Resolve to Ring in the New Year With Sustainable Labs

With 2023 right around the corner, you may be thinking about your New Year’s resolutions. If going to the gym isn’t your thing, why not resolve to help make labs more sustainable and efficient? To help you stick with your resolution, the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I²SL) has plenty of ideas that you can do now or all year long:

• Make a pledge today by signing the Million Advocates for Sustainable Science letter. Join other sustainability professionals, scientists, and lab owners, designers, engineers, and builders who are challenging science funders to integrate sustainability and efficiency into research funding.
• Enter lab energy data to the Laboratory Benchmarking Tool (LBT). You can use the LBT to compare a lab building’s energy use, emissions, and operational practices with those of similar facilities. As of this past fall, users can now users can now enter data for facilities anywhere in the world!
• Watch and learn. Watch one of the free webinars in the Best Practices Guide series I²SL offers on topics such as designing and operating sustainable lab exhaust systems, building automation systems, water efficiency in labs, demand-based control, and manifolding exhaust systems. Stay tuned for an all-new webinar on lab air flow coming in January, as I²SL revives our High-Tech Talk series!
• Volunteer with one of I²SL’s working groups or the new Labs2Zero program. From lab waste landfill diversion to ventilation effectiveness, I²SL has a working group that will meet your interests and area of expertise. To join one of the groups, you can email I²SL and we’ll connect you.
• Donate to decarbonization. For Giving Tuesday this year, I²SL set a goal to raise $50,000 to support the development of the Labs2Zero program, focused on helping labs work towards decarbonization. Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, every dollar donated before the end of the year will be matched, up to $25,000!
• Get involved with a local I²SL chapter. I²SL has 14 regional chapters across the United States that offer additional in-person and virtual educational and networking opportunities.

Thanks to all our members for another great year, and we look forward to helping you continue to advance sustainability and efficiency in labs around the world in 2023!