(SBL) - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Check out the Lab’s Earth Day website to learn how you can make every day Earth Day…
Sustainability is everyone’s job!
Check out:
Performance highlights include:
Learn More:
Berkeley Lab has received seventeen sustainability awards since 2019. In the past year–
See a list of all of the Lab’s sustainability awards.
Staff commutes and air travel account for ~25% of Berkeley Lab’s total reported greenhouse gas emissions.
Check out what you can do to reduce your emissions from commuting and travel, including:
July is Plastic Free Month, a time to rethink and reduce plastic waste. Here are some tips to try!
Visit the Lab’s Plastic-Free Website to learn more
Check out the Lab’s Earth Day website to find local in-person, volunteer, and virtual events, plus tips for sustainable lifestyle changes.
Planning your backyard or container garden? Consider California natives! They’re climate-suitable, drought-tolerant, and pollinator-supporting. Learn more at this year’s Bringing Back the Natives virtual and in-person garden tours.
Berkeley Lab recently updated its policy on Sustainability in Operations, which:
The Lab also released its annual summary of sustainability performance and progress towards net-zero carbon emissions. Of note, as of the end of fiscal year 2023:
Learn More:
Berkeley Lab has been re-certified to ISO 50001, an international standard the Lab follows for managing its energy and water, and a key factor in the Lab’s strong sustainability performance.
Learn more about the Lab’s ISO 50001 Program
Learn more about the Lab’s Sustainability Performance
Take the Plastic-Free Challenge this July and avoid disposable plastics:
Check out these resources:
Visit the Waste Guide and learn what waste goes where. Search for utensils and get a free Reusable Cutlery Set!
Submit Your Reuse Ideas! Need some inspiration? Check out these tips from Berkeley Lab colleagues.
Learn more on the Lab’s Plastic Free Website
Berkeley Lab has developed a vision and roadmap for achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations, which–
The Lab Community is invited to the Net-Zero Vision and Roadmap, and feedback is encouraged through a link on the title page.
Every day is Earth Day at the Lab! But April is a special time to focus on our planet.
Check out the Lab’s Earth Day website to —
Berkeley Lab has a wide range of Federal, State, and University of California sustainability targets, and the Lab’s commitment to energy and water efficiency is formalized in a sustainability policy. Highlights of the Lab’s sustainability progress include (as of the end of FY 2022):
Learn More:
* at NERSC, ALS, B88, and the B50A/50B computing centers
Incorporate some of these tips for a more sustainable holiday season
It’s National Drive Electric Week!
Whether you’re packing lunch to come to the Lab, going on a picnic, or getting takeout, consider these Sustainable Lunch Tips to avoid waste:
Plastic Free July is a global movement to avoid single-used plastics.
Visit the Lab’s Plastic-Free Website to learn how you can be a part of it, such as:
Earth Day is every day, but it’s commemorated on April 22nd. Check out the website earthday.lbl.gov for a compilation of interesting things to learn and do in April and beyond.
Some highlights:
While rain comes and goes, California’s climate trends steadily toward drought
What to do?
What is the Lab doing?
Help advance the Lab’s climate goals by joining the Net-Zero Lab Visioning Team!
All are welcome! As part of the team, you will —
APPLY by Friday, 3/11/22. Members will be selected to maximize diversity of viewpoints and skills.
Learn More in this brief video
Federal Sustainability Executive Order 14057 (December 2021) set a firm path for decarbonizing federal sites by 2045, with many significant interim milestones. Highlights include:
Learn more in this Summary
Berkeley Lab received a 2021 Energy Management Insight Award from the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), a high-level global forum that promotes policies and programs to advance clean energy.
The award recognizes the Lab’s Energy and Water Management System (EWMS), which is certified to the global ISO 50001 standard, and is described in a case study that highlights insights, benefits, and accomplishments of the Lab’s program.
Since the Lab’s EWMS program began 5.5 years ago, the Lab has improved the energy efficiency of its operations by 26%, saved $2.17M in utility costs, and avoided 4,400 metric tons of GHG.
View the Award-Winning Case Study (pdf)
Learn more about the Lab’s EWMS / ISO 50001 Program
The Lab reports annually on sustainability performance to the Department of Energy (DOE) and University of California (UC). Highlights below.
Learn More:
Even with this fall’s heavy rainfall, most of California remains in Extreme or Exceptional Drought. California reservoirs are at about half of historic levels for this time of year due to severe drought conditions that have become commonplace in California:
You can access data from the Lab weather station, US Drought Monitor, as well as California rainfall, reservoir, and snow-pack data, on the SBL Water Page under Resources.
What can you do?
During the last major drought, the Lab saw a significant decrease in water use that was attributable to individual conservation. Here are some ways you can Waste Less Water, at home and at work:
What is the Lab doing?
