Webinar: Scaled Solutions with Sustainable Labs
The University of Virginia’s (UVA) Sustainable Labs Program reduces the environmental footprint of UVA’s laboratory research buildings through a dual approach: bottom-up researcher engagement via the Green Labs Program, and top-down building-level efficiency work through retrocommissioning and utilizing the Smart Labs Toolkit. The Sustainable Labs program has engaged 214 unique labs, achieved Green Labs Certification in 72 of them, and avoided over $5 million in utility costs across five buildings since 2018. Operating within an R-1 research institution, UVA’s Sustainable Labs Program provides a replicable model for working in laboratory research buildings to make meaningful, measurable progress towards UVA’s 2030 Sustainability Goals.
The reciprocal relationship between Green and Smart Labs is a core component of the program. The Green Labs Program, an outreach and engagement program, was the initial, foundational component of the larger Sustainable Labs program. Launched in late 2016, it provides opportunities for all researchers at UVA to take on sustainability initiatives. As the Green Labs program has proliferated, departments and groups have explored sustainability leadership opportunities beyond the lab setting, engaging in Office for Sustainability events, developing sustainability plans, and piloting new sustainability initiatives. These interactions have built trust between the Sustainable Labs Program and research building occupants and paved the way for building-level initiatives well before technicians or engineers enter these sensitive spaces for Smart Labs and retrocommissioning work. The inverse is also true – conversations with researchers about a cold room or a broken light will often lead to discussions of the Sustainable Labs team’s goals and other ways to get involved.
This webinar will give an overview of the Sustainable Labs Program’s evolution, highlighting three mechanisms that enabled success: the relationship between the Green Labs and Smart Labs programs, the collaborative and interdisciplinary skillsets of the Sustainable Labs team, and the resilient funding model that backs it all up. By highlighting specific mechanisms for growth, this webinar will present an approach to sustainability programming for higher education professionals that is replicable and compelling. UVA Sustainable Labs has shown that sustainability and research excellence are not competing priorities but can enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship.
Presenters
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Fiona Hogan Bradford, Sustainable Labs Program Manager, University of Virginia Fiona Hogan Bradford (she/her) is the Sustainable Labs Program Manager in the University of Virginia’s Office for Sustainability. She leads a team of professionals who support lab sustainability initiatives at every scale – from research building retrocomissioning projects to behavior change with eco-conscious researchers. Fiona holds a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development Practice, both from the University of Florida. With over a decade of experience working in higher education, Fiona is passionate about the role theses institutions can play in driving innovation and educating the next generation of sustainability leaders. |