Issue 16 – November/December 2010

In This Issue:

• Greetings
• Labs21 Conference Updates
  • 2010 Conference Presentations Available for Viewing
  • Coming In January—The 2011 Call for Presenters
  • Complimentary Post-Conference Meeting Space Available
  • Join the 2011 Conference Planning Committee
  • We're Going Greener in 2011
• Training
  • Give the Gift of Training to Your Colleagues
• Spotlight On…
  • Punit Jain, 2010 Go Beyond Award Winner
• Where Are They Now?
• News You Can Use
  • Labs21 Releases EPC 3.0
  • Marine Laboratory Working Group Convenes in January
• Around the Industry
  • I²SL Signs Memoranda of Understanding
• Upcoming Industry Events
• Coming Next Issue

Greetings!

Happy holidays! As I was reading through past issues of the Sustainable Laboratory Times, it struck me that this issue marks the publication's two-year anniversary. I²SL is delighted to have had the opportunity to engage you with this newsletter these past two years, and we look forward to continuing this service well into 2011 and beyond. 

In this issue, you will find highlights of several significant events that have taken place during the past two months. These include I²SL's participation in the EGNATON and MAITE Foundation conferences in Europe, during which I²SL signed collaborative agreements with both organizations. Special thanks to Egbert Dittrich, Adelmo Antelo, and Dr. Isabel Perez for their efforts with these new partnerships. I²SL also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), thanks to Deke Smith, and I²SL is now a board member of NIBS' buildingSMART alliance™. Thanks to Jim Loving of IBM, I²SL was invited to present at the 20^th Annual Executive Leadership Conference, sponsored by the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council. I²SL had the opportunity to speak at International Facility Management Association's (IFMA's) World Workplace Conference, thanks to Robert Blakey of the IFMA R&D Council. I²SL also supported Laney College, a Labs21 Center of Excellence, on its October 2010 proposal to the National Science Foundation to create a nation-wide community college associate's degree curriculum for high-tech operations and maintenance professionals. I²SL looks forward to sharing the exciting new endeavors that will come from these activities.

This issue also includes an invitation to participate in the Labs21 2011 Annual Conference Planning Committee and a new working group for sustainable marine laboratories, both of which will kick off in January. Additionally, we would like to introduce you to a new Where Are They Now section where we will be highlighting contributions that our former colleagues are making to the world at large. I²SL hopes you will take away a great deal from this issue and become more involved in the many programs I²SL supports.

From all of us on the I²SL's Board of Directors, I wish you the season's best greetings!

Phil Wirdzek
President and Executive Director
I²SL

Labs21 Conference Updates

2010 Conference Presentations Available for Viewing

Attention Labs21 2010 conference attendees: don't wait until it's too late to view this year's conference presentations. Instructions on how to access these presentations were sent to you from <labs21@i2sl.org> on Monday, November 15, 2010. Presentations will be available for viewing free of charge until January 31, 2011, so take advantage of this offer while you still can.

Couldn't make the conference this year, interested in a previous year's sessions, or want to make sure you can access 2010 presentations all year long? Subscribe to the Labs21 2002—2010 Annual Conference Presentations Archive for only $95 and gain access to more than 1,000 previous conference presentations. Archive subscriptions are valid for a one-year period and allow you to download content, view abstracts, and listen to audio (where available) of past years' events.

Coming In January—The 2011 Call for Presenters

Do you have a laboratory or high-performance facility success story that you'd like to share with the Labs21 Community? Beginning January 3, 2011, you can submit an abstract to be considered for presentation at the Labs21 2011 Annual Conference. I²SL will accept presentation proposals on a range of topics, including:

• Sustainable laboratory equipment applications and experiences.
• Carbon-tracking systems for universities.
• Balancing environmental health and safety with energy efficiency.
• Preserving efficiencies during daily operations and maintenance for facility managers.
• Human factors and architectural expression—sustainable spaces.

