Dedicated to advancing sustainable laboratories globally.
I2SL Sustainable Laboratories
Awards Program
The mission of I2SL is to encourage resource efficiency and environmental sustainability in the planning, design, engineering, operation, and use of laboratories and related high-tech facilities. To keep pace with progress being made with sustainability in laboratory environments, the I2SL Sustainable Laboratory Awards Program recognizes outstanding people, projects, and programs exhibiting innovative and exemplary achievements in sustainable laboratories. There are three distinct categories of recognition:
The competition recognizes cutting-edge sustainable laboratory leaders, innovation, and best practices that uphold I2SL’s reputation as the international organization for sustainable, safe, and efficient laboratories. An I2SL Sustainable Laboratory Award provides global recognition and credibility to awardees. As an award winner, you will receive benefits such as:
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Recognition among your peers at the I2SL Annual Conference and Technology Fair.
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Speaking opportunities at I2SL’s Annual Conference and virtual Education Week.
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Up to three complimentary registrations to Education Week.
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Presentations during I2SL webinars.
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Promotion on the I2SL website and social media channels.
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Opportunities to develop case studies for I2SL’s Labs2Zero Actionable Insights and Measures (AIM) Report.
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Features in I2SL’s Scope e-newsletter.
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Potential speaking and recognition opportunities at I2SL chapter events.
The I2SL Sustainable Laboratory Award application period is now open! Applications must adhere to the instructions below and are due no later than midnight on April 21, 2025. Applicants for the 2025 awards will be notified of their status in mid-summer 2025. Winners will be recognized at an Awards Luncheon during the I2SL Annual Conference and Technology Fair in Dallas on October 21 and have the opportunity for future speaking events. If you would like to verify that your nomination was received, email info@i2sl.org. Before submitting an application, make sure all parties (e.g., engineers, architects, lab managers, owners) have provided input and reviewed application materials. If you are applying on behalf of another organization, please inform them of their nomination and ensure they have the opportunity to review their application beforehand.
To spark some inspiration for your application, check out Sustainable Laboratory Award winners from past years. You can also watch a recording of the virtual International Sustainable Laboratory Award Winners Showcase to learn more about two European Lab Programs and Initiatives winners, as well as the 2024 Phil Wirdzek Emerging Leader award winner.
Lab Buildings and Projects Award
Having the laboratory building as its primary focus, this Sustainable Laboratory Award category covers projects or buildings in any of the categories below:
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Adaptive Reuse
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Renovation/Retrofit
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New Construction
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Any combination of the above
In line with I2SL’s goal to help decarbonize the world’s laboratories, I2SL is especially interested in highlighting renovation and adaptive reuse projects that achieve not just energy savings, but a lower carbon and environmental footprint. This is not an architectural or engineering design award, except to the extent that the design furthers the objectives mentioned below. Entries should describe those features and results that improved laboratory sustainability, including—but not limited to—the following criteria:
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Decarbonization
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Lab Benchmarking and Labs2Zero Energy/Emissions Scoring
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Energy Efficiency and Renewables
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Water Efficiency and Reclamation
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Stormwater Management
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Waste Collection Infrastructure, Reduction, Recycling and Diversion
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Indoor Environmental/Air Quality Management
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Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
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Environmental Health and Safety
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Long-Term Financial Assurance and Cost-Effectiveness
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Resiliency
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Continuous Improvement
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Sustainable and Low-Carbon Building Materials
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Social Justice/Equity
Projects do not have to address all of the criteria above. If your project does not address all of the criteria above, please highlight the most applicable categories and include more detail to be considered by the judges. For example, a building developer might not be able to address O&M or specific efficiency measures, but they could incorporate resilience, stormwater management, or sustainable building materials. Projects that can address many or all of the criteria will be considered for an overall Lab Buildings and Projects Award. The evaluation panel may choose to give a building or project an award for excellence in one particular category or more. Within the 8-20 page PDF application, entries can include written descriptions of the project goals and features; tables of information; photographs; links to videos; energy/water usage and cost savings data; benchmarking results; economic and life cycle analyses; testimonials; descriptions of relevant certifications or awards the project has received; and any other information that the entrant believes will help the judges evaluate projects’ efforts to make the laboratory more sustainable.
