pipette tip racks, gloves (in non-hazardous applications), Styrofoam racks, gel ice packs, weigh boats (where contamination is less of an issue), and shipping and storage containers.

Set up recycling bins for plastic, glass, and metal: In a recent waste audit of the Life Sciences Building, less than half of recyclable material collected was actually put in the recycling. Setting up recycling bins with clear labels on what can and cannot be recycled can tremendously help divert these materials from landfills. In Santa Barbara County, items like Styrofoam, Pyrex, lab glass, and plastics #3 through #7 cannot be placed in the blue recycling bin, but there are a lot of common laboratory materials that can! These are primarily PETE/PET (polyethylene terephthalate, or polyester) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene) plastics and are typically found in lab bottles, tissue culture media bottles, plastic storage containers (especially pipette tip boxes), and larger chemical storage containers. A comprehensive list of recyclable materials that are not lab-specific can be found here. 

Use less paper or go paperless altogether: Reduce paper waste by opting for smaller font sizes and adjusting margin widths so more content fits on a single page. Remember to always print double-sided when printing multiple pages and recycling the paper once you are finished with it. Go above and beyond and consider going paperless! Save time, space, and money by going digital. Digitization makes management and transferring of files easier, all while cutting down on deforestation and reducing carbon emissions. 

Put corrugated cardboard in hallway after collapsing: If there is no need to reuse the cardboard in your lab, placing it in the hallway makes it easy for custodians to throw it in the green recycling dumpsters located behind each building.

Set up a battery collection bin: Make it easy for lab staff to dispose of batteries legally and safely by setting up an easily visible collection bin for used batteries. Once it is full, empty the bin in one of the many e-waste collection bins on campus. For information on where these e-waste bins are located, and what other e-waste is accepted at these locations, click here.

Recycle unusable/broken equipment: Reuse still functioning parts, or recycle properly when item has reached its end-of-life. Post your broken equipment to bio-listservs and Gateway to see if anyone else can utilize these materials.

 

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Chemistry

The EPA defines green chemistry as "the design of chemical products that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances". Below are some ways to implement Green Chemistry in your lab space.

 

Identify hazardous chemicals and alternatives to them: 
Look to see if any harmful chemicals in your lab can be swapped out for less-toxic alternatives. Ethidium Bromide is one of the most common DNA stains found in the lab, however, it is environmentally unfriendly, mutagenic, and toxic to researchers. Alternatives like SYBR Green and Gel Red are readily available for use in certain conditions, each with its own trade-offs when used in place of Ethidium Bromide. Check to see if chemicals can be replaced in your experiments!

Keeping an up-to-date inventory of chemicals: Failure to keep an inventory of the chemicals in the lab can lead to purchasing chemicals that your lab already owns, and chemicals that are infrequently utilized can go unnoticed and left to decompose and expire. Maintaining an inventory is a sure way to easily locate chemicals, keep an accurate record of expiration dates, and take the opportunity to properly dispose of any unneeded chemicals.

Donate surplus chemicals to colleagues through Gateway or departmental listservs: Donating chemicals is a good way for labs to network and increase communication between groups, and can enable future exchanges in equipment, chemicals, or even research techniques. 

Exchange mercury thermometers for spirit thermometers: Mercury thermometers, barometers and gauges can break spilling mercury costing time and money for the lab to get cleaned up -- a recent barometer spill took nearly 16 staff hours to clean! Fill out a Mercury Thermometer exchange form and EH&S will pick up your thermometer and replace it with a harmless spirit one for free.

Avoid use of unprotected metallic lead when possible: Many electronic components are made with lead, which when disposed of, can poison local water tables. Whenever possible, buy RoHS compliant electronics and electrical equipment. RoHS compliant materials are free of Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent chromium, PBB, and PBDE. When using products with metallic lead, make sure it is oxidation protected.

Solvent purification: On-site distillation vs. pre-purified canisters: Solvents of very high purity (e.g. moisture or oxygen-free) are needed in organic chemistry research and cannot be easily purchased or poured from open bottles. Dedicated stills occupy hood space and can be hazardous. Purchasing purified canisters of solvents with purging and scrubbing dispensers can solve these problems, as this opens up hood space as well as eliminates the need for tens of thousands of liters of cooling water every year.

Avoid halogenated reagents if possible: Halogenated organics in the environment are persistent, including dioxin, DDT, and CFCs. These compounds have contaminated water supplies and destroyed parts of the ozone. Research "green chemistry" or view the "Chemicals" section on the previous page to find alternative chemicals and processes that are less harmful to the environment.

Focus on Waste Prevention: Chemical syntheses should be designed with the idea of minimizing waste in mind. Seek ways to minimize chemical use, such as mini-scintillation vials, or use non-toxic alternatives.