Speakers receive a range of benefits, including a discounted conference registration fee (some restrictions apply), promotion of the speaker and their organization on the I²SL website and in the conference program, networking potential, and opportunities for future publication.

Each year, as the range of topics increases, so too does the possibility of sharing new and innovative solutions on sustainable design and energy-efficiency needs. We encourage you to contribute your lessons learned by submitting an abstract to I²SL between January 3 and March 25, 2011. Selected speakers will be notified by May 2, 2011.

Complimentary Post-Conference Meeting Space Available

I²SL is offering complimentary meeting space for groups as small as five to as large as 200 on Thursday, September 22, 2011, after the Go Beyond Awards luncheon concludes. You are invited to reserve this space for post-conference meetings, networking opportunities, or other activities. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact I²SL if you're interested in reserving a room.

Join the 2011 Conference Planning Committee

Do you know your way around Providence, Rhode Island? Would you like to play an integral role in the planning and coordination of the Labs21 2011 Annual Conference? Then I²SL is looking for you!

I²SL seeks laboratory professionals, business leaders, facility managers, and equipment manufacturers with specialized knowledge of the area in and around Providence for their expertise in choosing tour locations, securing Technology and Services Fair vendors, identifying potential keynote speakers, promoting sponsorship opportunities, and more. Individuals including, but not limited to, those living in New England are encouraged to join.

A kick-off call will take place in January 2011. If you are interested in providing your expertise, please contact I²SL.

We're Going Greener in 2011

I²SL always aims to be as environmentally sensitive as possible as we plan for the Labs21 Annual Conference, and this year is no exception. Learn how I²SL is reducing its footprint—and how you can, too—by reading the newly updated Greening the Conference Web page. 

Training

Give the Gift of Training to Your Colleagues

As 2011 approaches, don't forget to add training to your New Year's to-do list. I²SL is proud to work with Labs21 and people like you to provide training workshops on relevant topics in laboratory sustainability.

I²SL would like to invite you to host a workshop! Benefits include gaining continuing education hours for your staff, having access to an industry leader for your sustainable design questions, and learning from a proven training program. Our team of expert instructors, wide range of courses, and flexible fees make it easy to host.

I²SL also invites you to help build the Labs21 and I²SL workshop suite by contributing your strategies and expertise to the creation of new workshop offerings. View the workshops I²SL currently offers and if you have ideas on the development of new training opportunities, please contact I²SL.

Spotlight On…

Punit Jain, 2010 Go Beyond Award Winner

Punit Jain's first introduction to Labs21 was as an attendee at the Labs21 2001 Annual Conference nearly a decade ago. He has since remained a fundamental player in the Labs21 Community, participating in nearly every Labs21 Annual Conference since his first appearance, including giving numerous technical and poster presentations.

Left to right: Punit Jain, 2010 Go Beyond Award Winner, and Phil Wirdzek, I2SL's President and Executive Director.

Punit is a lead architect at Cannon Design, where he has helped integrate sustainable design and environmental protection into the firm's guiding principles. Additionally, he facilitates bi-weekly conference calls among sustainable design coordinators from Cannon Design to help share knowledge about sustainable laboratory design topics.

Punit espouses the Labs21 Approach to his clients. As lead architect for a laboratory project at the State University of New York at Oswego, he convinced the owner to attempt the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC's) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) Platinum certification, a leap from the facility's previous sustainability aspiration of LEED Silver certification.

We commend Punit for his work as an advocate for sustainable design practices, open communication, and dissemination of ideas, and his tireless efforts to improve the environmental performance of the buildings he designs. For these reasons, he has received the 2010 Go Beyond Individual Award.

Where Are They Now?

During Richard Lawrence's tenure at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (NVFEL) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he took part in an initiative that some might say helped to launch Labs21, and thus I²SL. An early Labs21 Conference presenter and Labs21 Community member, Richard worked at NVFEL for 27 years before his retirement in 2001. The energy savings performance contract project that he worked on, in conjunction with Phil Wirdzek and others, helped to lower the EPA facility's energy costs and enhance its sustainability standards for years to come.