Buildings and projects applying for the I2SL Sustainable Laboratory Award are strongly encouraged to be benchmarked in the I2SL Laboratory Benchmarking Tool (LBT) and receive an Energy Score and/or Operational Emissions Score (available free in the LBT). In your application, please include the building’s most recent Energy Score (and Operational Emissions Score, if relevant). Buildings that have been benchmarked and received scores will be looked upon favorably during the review process. If you are not able to benchmark your building or cannot include a score, please include a brief explanation why in your application. Likewise, if you are not able to include real building data, you can include modeled data in the LBT and explain why you are using modeled data.
The entries will be evaluated by a jury of lab architecture, engineering, and construction industry experts. Depending on the quality of the entries, the judges may award overall building and project award(s) and excellence awards for projects that demonstrate particular success in one of the criteria listed above, whether they be in Adaptive Reuse, Renovation/Retrofit, New Construction, or a combination of these categories. The judges can also decide that no award be given in a category if the entries are not of sufficient quality. Buildings and projects must have been substantially completed and operational for at least one year preceding the competition year entry date and cannot be more than five years since completion.
Winning entrants will be encouraged to submit a short case study of their project for the Labs2Zero Actionable Insights and Measures (AIM) Report tool under development, as well as present their project at an I2SL educational event such as the Annual Conference, virtual Education Week, or a webinar for award winners.
Applications are due by midnight on April 21, 2025. Entries should be submitted in English in a Word or PDF file with a minimum of 8 pages and a maximum of 20 pages, 8.5x11-inch page size, 12-point font, and no greater than 20 MB in size. Entries should be emailed to info@i2sl.org with the subject line “2025 Award Application” and contact information of whomever should be contacted about your award status. Contact information for both the project designer, engineer, or builder submitting the project and a representative of the owner of the facility should be included in the body of the application, for the purposes of coordinating on the acceptance of any award or future speaking opportunity or promotion of the project. Before submitting an application, make sure all parties (e.g., engineers, architects, lab managers, owners) have provided input and reviewed application materials. If you are applying on behalf of another organization, please inform them of their nomination and ensure they have the opportunity to review their application beforehand.
Please note that if an application exceeds the allowed 20 pages, the additional pages will not be considered in the review process.
Lab Programs and Initiatives
These awards recognize outstanding laboratory sustainability programs or initiatives, rather than the laboratory building itself. This award category focuses on the people, programs, and initiatives within the lab itself that improve or enhance sustainability; it does not recognize sustainable laboratory products or technologies. Entries can focus on one or all of the following aspects:
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Sustainable laboratory programs: Operations or initiatives that promote sustainable laboratory practices. This could range from one initiative in a green lab, lab sustainability, or sustainable science program to an entire program, as long as it promotes the operational aspect(s) of running sustainable laboratories. For example, on the topic of waste diversion, the application could highlight broad lab management practices implemented by labs that reduce, reuse, recycle, and/or compost waste that would otherwise be sent to landfills, or an initiative that focused on successfully reducing a particular type of hard-to-recycle waste.
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Systematic changes in your organization to promote a culture of sustainability across laboratory operations, (e.g., lab clean-ups, space evaluation/utilization, shared equipment, scientist engagement, fume hood sash closure awareness, grant funding, or procurement process changes). This could also include initiatives that improve technical and financial support structures that give preference or requirements for sustainable lab initiatives and promote sustainable science as the norm within the broader research enterprise.
