Penn State Sustainable Labs Program kicks off third year with cohort of 21 labs

Penn State's Sustainable Labs Program recently kicked off its third year, continuing its vital mission to enhance sustainability in research labs across the University. Since its inception, the program has expanded to multiple campuses beyond University Park with more than 70 labs and 600 researchers as part of current or past cohorts. There are now program alumni at six additional campuses: Altoona, Behrend, DuBois, Harrisburg, Schuylkill and the College of Medicine in Hershey.
 
In the second year of the program, it was conservatively estimated through internal data collection that simple changes in the day-to-day operations of participating labs resulted in $155,000 in savings and a reduction of 490 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
 
“This estimate of savings from the program showed us that we are investing in savings — both financial and emissions,” said Krista Bailey, Penn State Sustainability’s associate director for campus sustainability. “This year, we have improved our data collection tools to better track impacts from more of the labs we work with.”
 
This year’s cohort features another diverse cross section of labs from multiple disciplines including engineering, food science, chemistry, and geosciences, among others, as well as two core research facilities, further broadening the program’s impact. 
 
The program has continued its partnership with My Green Lab (MGL), a global leader in research sustainability, through the use of MGL’s certification program. Labs take a baseline assessment in the fall, which is accompanied by a detailed report that suggests potential changes. After deciding which improvements they are interested in making throughout the year, researchers implement the desired changes, before taking the assessment again in the spring to complete their certification. 
 
The certification process is actively supported by the program’s leadership team, which now includes Krista Bailey and Jack Rumery of Penn State Sustainability, along with Kristin Dreyer from the Penn State Center for Nanoscale Science, Tara Mather, a research technologist in Professor of Biology Charlie Anderson’s lab, and Stephen Chmely, assistant professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. The team provides labs with ongoing support and communication, access to a variety of supplemental resources, and educational opportunities throughout the year.
 
Leadership efforts continue to focus on securing funding for certification fees, program activities and staffing enhancements. Additionally, plans to collaborate with industry partners, introduce a micro-credential to recognize participant achievements, and provide additional operational support are all in development to further enable programmatic impact as resources allow.
 
Building on the successes of previous years, the Sustainable Labs Program helps participating labs apply improvement strategies in a variety of areas such as energy use, waste reduction, fume hood practices, water use, and cold storage.
 
As a result of Penn State’s accomplishments and unique programmatic structure, MGL has asked several labs within the current cohort to pilot a new version of their certification program, which will be launched in 2025.
 
“My Green Lab is thrilled about our continued partnership with Penn State,” said Nathan Sirett, senior programs manager at My Green Lab. “We are excited to build upon recent successes, with multiple Penn State labs set to trial the new My Green Lab Certification 2.0 program this year.”
 
In addition to strengthening its connection to MGL, the program has worked to expand its partnerships internally with other Penn State entities, including Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) and Procurement.
 
“One big focus as this program develops is how to crystallize the network of stakeholders that exist at the University,” said Jack Rumery, Penn State Sustainability’s assistant director for a sustainable workplace and Sustainable Labs Program director. “The inherent comprehensiveness of ‘sustainability’ as a concept warrants a truly deliberate effort to connect with the relevant entities at Penn State.” These collaborations are designed to enhance sustainability efforts and create a more cohesive approach to systemizing research sustainability across the University.
 
"Green lab efforts continue to be an area of focus both nationally and globally at universities and within industry," added Rumery. “I think internally we all see the sea change in momentum towards sustainability consciousness in multiple realms. And given the scale of the platform we have at a university like Penn State, it’s been really exciting to see how this program has developed.”
 
With an emphasis on experiential learning, the program has also continued to engage students through the unique Sustainable Lab Consultant (SLC) initiative. The current cohort of 15 undergraduates represents seven colleges, two campuses, and includes five returning students. The SLC program provides training that empowers students to take active roles in supporting and augmenting the certification efforts within their labs.
 
“The support the students provide to the labs helps them better understand the issues and opportunities they can address to operate more sustainably,” said Bailey. “That is a win for the labs and for University operations as a whole. It gives the students a chance to make a difference, and to align their passions, aptitudes and ambitions to lead them to successful next steps. Students graduating with SLC experience have gone on to graduate school at Penn and Columbia, and have been hired into jobs where they are consulting on energy efficiency efforts. This experience helps them stand out as applicants and be better prepared for their next steps.”
 
As Penn State advances and innovates in the realm of sustainability, the Sustainable Labs Program is poised to keep making significant contributions towards the goal of a more sustainable future. To be considered for next year’s cohort, or to stay updated on the program’s ongoing development, visit the Sustainable Labs Program webpage, or reach out to Jack Rumery, jackery7@psu.edu, with specific questions.