UGA Sustainable Science & Green Labs Program

The UGA Sustainable Science & Green Labs Program is committed to making UGA research labs more sustainable and efficient by reducing resource use, decreasing waste, and implementing best practices and technologies. Research laboratories have a substantial environmental footprint, using up to 10 times the resources of a classroom or office, and generating an estimated 25 times the waste. Thus, they afford a great opportunity to achieve sustainability efforts at UGA.

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Sustainable Science Updates

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12.08.2025

2025 Freezer Challenge Summary

Congratulations to Dr. Chelsey VanDrisse, the PI of the VanDrisse Lab and Associate Professor in the Department of Genetics, for winning this year’s UGA Freezer Challenge! Dr. VanDrisse’s Lab focuses its research on how bacteria generate biofilms in their natural environments. Dr. VanDrisse has demonstrated extraordinary efforts in sustainability, resulting in 58.8 kWh of energy saved per day through the implementation of several cold storage management practices. As the challenge winner, the VanDrisse Lab will receive a new high-efficiency ultra-low freezer valued at $15,000, courtesy of UGA Utility and Energy Management.

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Learn more about UGA Green Labs and our work.

Initiatives

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Sustainable Science Updates

Energy Saving

Research labs use significantly more energy than typical spaces, but small changes guided by the Green Labs program can help reduce their environmental impact and UGA’s overall energy consumption.

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Procurement

Procurement can drive sustainability by reducing waste, emissions, and social harm, and UGA Green Labs supports this through smarter, more efficient lab purchasing practices.

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Waste Diversion

The Green Labs program has numerous waste diversion initiatives in place to reduce and eliminate both hazardous and non-hazardous waste from research laboratories.

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Water Saving

With 1 in 3 people lacking access to safe drinking water globally, it is important to be good stewards of our resources and conserve water when possible. Use the tips below to reduce water usage in your research lab.

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Exteriors of the ISTEM II building on campus.

Resource Conservation

Limiting unnecessary use of water and energy in labs saves money and protects our Earth’s natural resources.

Grant Opportunities

Research labs committed to green practices have an advantage in the competitive grant market. Embracing green initiatives leads to greater efficiency in spending and demonstrates a commitment to innovation – two actions encouraged and supported by funding bodies.

Research Advancement

Green Labs initiatives increase efficiency of research and advance research timelines.

Equipment Utilization

Setting freezer temperatures at -70 instead of -80 still protects samples while increasing the life of equipment and saving energy. Proper freezer maintenance also increases freezer space utilization, efficiency, and protects samples by preventing temperature pockets.

(L-R) PhD student Arun Kumar Palaniyappan works at the bench as Post doc Yen-Jun Chuang talks with professor Puliyur MohanKumar and his wife and associate professor Sheba MohanKumar as with PhD student Abarna Murugan also works in MohanKumar’s lab at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Community Health

Green practices improve the health and safety of researchers and other workers as well as communities impacted by research operations.

Recognition

Sustainability efforts are often recognized and rewarded, both at the institutional level and nationally, as they lead to increased efficiency, financial savings, improved safety, greater waste diversion and reduced emissions.

Hazardous Waste Reduction

Starting with procurement, replacing more hazardous chemicals with less hazardous chemicals and embracing green chemistry leads to less hazardous waste production. If also minimizes our impact on outside communities. Utilizing systems like solvent recyclers and making sure only truly hazardous waste goes into hazardous waste bins will also help eliminate over production in our waste stream.

2025 Freezer Challenge Highlights

UGA labs participated in the 2025 Freezer Challenge, representing 25 Academic Departments and 7 UGA Colleges.

These 65 labs are collectively saving 183,600 kWh per year.

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Resulted in financial savings of over $20,000.

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