Laboratories across our University have been recognised for putting sustainability at the heart of their work with a raft of awards from LEAF, a programme aimed at making labs greener.
LEAF or Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework was developed by University College London (UCL) to help lab managers, technical staff, academics and students address sustainability issues in the labs that they work in.
Since the University signed up to LEAF, the School of Geography and Environmental Science has won a silver award for their laboratories, and there have been 13 bronze awards for other labs across our University. You can find the full list here.
Peter Morgan, Technical Manager in the School of Geography and Environmental Science, who played a lead role in encouraging labs to engage with LEAF, says:
“The University is committed to sustainability as part of our Sustainability Strategic Plan. Laboratories are workplaces that often have a high carbon footprint due to the complex activities undertaken in them. Scientific equipment can use a lot of energy and a lot of waste can be produced, for example many labs will use single-use plastics.
“Many people feel they want to help make the University more sustainable but addressing issues in labs can be daunting. LEAF is a toolkit developed specifically to help those working in labs address sustainability issues in their workplaces. Engaging with LEAF involves creating a community of like-minded people at the University, working together to make our labs and University more environmentally sustainable.”
Being part of LEAF means that you also have the support of colleagues from across the University. There is a Teams group where you can share ideas, swap unwanted lab equipment and gain support for making your lab more sustainable.
If you work in one of our labs and want to register with LEAF to make a positive change, contact Peter Morgan for more information.
In November’s Staff Matters we’ll talk to some of our technical staff who worked hard to achieve these recent awards.