Even in retirement, Richard still demonstrates a commitment to making the planet a better place. He is the founder and director of Kid's Wings, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free flights to those in financial and medical need of transportation in the Midwestern U.S. and beyond. Kid's Wings' focus is on children, but anyone with a qualifying medical need may be considered. What's truly astonishing about Kid's Wings is that 97 percent of donations go to providing flights, and all of the nonprofit's board members, pilots, and volunteers serve without compensation.

This holiday season, please consider supporting the mission of Kid's Wings through a charitable contribution and help Richard Lawrence make the world a better place for these kids and their families.

Do you know of someone special in the sustainable laboratory community who is making a notable impact locally or globally? Would you like to see them featured in an upcoming I²SL Sustainable Laboratory Times newsletter? Then we encourage you to write I²SL and tell us about them.

News You Can Use

Labs21 Releases EPC 3.0

Hot off the press, Labs21 has just released Version 3.0 of its popular Labs21 Environmental Performance Criteria (EPC). Labs21's EPC 3.0 encompasses substantial changes from version 2.2, including:

• Adding a credit for process water metering.
• Making the laboratory equipment efficiency credit more usable, while listing specific equipment that qualifies.
• Adding a requirement in the laboratory right-sizing credit to develop a plan to meter laboratory equipment energy use and add these data to the Labs21 Energy Benchmarking Tool.

These changes have produced a more comprehensive set of criteria, leading to more energy-efficient laboratories.

Marine Laboratory Working Group Convenes in January

A recently formed Marine Laboratory Working Group will provide individuals working with marine laboratories the opportunity to discuss the challenges and successes associated with making these specialty laboratories sustainable. I²SL is planning to convene the working group for a conference call in January 2011. To join the discussion, please contact I²SL.

Around the Industry

I²SL Signs Memoranda of Understanding

I²SL Board of Directors members Phil Wirdzek and Gordon Sharp recently returned from successful trips to Spain and Germany, bringing back with them signed Memoranda of Understanding with EGNATON and the MAITE Foundation. I²SL also formed a new partnership with the buildingSMART alliance through a Memoranda of Understanding and has accepted a role on the alliance's Board of Directors.

• EGNATON is a German nonprofit organization that supports the development of sustainable technologies for laboratory buildings by achieving an international exchange of best practice projects, ideas, and standards. I²SL and EGNATON are both interested in broadening their international audience while expanding the capacities of each organization.
  
• The MAITE Foundation, based in Spain, believes that sustainable laboratories permit the optimization of economic, social, and environmental resources. Its goal is to be a resource for those seeking to build or operate laboratories more sustainably, an ambition I²SL also aspires toward. Because of this shared vision, I²SL and MAITE have formed a partnership to foster these values. While attending the MAITE Foundation's inaugural meeting, Phil and Gordon were both highlighted in the MAITE Foundation's video beginning at 3 minutes, 25 seconds.
  
• The buildingSMART alliance is a nonprofit organization that operates within the Congressionally-authorized National Institute of Building Sciences to help promote collaboration, technology, integrated practices, and open standards to improve all aspects of the facility and infrastructure lifecycle. I²SL and the buildingSMART alliance will work together to further BIM standards.

I²SL is honored to share these new partnerships with you and looks forward to working more closely with all three organizations in the future.

Upcoming Industry Events

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 2011 Winter Conference
January 29–February 2, 2011
Las Vegas, Nevada
Presented by ASHRAE

LabAutomation2011
January 29–February 2, 2011
Palm Springs, California
Presented by the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening

Technology Convergence Conference
February 23, 2011
Santa Clara, California
Presented by TELADATA

Coming Next Issue…

• 2011 Conference Planning Committee updates
• Spotlight on…Dwayne Willmer, individual 2010 Go Beyond Award winner
• New E-Library contributions