Green Labs Program

Boise State’s Green Lab Certification helps research and academic labs on campus reduce energy, water, and material waste by providing labs the opportunity to complete a sustainability audit. Use the Green Lab Audit to
benchmark your current lab practices, earn a Green Lab Score, and set goals for improvement.

How to Get Started:

Form a Group

1. Form a group within your lab. It is important to include as many people in your lab as possible. Being green takes a team!

Complete the Green Lab Audit

2. Set aside 60 minutes (lab meetings work great) to complete the Green Lab Audit as a team, click the following button and complete the google form.

Submit the Green Lab Audit

3. Be sure to include the email and name of the primary contact for the lab prior to submission.
4. Set a calendar reminder to re-evaluate your green lab audit each year to track your progress in sustainability

Request to take the Green Lab Audit by emailing greenlabs@boisestate.edu

Have Questions?

Reach out to us!

If you have any questions, please contact Green Labs at greenlabs@boisestate.edu or Campus Sustainability at sustainability@boisestate.edu.

Resources to Improve your Green Lab Score

Water

Limit the production from reverse osmosis distilled water systems to only what is needed for research.
Ensure everyone in the office knows who your Building Coordinator is and knows how to report leaks to said coordinator.
Encourage everyone to use in and out of the lab.

Energy

Turn off equipment, lights and computers when not in use. You can also reduce plug load by disconnecting unused or rarely used equipment.
Use energy smart power strips to reduce energy consumption. Find the best ones by selecting the ‘green’ flag from the search filters when browsing options.
Use task lighting instead of overhead lighting whenever possible.
Maintain and care for freezers. Defrost them annually and clean the coils 2-3 times a year to improve efficiency and longevity. Consolidate materials inside refrigerators and freezers and set the temperatures at appropriate levels instead of the lowest possible temperature.
Use timers on equipment so they turn off automatically. Set computers to hibernate after 20 minutes and set biosafety cabinet UV lights to turn off after 1 hour.

Waste

Maintain an inventory of supplies and equipment that can be checked before placing orders.
Make use of vendor equipment buyback programs. Most major vendors provide a program that can be accessed through their website.
Check with Boise State Surplus before buying new equipment, appliances or furniture.
Avoid equipment that requires single-pass cooling from a central water supply.
Set all printers to double- sided printing as the default mode and use paper that is at least 30% post-consumer recycled content in.
Review proper waste management practices at a staff meeting to ensure all members of the lab are aware of the best practices available right now.