The UC Retirement Savings Program has a new investment option: the UC Global Equity ex Fossil Fuel Fund. Its objective is to invest in domestic and international companies that do not own fossil fuel reserves or sell tobacco products. Add it to your fund lineup for a socially responsible investment.
The Lab is transitioning from gas to electric landscaping equipment, which is better for the environment, the landscaping crew, and you!
Benefits:
What’s the plan?
If you maintain a yard at home, you can switch too!
California Clean Air Day is October 6th.
We all have a role in clearing the air! One of the best things you can do is trade your gas vehicle in for an electric vehicle. It’s easier than you think.
What the Lab is doing for cleaner air:
What you can do:
More about California Clean Air Day
More about the Lab’s Climate Goals and Your Role
National Drive Electric Week starts on September 25th and is a great opportunity to learn more about electric vehicles (EVs).
Why you should drive an Electric Vehicle (EV) – (if you don’t already)!
In August 2021 (virtually, again), the Lab was presented two sustainability awards by the Department of Energy (DOE):
The Lab’s ongoing building commissioning (OCx) team received a Strategic Partnerships Award for its collaboration between Sustainability Berkeley Lab and Facilities to save energy and water in buildings. The OCx program:
The Lab’s ISO 50001 (Energy & Water Management) Team received an Innovative Approach to Sustainability Award for its “best in class” program for managing energy and water across all of the Lab’s facilities and activities.
Both programs work in harmony to deliver substantial energy, water, and cost savings for the Lab (see graphs).
See all of the Lab’ Sustainability Awards.
2020 highlighted the importance of health, equity, and climate. The world got a crash course in remote connectivity as work, school, meetings, and conferences transitioned online. “Virtual everything” kept us safer, and also reduced our climate footprint. We can maintain these benefits if we move thoughtfully into the future of work.
Do you need that plane trip?
Instead of air travel, consider these alternatives:
Why does it make a difference?
Learn more about the impact of travel modes in this Union of Concerned Scientists Report
Plastic Free July is a global movement to avoid plastic waste. Learn more on the Lab’s Plastic-Free Website! A few highlights include:
One of Berkeley Lab’s key sustainability goals is to divert at least 90% of solid waste material from the landfill through recycling and composting.
In 2020, the Lab diverted 74% of solid waste. To achieve 90%, every member of the Berkeley Lab community must do their part. Custodians have been working hard throughout the pandemic to keep everyone safe; as a result, personal waste bin collection has been suspended and onsite staff need to empty their own waste bins.
The good news is, Lab waste audits show that when people sort at waste stations, waste diversion increases from 15% to 68%! As an added benefit, trips to the waste station make great ergo breaks.
Learn how the staff from IGB gave up their waste bins altogether in an effort to become the Lab’s first Zero Waste building.
To help reduce total waste, bring your own reusable food containers, cutlery, beverage containers.
Earth Month reminds us to conserve water and energy, recycle, and take care of our home planet and all of its inhabitants.
Find out ways you can celebrate and participate on the Earth Day Website.
Berkeley Lab’s energy and water management program was recently highlighted in several Department of Energy publications. A cross-functional team oversees the program, helping to ensure the Lab’s energy and water management activities are strategic, effective, and persistent.
View the articles:
Despite recent heavy precipitation in California, the majority of the state is still in drought. We’re still on track for one of driest years on record. Check out our water page for some interesting links, including:
Learn water conservation and other sustainability tips.
The UC Sustainability Report for FY20 is now available, in a new online format. Check out some key components of the report:
Sustainability reports for UC and Berkeley Lab are available on the reports page.
The FY 2020 report on the Lab’s sustainability performance is available in this Summary. See highlights below.
Current and planned sustainability activities at the Lab are covered in a new draft Plan for a Sustainable Berkeley Lab. Feedback on the Plan is welcome via this form.
Highlights for FY 2020 include four Sustainability Awards, and improvements over FY19 in nearly every category.
The Integrative Genomics Building (IGB) has achieved LEED Gold, and is the Lab’s seventh building to earn LEED certification for sustainable building design. Key sustainability highlights of IGB include:
Researchers from the Energy Technologies Area, in collaboration with the Lab’s Chief Sustainability Officer John Elliott, released a report on Improving Energy System Resilience at Berkeley Lab and Beyond. The report provides recommendations for resilience planning at the Lab, such as:
California is a drought-prone state with sparse rainfall from mid-spring to mid-fall. Compounding last winter’s below-average precipitation in Northern California, NOAA has forecast a La Niña event and continued drought conditions.
Lab Efforts to Date
How You Can Help
Individual actions add up. B90 water use is down 44%, partly through conservation.
Water Conservation at home
The Lab became officially certified to ISO 50001 in September, 2020, after a multi-year effort to strengthen its energy and water management practices.