 

Want to learn more about Green Chemistry? Come check out ACS' 12 Principles of Green Chemistry!

 

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Fieldwork

Whether in the laboratory or outside collecting data, there are many ways of reducing your carbon footprint; below are some practices you can implement out in the field.

 

Utilize the most sensible modes of transportation: Reduce your travel footprint by eliminating unnecessary travel and carpooling with your fellow lab mates! Once at the field site, walk or use bikes to get around and collect data rather than driving to each individual collection stop. 

Remove any and all pieces of field equipment from the data collection site: Remember to clean up after yourself! This includes any flagging, plot markers, monitoring devices, camping gear; as well as any personal belongings or trash that you may have incurred over your stay. A good rule of thumb is to try to leave the field site as clean as it was when you first arrived.

Use reusable or recyclable sampling tools: Get some life out of your sampling containers and staking/flagging tools and reuse these materials as much as possible! Only use sterile sample containers when necessary. 

Switch from paper to electronic data collection: Switching from paper to electronic recording can make the process of data collection more efficient, and make it easier to pull old results or reanalyze data in the future. Plus, carrying a tablet or a smartphone removes the need for potentially clunky writing materials (such as multiple notebooks or clipboards) -- just one less thing to worry about carrying when you're out handling your other equipment in the field.

Buy carbon offsets with "additionality": If you have travel obligations in your personal life or your work, offset the amount of carbon you are contributing to the atmosphere by funding programs that sequester carbon our of the atmosphere. Remember to only fund programs that would have been done without your support which meet the criteria of "additionality". For more information, check out the Clean-Air Cool-Planet's Consumers Guide to carbon offsellers.

 

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Procurement

When procuring equipment, instruments, or materials, it is important to take a step back and consider the following points. Learn and share these best practices to reduce the need to make new purchases.

 

Before purchasing:

  • Consider questions like: is this necessary? Can I fix it? Can I instead share its use with others?
  • Check out the Shared Instrumentation Site here.
  • Check out a list of Sustainable Procurement Guidelines put together by the Sustainability Procurement Team.
  • Check out UCSB Surplus Sales for anything you might need to obtain.
  • Check out the EPEAT Registry to help cross out computers that may have any unwanted toxic chemicals.

 

When purchasing:

  • Consider the appropriate size for the needs of the lab. This is especially relevant for autoclaves, ovens, and cold storage.
  • Inquire the sales rep for energy and water-efficient models. 
  • Consult with LabRATS for advice on selecting instruments with environmentally-conscious features.
  • In sum, look for right-size, water-saving, energy-saving, material-saving models.

 

Education Modules

Another way to ensure that you are buying the best product available is to make sure not to fall for the Seven Sins of Greenwashing! This past year, we created an educational module on how to avoid falling for these sins, which can be found below. While knowing what the Seven Sins are can be helpful in understanding how companies can trick you, understanding how to read eco-labels can also help. For example, the ACT label is not used to certify whether or not a product meets a certain criteria, but rather it is used for understanding how a product lies on a certain scale. The ACT label looks at the item's shipping impact, water consumption, packaging content, etc. We also made an educational module to explain more about the ACT label and other environmentally conscious labels, which can be found down below!

 

Purchasing Guides

One of our projects from a couple of years ago involved making Purchasing Guides for for different electronic equipment, such as biosafety cabinets and incubators!If you are looking into buying one of these projects for your lab and are unsure about which one to pick, please use the purchasing guides below!

 

Future Project: Procurement Shopping List

We are currently working on a new project where we comb through different suppliers and find sustainable procurement options for labs to use. From this, we are creating a shopping list that labs will be able to use as a shortcut to find the times they need for their labs. the shopping list will cover consumables and electronics, so keep an eye out for this project launch!

 

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Communication

Learn about what you can do to help establish regular conservation practices and open communication lines across academic and operations staff!

 

Inform colleagues of conservation techniques: 
Many faculty, post docs, and grad students are not aware of their peers efforts and successes with conservation, such as buying and washing glassware to avoid using disposable plastic. Discuss both your commitment and techniques in your group meetings and socially with people in your department!

Speak with your department and UCSB administration: Many conservation techniques have no guidelines or policies, so most people in a department may be unaware of opportunities or other researchers willingness to participate. Request that your department develop sustainability guidelines optimized for your equipment, staff, and techniques. Nominate or request volunteers for a committee of interested faculty, students, and staff. Check out Ellison Hall Sustainability Committee and Bren Student Sustainability Committee for examples.

