The UGA Sustainable Science and 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. Researchers can reduce their environmental and social impact by embracing Green Labs initiatives. In addition to improving research processes, participants also benefit from prolonging the life of research equipment, better protecting research samples, and experiencing advantages in funding their research. This program was created by scientists for scientists and hopes to improve upon our research standards here at UGA.
The UGA Sustainable Science and Green Labs Program was recommended in 2015 by the UGA Green Labs Task Force, a group of 14 UGA stakeholders composed of UGA faculty, staff and a student. It included members from the Office of the Vice President for Research, Facilities Management Division, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Environmental Safety Division. In 2016, Facilities Management Division created a position to coordinate the program, housed within FMD’s Safety team, and conveniently located in the same division with UGA’s Utility and Energy Management, Engineering, Waste Reduction Services, and the Office of Sustainability.
Read more about the creation of this program in the Advisory Report of the UGA Green Labs Task Force published on May 8, 2015.