Empty Your Personal Waste Bin
Due to COVID, custodians are no longer emptying personal waste bins at the Lab Hill site. This promotes your safety and theirs by:
Please sort your trash at central waste stations per the guidance at wasteguide.lbl.gov, and do your part to support the Lab’s waste diversion goals.
More about Lab Services During COVID >
Get a Free Reusable Cutlery Set
How can you do away with frustrating disposable utensils and reduce waste? Get a free stainless cutlery set. Much studier than disposable utensils, this set comes in a handy zippered pouch. One set per person, it will be sent to your mailstop. Request yours here.
The University of California has enacted a policy to phase out single-use plastics across all of its campuses.
Learn more about the policy.
Takeaways from an article by MIT staff member, Kim Schive, on safety of reusables in the time of COVID-19:
Bring back your reusable mugs, bags, and containers!
As we continue to practice good personal hygiene, it’s important to differentiate between what is effective and backed by scientific facts, and what some people call “Hygiene Theater” – actions that make us feel safer, but don’t actually reduce risk.
More Tips on Reuse and Avoiding Plastics
The Zero Waste Team at Berkeley Lab’s Integrative Genomics Building (IGB) has been working hard to improve sustainability, including reducing the amount of waste produced by their labs.
On August 20th, the Lab was recognized (virtually) by the Department of Energy (DOE) in three sustainability topics:
See more Sustainability Awards.
Food scraps can either be landfilled and contribute to climate change, or be composted into valuable soil for your home garden. Learn how to put them to good use with these resources:
Those who took the Waste Quiz during Earth Month (April) scored an average of 80%!
Berkeley Lab’s Integrative Genomics Building (IGB) received the UC’s highest recognition for sustainability in new construction, a Best Practice Award for Overall Sustainable Design.
Everyone plays a role in helping the Lab meet its sustainability goals for Energy / Climate, Waste, and Water, which are set by Federal, State, and UC policy, and reinforced in the Lab’s policy on Sustainable Operations.
What is Your Role?
How is the Lab Doing?
Yes, you can reduce single-use (disposable) plastic – even now!
Check out the Lab’s Plastic Free July Website! Highlights include:
* BYO = Bring Your Own… coffee mug, water bottle, cutlery, shopping bag (not just for groceries – pharmacy, clothing stores, hardware, take-out, anywhere!)
Sheltering in place has encouraged many of us to spend more time at home with our nourishing yards, gardens, and plants, and composting is a great tool to help us do that!
Anyone can home compost, even in a small apartment. Learn the basics and benefits, and why it’s so important for everyone to compost food waste.
Learn more with these Compost & Gardening Resources
The June 8th webinar will cover —
Take the new Waste Quiz and test your Waste IQ! See Results.
2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day!
And Earth Month is going Virtual this year!
Big advancements in efficient computing are happening as a result of cross-Lab collaboration including SBL, the National Energy Scientific Research Computing Center (NERSC), and the Energy Technologies Area (ETA) and its decades of research and expertise.
The Lab established a new Policy for Sustainable Operations. Topics include Individual and Lab responsibilities relative to —
The Lab has completed its Annual Sustainability Report for FY 2019. For more details, see —
Key highlights —
On behalf of the Better Buildings Smart Lab Accelerator, the Department of Energy selected Berkeley Lab to receive an “Accelerating Smart Labs” Project Award. The award recognizes the Lab’s innovative approach to improving its building operations through an ongoing commissioning (OCx) process.
A partnership between SBL and Facilities, the Lab’s high-performing OCx team has refined a highly efficient and rigorous process for identifying and correcting energy and water waste in buildings, and ensuring those corrections stick.
The award was presented at the annual International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) Conference in October.
See the Lab’s efficiency savings since 2015.
November 15th is America Recycles Day.
The draft Sustainable Standards for Operations policy, to be published in the Lab’s Requirements & Policies Manual (RPM), was shared with a wide Lab audience through emails, stakeholder meetings, Elements, and the SBL website. See the resulting changes in the following documents —
We appreciate the time everyone took to participate in the process and provide thoughtful feedback, which helped strengthen and improve the policy. See prior post for more about the Policy
The Lab was chosen for two 2019 Department of Energy Sustainability Awards
1) Pat Thorson, who retired from the Lab earlier this year, received a Lifetime Achievement Award as a Sustainable Champion. Pat’s hard work, commitment, and dedication to sustainability spanned his 28-year Lab career. He led the Lab’s Environmental Management System and meteorological monitoring, initiated the Lab’s waste diversion program, and was instrumental in a wide range of sustainability initiatives including air quality, wastewater treatment, electronics recycling, and commute surveys. He led by example in many ways, including being one of the Lab’s first e-bike commuters.
2) The Lab’s Policy on Sustainability Standards for New Construction was selected for the Outstanding Sustainability Project category. Learn more
The awards were presented at the DOE Energy Exchange Conference in August.
