September 27, 2022

Purpose

The large number of research labs on UMB’s campus present an opportunity for resource conservation and waste reduction efforts. To facilitate this, the UMB Office of Sustainability is launching a Green Labs program to guide labs through processes to improve the sustainability of their operations.

The UMB Office of Sustainability recruited research labs to help us beta test a pilot Green Labs program on campus during the fall of 2022 into the spring of 2023.

Steps for participating:

• Fill out the Green Labs Checklist to develop a baseline for the sustainable operations your lab is already doing.
• Identify at least five new actions from the checklist that your lab is not currently doing but can implement.
• Integrate these new actions into your daily operations and resubmit the Checklist to receive an improved score.
• Share quantitative and qualitative feedback about the program with the Office of Sustainability.

Labs that complete these steps will get a catered lunch and learn session for your time! You also will receive recognition in The Elm, from your school’s dean, and on the UMB Sustainability website, in addition to a decal to display in your lab.

If you are interested in participating in this pilot, please email sustainability@umaryland.edu to get started.

Progress:

As of March 28, 2023:

• Four labs have completed the pilot program:
  
  • Feng Lab, School of Dentistry, Microbial Pathogenesis
  • Johnson Lab, School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Kontrogianni-Konstantopoulos Lab, School of Medicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • Shapiro Lab, School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Alignment with Strategic Plan:

Education and Engagement: Develop a robust Green Labs program to ensure that academic research is conducted as efficiently and sustainability as possible.