Greener labs don’t need bigger budgets – just better habits

The biggest sustainability gains in your labs are probably hiding in plain sight. 

University labs are among the most resource-intensive spaces on campus, consuming vast amounts of energy, generating significant plastic waste and producing costly hazardous materials.

As a chemical hygiene officer, I oversee laboratory safety across teaching and research spaces that use chemicals. My role is grounded in safety, but increasingly it overlaps with sustainability. I’ve learned that the most meaningful opportunities to make labs greener aren’t expensive or complex. They come from small, everyday decisions and behaviours that often go unnoticed.

University lab spaces vary widely from one academic institution to another, but at Virginia Tech, we have roughly 600,000 square feet (55,742 square metres) of laboratory space and more than 1,400 labs across the Blacksburg campus alone. And that’s not counting campuses in the greater Roanoke and Washington, DC areas. So, even small improvements in green practices can make a substantial difference. 

Reconsider how waste is classified

One of the most common mistakes I see is over classifying waste. In many labs, anything that looks “used” gets thrown into chemical hazardous waste. But if an item hasn’t been contaminated, it might not belong there. Why is this important? At our institution, disposing of hazardous chemical waste costs more than $7 per pound (about £11 per kilo). That adds up quickly – and much of it is avoidable.

• Enter the circle: teaching circularity in practice from the ground up
• Make laboratory teaching greener with VR
• How we cut daily lab deliveries by 94 per cent

At the same time, labs generate large volumes of plastic waste – pipette tip boxes, gloves and packaging – that could be recycled or diverted. In fact, some suppliers now offer take-back programmes for gloves and other consumables that they then recycle themselves.

My advice: make sure your lab users understand what truly counts as hazardous. Better segregation is one of the fastest ways to cut both costs and environmental impact.

Rethink what ‘small’ energy savings look like

If waste is one side of the sustainability equation, energy use is the other. Labs are, by design, energy intensive, but simple actions can reduce that load. A prime example is found in ultra-low-temperature freezers. Many are set to –80°C by default. In most cases, raising that to –70°C will not affect research outcomes, but will significantly reduce energy consumption over time.

Similarly, poorly maintained equipment, like freezers clogged with ice because they haven’t been defrosted, wastes energy. Regular maintenance is a simple solution, with a measurable impact across an institution.

The five-second fix with a household-sized impact

If I could change one behaviour in every lab, it would be to close fume hood sashes as a matter of course or habit. These essential safety devices continuously draw air away from users to protect them from hazardous vapours. But left open, a single hood can use as much energy as several homes over the course of a year. Closing the sash takes seconds and can reduce energy consumption by as much as 40 per cent. And yet, it is one of the most common things people forget to do.

Don’t assume people know what to do

Resistance on the part of lab users is not the biggest barrier I see to sustainable practice; rather, it is simply lack of awareness. Researchers and students are busy. Their priority is performing research, writing grant proposals and meeting deadlines. Sustainability is rarely at the front of their minds. 

That means we must make it easy for them.

We have a three-pronged approach to spreading the word on sustainability improvements. First, we use tools such as lab self-assessment surveys to show people where they stand on sustainability and what they can improve. Virginia Tech also supports a cross-campus sustainable labs working group, bringing together expertise from energy, sustainability and safety teams. Finally, much of the education happens in the lab itself through routine safety inspections. These inspections offer excellent opportunities for conversation – we can point out practical changes in the moment, in the space where faculty and students work.

Treat safety and sustainability as aligned goals

There is sometimes a perception that sustainability comes at the expense of safety. In my experience, the opposite is true. Closing a fume hood sash improves containment. Turning off unused equipment reduces risk. Good housekeeping supports both safety and sustainability. If there is ever a trade-off, safety should come first, but in most cases, you don’t have to choose.

It is also important to be clear about our role as health and safety professionals. We are not here to police or punish; we are here to support people in working safely and efficiently. Making that distinction is critical if you want to build engagement.

Build partnerships, not programmes

No green lab initiative will succeed in isolation. Collaboration between environmental health and safety, energy and sustainability teams has been key to building momentum at our university. You need buy-in from across your institution – from students and technicians to faculty and senior leadership. Alignment ensures that sustainability is viewed not as a burden but as an integrated part of how labs operate; it must be embedded in how the institution works.

Start with what you can change tomorrow

Meaningful change does not have to require major investment or new infrastructure; the most effective actions are often the simplest. Nor is it just about ambitious targets. It is about everyday practices – and the conversations that make them possible. Individually, these actions may seem small, but across hundreds of labs, they add up quickly – reducing costs, cutting emissions and building a culture of responsibility. 

And that’s where greener labs begin.

Autumn Timpano is university chemical hygiene officer in the department of environmental health and safety at Virginia Tech.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.