SBL invites Lab Community feedback on the Draft Sustainability Standards for Operations, targeting publication in October, 2019. Topics are listed below. Submit your comments by Friday, 9/13/19.
Energy and Water
Zero Waste and Waste Reduction
Green Cleaning & Pest Control
Join SBL on Tues, July 30th at 12pm in Pers Hall (54-130) to discuss:
Plastic Free Profile: JULIA |
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How do you reduce your plastic use?
Why Reduce Plastics? Focusing on my plastic consumption is something I try to do every day by practicing conscious consumerism and being mindful of what I really need. While plastic pollution is only a puzzle piece in our current climate crisis, it’s important to focus on because everyone has the opportunity to make a difference by adjusting their daily routine. Your individual actions can go a long way, especially when you talk about your decisions and changes you’ve made with the people you know. |
Zero Waste Intern Julia Sherman tabling at the Cafeteria during Plastic Free July. Employees made Plastic Free commitments on sticky notes. |
While finding energy waste in buildings is easy, the challenge lies in understanding and correcting underlying problems, and ensuring they stay corrected. In July, the Lab received a Best Practice Award at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference for its pioneering approach to improving how buildings operate. The Lab’s ongoing building commissioning team uses SkySpark, a sophisticated data visualization tool, as part of their innovative and highly effective process to continually identify, measure, prioritize, and address building problems, as well as monitor and maintain corrections and energy savings.
Pictured: Deirdre Carter, Chris Weyandt, Raphael Vitti (kW Engineering), John Elliott
SBL encourages you to join millions of people and take the Plastic Free July Challenge to reduce single-use plastic waste.
Ways to Participate (also on SBL calendar):
About the Plastic Free July Challenge
Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution. Visit Plastic Free July for resources and ideas for reducing single-use plastic waste in July and everyday, and Choose Your Challenge:
The Lab has ambitious goals to —
To help meet these goals, SBL has been collecting waste data since 2016 to identify opportunities for improvement. Over 100 audits have been conducted, an average three for each main building.
View the Waste Audit Data to see where your building ranks (select building from the drop down menu on the upper right hand side of the page).
The Lab has updated its Sustainability Standards for New Construction (SSNC). The SSNC were first published in the Lab’s online Requirements & Procedures Manual (RPM) in 2013. The standards have guided the sustainable design of the Lab’s new Integrative Genomics Building (IGB) and current early design efforts for future construction.
Key elements of the SSNC include:
Check out what you might have missed from the Lab’s April Earth Month celebration…
Sustainability @ Home Brown Bag
Experts from the Energy Technologies Area and Sustainable Berkeley Lab shared their knowledge about responsible consumption, a culture of repair, very local food, and reducing energy and water footprint.
Presentation | Recording (Quicktime)
Green Transportation Brown Bag
A presentation on what the Lab has done to improve transportation, and a discussion of thoughts, ideas, and concerns about transportation solutions.
Presentation
Safety Sustainability, and Security Fair
A huge number of people visited the SBL booth at the Fair, and learned about helping the Lab meet its Zero Waste Goals by knowing how to sort. Learn more at WasteGuide.lbl.gov.
eBike Meetup
A gathering of folks who commute via eBike, and those interested. Learn more about eBikes
This April, the Earth Month Theme is Sustainable Lifestyles. You have many ways to participate!
Nearly half the employees at JGI gave up their under-desk trash cans in March, in support of better separation of waste at centralized stations, and the Lab’s Zero Waste goals. Over 100 bins were collected and will be recycled.
All Lab buildings have central waste stations. Learn how you can contribute by properly diverting your waste — visit the Waste Guide.
Want to take the next step and get rid of your under-desk trash can?
Bring your own mug or cup to the Peet’s stand at the cafeteria, and save 25 cents on your drink. Learn more about other ways to contribute to sustainability.
San Franciso is diverting more than 80% of its waste. A number of other cities across the world are too, including a small Japanese city who consulted a Berkeley local to help. Read the New York Times Article.
UC / Lab employees are eligible for incentives on Electric Vehicles and Plug-in Hybrids.
Check out this National Geographic article on easy ways you and your family can use less plastic this year, including fun alternatives, using durable goods instead of disposable, and reuse ideas. Learn why too much plastic is fast becoming a huge problem.
The Lab has completed its Annual Sustainability Report for FY 2018, and plans for FY 2019. One significant achievement is maintained, annualized energy savings totaling 6.7 million kWh since 2015. See graph.
Additional highlights —
For more details, see —
Working in collaboration with SBL, Facilities upgraded lighting in the two garages under Building 50, resulting in:
1) Better, brighter, and more well-distributed lighting
The existing lighting was recessed in low ceilings, and even at 200 watts, the high-pressure sodium fixtures gave off a dim, uneven, and unsettling orange glow. The new LED lighting has significantly improved atmosphere and visibility in the garages.
