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Bleed Blue, Research Green with Green Lab Certification, which is dedicated to promoting sustainable practices in Duke University’s research and teaching laboratories.
Environmental Impact of Labs
Labs use three to five times as much energy as an office or classroom space. A lot of this energy is in the form of electrical generation for refrigerators, testing equipment, and cleaning systems. In addition to increased energy, labs utilize hazardous chemicals and large volumes of consumable supplies. Green lab certification provides research and instructional staff with the opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of their labs.
Obtaining Green Lab Certification
NOTE: Sustainable Duke is currently evaluating its Green Labs program and anticipates relaunching by September 2023. If you have any questions, please contact sustainability@duke.edu
Duke Green Lab Certification is awarded based on completion of a checklist of items. The checklist is available here and is accompanied by this resource guide to implementation. There are three levels of certification, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
- Bronze: Most labs by default, already qualify for Bronze. It is achieved by completing at least the prerequisite items on the checklist.
- Silver: Requires that the prerequisite items be completed plus 50% of applicable points in other areas.
- Gold: Requires the prerequisite items plus 90% of applicable points from other areas.