Clarify management issues in your lab and get training: Who is responsible for making sure the lab follows sustainability purchasing guidelines? Who is in charge of maintenance? Scientists rarely get training in leadership or management, especially in academia, yet are faced with a myriad of personnel and budget issues. Where some laboratories have assigned lab managers to deal with these kinds of problems, others might rely on a post doc or a grad student to handle these issues. Clarify who is handling lab management so that they may receive the proper training and support needed to make sure the lab continues to run smoothly and efficiently.

Communicate with operations staff: Operations staff members have many opportunities to conserve materials and energy and they provide vital support to laboratories. Problem solving with operations staff can help get to the root of difficulties before they escalate, coming to simple solutions such as small repairs or training and awareness of lab workers. 

Develop cordial relationships with custodians, ventilation, and electrical maintenance staff: Many support staff feel disconnected from research staff and cannot help each other with conserving resources. Introduce yourself to staff and build relationships to create a network of like-minded individuals in pursuit of a more sustainable campus!

Keep an open ear for colleagues' personal needs: Some people face chronic illness, family tragedies, financial difficulties, or relationship issues, yet feel they cannot share any of this at work, leaving them feeling isolated, afraid, or angry. Pay attention to your colleagues' moods and support them when they are up or down, and check in now and then. Your caring will help others deal with their challenges and know they have allies at work, causing an increase in job satisfaction and productivity!

 

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Electronics

 

 

Electronic Maintenance

To keep electronics in good condition, here are a couple tips to help:

  • Power down equipment when applicable
  • Add an automatic shut-down timer to an instrument
  • Clearly label instruments with start-up/shut-down procedures or establish appropriate start-up/shut-down as a new lab practice. 
  • Check for energy saving modes on all pieces of equipment.
  • All Lab Users aware of and make use of the established shut-down procedures OR Lab Manager make procedures part of lab policy.

Electronic Procurement

When purchasing electronics for your lab, please check the following:

  • Is this item absolutely necessary? Is there any way to share with another group down the hall who already have the resources?
  • Check out the Shared Instrumentation Site here. 
  • Check out UCSB Surplus Sales for anything you might need to obtain. 
  • Check out the EPEAT Registry to help cross out computers that may have any unwanted toxic chemicals.
  • Please note that it is also UC Policy to purchase energy-star equipment. 

If you are purchasing energy efficient equipment, LabRATS, Facilities, and Budgeting have an Energy Efficiency Incentive Fund that might be able to help with your purchase! Please go to the Efficient Appliances tab for more information.

Electronic Recycling

All recyclers of the University's electronic equipment must be e-Steward certified by the Basel Action Network (BAN) (www.ban.org). In cases where the University has established take-back programs with a manufacturer, the University will encourage the manufacturer to become a BAN-certified e-Steward Enterprise (eStewards for Enterprises). https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/3100155/SustainablePractices 

 

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Transportation

Check out some alternatives to driving to work to help decrease your carbon footprint!

 

Carpool, ride your bike, or take the bus: If possible, start your day a little earlier and ride your bike to work, saving yourself both a trip to the gym and money that would ordinarily be spent on gas! If your work is further away, consider carpooling or taking the bus as an alternative to driving. Visit the UCSB Transportation Alternatives webpage to learn more about the UCSB Vanpool program, discounted MTD bus passes, and more.

Take the express bus (24X) downtown if needed on a workday: Need to travel between downtown and UCSB and don't have time to worry about parking? The 24X runs between downtown and UCSB every half hour during the day, and takes less than 20 minutes to get from the bus loop to the transit center. Best of all, it's free to UCSB students and only $1.25 for staff! For more information on all bus routes, check out https://sbmtd.gov/.

Only ship overnight or "rush" when absolutely necessary: Overnight or "rush" delivery almost always means sending the package by air. Unfortunately, planes contribute more greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) per package than trucks do, and the gases are released directly into the upper atmosphere where they are more dangerous. While choosing shipping options of 2 or 3 days can still mean your package is on a plane, it gives the shipping company more of an opportunity to ship in bulk which saves on resource and transportation costs. The best thing you can do is ship your package by ground, which uses about 1/5th the amount of gas that shipping by air does!

Buy carbon offsets with "additionally": If you have travel obligations in your personal life or your work, offset the amount of carbon you are contributing to the atmosphere by funding programs that sequester carbon our of the atmosphere. Remember to only fund programs that would have been done without your support which meet the criteria of "additionally". For more information, check out the Clean-Air Cool-Planet's Consumers Guide to carbon off-sellers.

Use teleconferencing or video conference instead of flying to a meeting: Save yourself the travel and invest in a microphone, web camera, and free videoconferencing software (e.g. ConferenceXP, Zoom, Skype). Alternatively, make an appointment to utilize the videoconference rooms over at Kerr Hall. By avoiding cross-country jet flight, you prevent about one ton of CO2 emissions!

 

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