2) Energy reduction of 95% (54,700 -> 2,500 kWh/year)
The new lights are 33-watt LEDs with motion sensors, and were installed just below ceiling level, providing better lighting while meeting clearance requirements. The fixtures were adjusted to an appropriate light level, per industry best practice, further conserving energy. Finally, each fixture dims even further until it senses motion nearby, providing additional savings.
See the technical report >
Learn more about lighting projects >
LED bulbs can save you money too, especially if you’re swapping out incandescents. LEDs last much longer, use far less energy, produce high-quality light, and are available in a full range of colors, shapes, and styles. As a Berkeley Lab / UC employee or alum, you can get a discount on high-quality LEDs. See article below for more information.
B50 Garages Before & After
Wasting food hurts your wallet. It also hurts the environment, from the wasted energy, water, and other resources required to produce it, and increased greenhouse gas emissions when it reaches the landfill. Composting is important, but avoiding wasted food is even better. Save money and avoid food waste this Thanksgiving, and year round.
Part of the Million Lamp Challenge, UC employees, retirees, students, and alumni can now save big on purchasing high-quality LED lights for the home. Please see the details for more.
Celebrate Plastic Free July and help the Lab meet its Zero Waste Goals by avoiding single-use plastics (such as take-out containers). Learn more ways to ditch plastics, and check out the Waste Guide to learn the right place for all kinds of waste.
Learn about Food Waste in The Compost Story Video
Check out videos, slides, and other resources from the Lab’s April Earth Month celebration! More >
April is Earth Month – What’s Happening?
Download the Earth Month Flyer (pdf), subscribe to the Sustainable Berkeley Lab calendar, or click on an event title below to learn more.
Participate in the DOE Earth Month Photo Contest by 4/6 More >
Packaging, including for takeout food, is a huge part of the waste stream! Check out the UC Climate Lab video to learn about reducing packaging and take-out trash.
Check out the Lab’s Site Sustainability Plan (SSP), which details the Lab’s sustainability performance in FY17, as well as plans for FY18.
Highlights:
From Aerosol Cans to Ziploc Bags – check out the waste guide (wasteguide.lbl.gov) and learn the right place for your waste. You can also find it on Lab’s A-Z and the SBL waste page.
With help from Sustainable Berkeley Lab and a sophisticated monitoring system, JGI is saving significant energy while providing a more reliable freezer storage system for research samples. Their efforts were recognized in the North American Freezer Challenge. Learn more
While supplies last, UC employees are eligible for a steep discount on a Nissan Leaf through December, and a small discount on Ford electric vehicles through October. For more information on employee offers for electric vehicles and renewable energy, view this list.
Check out the Lab’s Sustainability Update to UC on this year’s accomplishments in Climate, Waste, and Water including:
UC employees are still eligible for a steep discount on a Nissan Leaf, and a small discount on Ford EVs.
Nissan LEAF: Nissan Leaf $10,000 Discount offer extended through September 30, 2017.
Ford EVs: Employees are eligible for a $750 discount on the purchase of any Ford EV or EV-hybrid or special lease pricing through August 31, 2017.
PG&E is still offering a $500 Rebate for a wide range of EV/Clean Fuel Vehicle owners.
Check out what you might have missed from the Lab’s April Earth Month celebration, including
UC presents Climate Lab, a six-part video series on climate change, featuring UCLA visiting researcher M. Sanjayan, and researchers and experts from the UC community.
The videos explore surprising ways to change how we think and act about climate change, including lifestyle choices and groundbreaking work on mitigation.
UC campuses are leading cutting edge research on climate impacts, and the UC system has an ongoing commitment to achieve carbon neutrality in operations by 2025.
Explore food sustainability through a traveling art show. Learn about the Lab’s energy use through new online data systems. Learn about special moments in the natural history of the Lab. Stop by the Safety, Security, & Sustainability Fair. Participate in Earth Month! Subscribe to the Sustainable Berkeley Lab calendar or see details below!
Shyh Wang Hall (B59) is the Lab’s sixth building to earn LEED certification, and has achieved LEED Gold. The Lab has one LEED Platinum and five LEED Gold certifications. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a prominent green building certification that rates a building’s sustainability aspects, including indoor environmental quality and the efficient use of water, energy, and materials.
Recent restroom retrofits at the Lab are saving over half a million gallons of water annually. Sustainable Berkeley Lab partnered with Facilities to replace urinals and install dual-flush toilet handles in the highest used restrooms across the hill campus.
In addition, all of the old fixtures were diverted from landfill — with 2098 lbs of porcelain converted into road aggregate, and 258 lbs of metal recycled through the Lab’s normal salvage process.
This effort was made possible by support from DOE’s Sustainability Performance Office, and aligns with the Lab’s goal to reduce water use intensity 36% by 2025.