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Manufacturer or supplier initiatives, either within their own internal sustainability programs or in partnership with lab owners or customers, to eliminate waste, toxic materials, or packaging either upstream and/or downstream within the value chain, and promote a circular economy. Some examples include removing expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, starting a take-back program, or eliminating toxic materials in products or packaging. Please note that this does not include lab products or technologies. Applications from manufacturers or suppliers that promote a specific product or technology will not be considered.
The entries will be evaluated by a jury of experts in sustainable lab programs and initiatives; the panels will not review products or technologies from a lifecycle analysis perspective. Depending on the quality of the entries, the judges may award first place awards and multiple honorable mention awards. The judges may also decide that no award be given if the entries are not of sufficient quality. Projects and initiatives must have been substantially completed/continuing or in operation for at least one year preceding the competition year entry date.
Applications should go beyond simply describing green labs or sustainable science programs or initiatives. Winning applications will include a short summary describing their program or initiative, as well as highlight the methodology used to move forward on a major lab sustainability challenge, implementation lessons learned, and the impact the program or initiative has had on your organization or the sustainable lab community as a whole. Please ensure to include quantitative metrics, data, and results, when available.
In addition to having their description posted on the I2SL website, winners may be encouraged to submit abstracts for presentation at I2SL’s Annual Conference, present their entry as a Circular Economy for Labs Community of Practice webinar, or submit a case study for the Labs2Zero Actionable Insights and Measures (AIM) Report, where applicable. If relevant, lab buildings that have used the I2SL Lab Benchmarking Tool (LBT) to receive an Energy Score or Operational Emissions Score should include their score(s) and will be shown preference for sharing a score.
Applications are due by midnight on April 21, 2025. Entries should be submitted in English in a Word or PDF file with a minimum of 3 pages and of maximum 5 pages, 8.5x11-inch page size, 12-point font, and no greater than 20 MB in size. Entries should be emailed to info@i2sl.org with the subject line “2025 Award Application” and contact information of whomever should be contacted about your award status. Please include contact information for the organization or lab that will accept any award on the winner’s behalf. Before submitting an application, make sure all parties (e.g., researchers, sustainability managers, lab owners/managers) have provided input and reviewed application materials. If you are applying on behalf of another organization, please inform them of their nomination and ensure they have the opportunity to review their application beforehand.
Please note that if an application exceeds the allowed 5 pages, the additional pages will not be considered in the review process.
Phil Wirdzek Leadership Award
Phil Wirdzek, I2SL’s late founder, was a dedicated leader in the sustainable lab community. Phil was not only passionate about advancing sustainability and efficiency in labs, but also connecting and uplifting other leaders in the community. Phil recognized that progress is a group effort and always welcomed ideas and feedback from others. This award recognizes outstanding individuals or teams within the I2SL community that are champions of I2SL’s goals and mission and embody the same spirit as Phil. Nominations should describe how the individual(s) have taken action to improve sustainable laboratory design, sustainability within laboratories and scientific research, the resulting impacts, and any steps taken to broaden the reach and impact of the effort. Nominated leaders can focus on any of a variety of sustainability topics, including resource efficiency, building performance, social equity and justice, resiliency, safety, decarbonization, green labs, best practices, and more. The application should also include how nominees personify Phil’s team-building spirit and dedication to growing the broader sustainable lab community, not just a program, profession, or campus.
Nominations should include any results from individual or team efforts and can include testimonials from colleagues, descriptions of relevant awards, and other evidence of the nominee's efforts to make and inspire others to make laboratory and other high-tech facilities more sustainable. Entries shall be a minimum of 3 pages and a maximum of 5 total pages and should be submitted in English in Word or PDF format in 12-point font in a file no larger than 20 MB. Applications are due by midnight on April 21, 2025. Entries should be emailed to info@i2sl.org with the subject line “2025 Award Application” and contact information of whomever should be contacted about your award status. If you are nominating someone anonymously, please make a note of that in your application submission.
Please note that if an application exceeds the allowed 5 pages, the additional pages will not be considered in the review process, with the exception of letters of reference, which should not exceed one page each.