For a limited time, Berkeley Lab employees are eligible for a steep $10,000 discount on a Nissan Leaf, in addition to other federal and state rebates. Offer ends 3/31/2017 or while supplies last. Learn more >
SBL’s 2016 Refrigerator Replacement Project has verified that its new refrigerators use 70% less energy on average.
This project:
Learn more about the project >
Your refrigerator is one of the biggest energy-using appliances. Save money and energy by upgrading your old refrigerator — see the Refrigerator Purchasing Guide.
Check out the Lab’s Site Sustainability Plan (SSP) for fiscal year 2017, detailing sustainability performance in FY16, and plans for FY17. The plan covers more than 30 sustainability goals.
For more details, see:
Highlights:
Brie Fulton joined the Sustainable Berkeley Lab team as the new Sustainability Program Manager. She leads the development and implementation of the Lab’s waste diversion activities, as well as supporting other sustainability objectives such as climate and water conservation goals and increasing sustainable purchasing. See Brie’s full bio on the Lab Directorate Staff page. Welcome, Brie!
We’re replacing the Lab’s old, inefficient, break room refrigerators with new models that use half the energy. This project supports the Lab’s effort to meet the Federal goal of reducing greenhouse gases 50% by 2025. Learn more about the project.
Have an old refrigerator at home? Save money and energy by upgrading to a new Energy Star certified refrigerator. For more guidance on choosing a new refrigerator, for the Lab or home, see the Refrigerator Purchasing Guide.
Chu Hall has earned LEED Gold certification, joining four other LEED-certified buildings at the Lab. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a prominent green building certification that rates a building’s sustainability aspects, including indoor environmental quality and the efficient use of water, energy, and materials. See a detailed overview of Chu Hall’s LEED Profile.
The Lab now has five LEED certifications:
Get a copy of the new Waste Guide, with updated guidance on what to do with batteries, chemicals, foam peanuts, broken office furniture, etc. Visit the Berkeley Lab Cleanup website to download the new Waste Guide (pictured on the right in blue), which prints best in 11” x 17”. And please help us eradicate and replace the obsolete waste management poster (aka “Green” poster) pictured on the left! Have you seen one? Contact sbl@lbl.gov.
The Lab is now taking delivery of clean renewable electricity from a new solar array constructed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The 10-acre installation was dedicated in May, and represents the largest solar array in the DOE Complex. The Livermore site was chosen due to its superior location for solar. Berkeley Lab has entered a long-term agreement to purchase 20% of the power generated by the new array. While this represents a small fraction of Berkeley Lab’s energy use, it is a significant step in our commitment to renewable energy.
Installation begins in June for up to fifteen new EV charging stations. These stations are part of the Lab’s efforts to reduce its environmental footprint, and support the growing number of staff electric vehicles (EVs). The new stations should come online later in 2016, and will bring the total to twenty-four, or less than 1% of all parking spaces. All charging spaces require a permit to use, and will be designated with a sign and/or paint on the pavement.
Check out photos, videos, and other resources from the Lab’s April Earth Month celebration:
Join an environmental walk around the Lab, learn about California’s water and energy resources, and learn what to do with your most challenging waste items. Each week of April features a themed Earth Day event (waste, water, energy, safety). Check out the Earth Month calendar below, and participate!
The statewide drought continues, but rain or shine, conserving water is always the right choice in California’s dry climate. This season’s precipitation is falling short of expectations given the El Niño conditions, and after five years of below normal rainfall, California’s reservoirs remain low. It will take several years of above-average rainfall to end the drought.
The Lab has embraced the challenge to reduce baseline water use, and implemented the following actions: 1) discontinued all automated landscape irrigation, 2) installed aerators in restroom faucets across the main site, 3) placed “leak reporting” stickers in main-site bathrooms, 4) established water-use monitoring for cooling towers, 5) launched a restroom fixture retrofit program at the main site, and 6) developed a website to monitor forecasts and precipitation.
Learn what you can do at work and at home to help save this precious resource.
KQED’s Bay Curious recently explained Recology’s process to handle recycling coming from San Francisco. The piece is fun and relevant to our site. Our waste hauler uses much of the same processes to sort our recycling, so we can follow the same rules, such as recycle all rigid plastics regardless of the numbers and some food/beverage residue is fine. Check out the great video featuring Recology’s new Material Recovery Facility and the cool workers and technology sorting the recycling.
Sustainable Berkeley Lab is excited about a few new projects. In November, we started working with Facilities to upgrade the efficiency and temperature controls in Building 6 (the ALS). We are also in project design for a pilot of Daintree advanced lighting controls in Building 78, a small office space, which will allow better controllability of lighting, space conditioning, and plug loads. Lastly, we are partnering with the JGI to better understand electricity use of cold storage and benchtop equipment and learn possible controllability strategies.
For the first time we now have clear and relatively consistent climate mitigation goals established from the international to the institutional level. The United States has committed to a reduction of total greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. The Lab is committed by executive order to a 50% reduction in electricity and natural gas emissions below 2008 levels by 2025 and a 25% reduction in transportation-related emissions over the same period.
Sustainable Berkeley Lab submitted our annual Site Sustainability Plan and Consolidated Energy Data Report to the Department of Energy. These reports summarize Berkeley Lab’s performance compared to 30 federal sustainability goals and describe plans for the next fiscal year.
Sustainable Berkeley Lab prepared a summary of sea level rise risk to Berkeley Lab. The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report estimates 0.3-1 meter global sea level rise by 2100. Although this shouldn’t affect the main site infrastructure, the estimated rise could affect some satellite facilities and local transportation and utilities infrastructure. The document is here.
Karen Salvini joined Sustainable Berkeley Lab as the Sustainability Project Manager. She will manage key energy efficiency projects and lead several employee engagement efforts. Karen formerly worked in Berkeley Lab’s Energy Technologies Area and the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. We are excited to have Karen join our team.
Governor Jerry Brown has signed California state Senate Bill 350, setting aggressive renewable energy and energy efficiency goals. SB 350 increases the renewable portfolio standard to 50% by 2030. Energy efficiency is an essential first step to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve energy. SB 350 sets a goal of 50% increase in energy efficiency in existing buildings by 2030. In addition, CA air regulators approved a new policy that will reduce the amount of carbon from all transportation fuels by at least 10% by 2020. All of these goals are impressive and essential steps to achieve CA’s goal of 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.
Fiscal Year 2015 was a busy year for us. Check out a list of our achievements. We’re looking forward to a great Fiscal Year 2016!
Welcome Berkeley Lab’s first official bike lane! Chu Road was recently repaved between Blackberry Gate and the Bevatron traffic circle, and the new striping includes an uphill bike lane. A few weeks earlier, “sharrows” (a bicycle with arrows pointing forward) were painted on many downhill lanes, and signs saying that bicycles may use the full downhill lane were installed. These are great improvements to road safety around the Berkeley Lab main site, AND they support the Lab’s commitment to enable employees to use alternative means to commute to work.
Two new buildings, 30 (also called Chu Hall or the Solar Energy Research Center) and 33 (also called the General Purpose Lab), opened recently and have adopted Rethink Waste quickly. Occupants have gradually moved in, and we have been installing new waste stations and signs to support waste sorting. Lab groups have set up recycling bins for their non-hazardous recyclable bottles, pipet tip boxes, etc. too. Thanks to our new neighbors who are enthusiastically joining the cause!
The SBL team, including our summer intern and Facilities’ Controls Engineer, attended the annual California Higher Education Sustainability Conference. John, Deirdre, and Erin each presented and participated on panels to discuss EV Charging, energy data management, and waste diversion. We always enjoy catching up with our knowledgeable and enthusiastic sustainability colleagues from higher education campuses, who share lessons and success stories that translate well to our Federal site.
The 2015 summer BBQ for the interns and mentors was a successful zero waste event. Thank you to Joe Crippen for working closely with the caterer to provide compostable and recyclable materials. The Workforce Development and Education department continues to demonstrate their commitment to zero waste. Thank you!
We were pleased to read and hear several news pieces about recycling in mainstream media (Washington Post, Marketplace, Diane Rehm interview). Recycling contamination, lightweighting, and global commodity markets have hurt the recycling industry. Recycling is still the cheaper disposal option, compared to landfilling waste, AND recycling can create stronger US-based, closed-loop supply chains. Do you have questions about what to recycle? Check out this infographic, and you can always email questions to sbl@lbl.gov.
The DOE Sustainability Performance Office awarded Berkeley Lab with funding for two projects that have tangible influence to meet our federal sustainability goals and are difficult to fund through Berkeley Lab funding. The first project received $100,000 to retrofit two buildings to comply with High Performance Sustainable Building Guiding Principles. The second project received $65,000 to retrofit bathroom fixtures to water-efficient models across the main site. We’re very excited to get DOE support and move forward with these projects!
We love this video! Thank you, Ben & Jerry’s.
Today we welcome Christine Li, who is joining us as a UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellow for the summer. Christine finished her third year at Stanford University studying Civil and Environmental Engineering and Computer Science. She will be expanding use of an energy management software platform (Lucid Building OS) to encompass 25 buildings that emit 90% of the Lab’s buildings-related greenhouse gas emissions. Her work will establish an operational energy management platform and a standard process to identify energy saving opportunities in buildings. We’re excited to work with Christine!
The energy optimization pilot project in Building 15 has reduced natural gas use by 50%. The pilot started in January as a collaboration between SBL, Facilities, and building occupants. It focused on changing lighting and heating/cooling schedules to match occupant use and educating occupants about how they can adjust the lighting and temperature of their spaces, especially during nights and weekends. We are continuing to monitor the systems to adjust the schedules as needed. Based on this experience, we will implement similar energy optimization measures in Building 74.
A host of climate mitigation commitments, goals, and requirements at all policy levels require deep decarbonization beginning with dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions over the next ten years and leading to emissions per capita that are less than 1/10 current levels within 35 years. Berkeley Lab Chief Sustainability Officer John Elliott presented plans and progress to deeply decarbonize the Lab, focusing on our building portfolio (including both new construction and retrofit activities). Feel free to browse the presentation.
In honor of Earth Day, a group of volunteers and SBL helped ESD researchers set up a gardening and composting study aiming to better understand the nutrient ratios in compost and how the ratio influences plant growth. We weeded garden pods and planted tomato and snow pea seedlings and tomato, chile, carrot, corn, sunflower, and cucumber seeds. We also set up a compost pile with pre-consumer food scraps from the cafeteria (thank you, Epicurean!). Volunteers will help tend the plants and compost piles. Thank you to Facilities and EHS for helping to set up the site.
A group of volunteers trekked to Golden Bear Transfer Station in Richmond, CA to sort and weigh Berkeley Lab’s landfill waste collected over one week. The total load weighed 3.9 tons. We saw a lot of block styrofoam and plastic film, which we expected. But we also saw (and smelled!) a lot of food waste and paper towels, which should go into the compost bins. One of the lessons we learned was that people are still putting food waste into their office bins, which then goes to the landfill. Remember to take food waste and compostable items to waste stations. Erin is always looking for volunteers to help educate peers and set up laboratory recycling, so email sbl@lbl.gov if you’re interested.
California is in an exceptional drought and the Governor has ordered a statewide 25% reduction in urban water use. Please think seriously about ways that you can contribute to a third year of reducing the Lab’s water use by at least 15 percent. Resources and more information are available here.
President Obama signed a new sustainability Executive Order, which intensifies the federal government goals by setting a ten year target to reduce energy use intensity by 28%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40%, increase renewable energy use to 30%, reduce water use intensity by 36%, and reduce fleet petroleum use by 30%. The new Executive Order 13693 Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade is the third major sustainability Executive Order and combines and updates the orders from the past 8 years. We are impressed and pleased with the federal government’s leadership in sustainbility. Here are the fact sheet and the full text.
We have finished setting up Rethink Waste in buildings on the main site after 2 years of gradual roll-out. Rethink Waste brings new waste bins and signs to buildings to help occupants easily sort their waste into compost, recycling, and landfill waste bins. It also changes workspace waste service to help custodians prevent repetitive-motion injuries. Behind buildings, our hauler has also added compost carts in dumpster areas to increase the capacity of compost collection. This will result in higher waste diversion rates across the site. Hooray!
The Facilities Division and Sustainable Berkeley Lab are partnering to optimize energy use in buildings across the site. Many of our buildings run at close to the same level 24 hours per day. We are working to better match the operation of building heating/cooling and lighting systems to what occupants really need and to track performance over time. In January, we deployed the program as a pilot in Building 15. Based on this experience, we plan to expand the program next to Building 67, Building 74, and the new buildings coming online this year: GPL, SERC, and CRT.
Berkeley Lab is developing a 3-MW, 10-acre solar array jointly with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The array will be installed by Juwi Solar at the Livermore site under a power purchase agreement later this year. Berkeley Lab will buy 20% of the array output. Read the press release here.
Sustainable Berkeley Lab submitted an annual Site Sustainability Plan and Consolidated Energy Data Report to the Department of Energy. These reports describe performance with respect to 21 federal sustainability goals and describe plans for the coming year. The reports are available here.
The Department of Energy recognized Berkeley Lab for its leadership in providing staff electric vehicle charging at the Workplace Charging Challenge Summit 2014. Fewer than 20% of all Challenge partners received this recognition, which was presented by Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Reuben Sarkar. The Department of Energy launched the Workplace Charging Challenge in 2013 with the goal of achieving a tenfold increase in the number of U.S. employers offering workplace charging by 2018. For more information, contact Sustainable Berkeley Lab or the Workplace Charging Challenge.
Fiscal Year 2014 was a busy year for Sustainable Berkeley Lab. Check out what we have been up to in this round-up.
Sustainable Berkeley Lab, in close coordination with the Environmental/Health/Safety and Facilities Divisions, has greatly expanded the new waste diversion program over the last several months. The new program is now in place in the 50 complex, Protective Services (48), EHS buildings (26, 75, 75B, 85), and Engineering Division buildings (46, 57, 58, 71, 71B, 77, 77A). This brings Rethink Waste to about 80% of buildings on the main site. In addition, JGI added food waste collection to their waste diversion program! Thank you SO much to Pat Thorson for his impeccable coordination of bins and orders. Thank you to all of the occupants for adapting to the new processes and sorting their waste. And thank you to Custodial Services for partnering with us to make the processes successful. Check out our recent publicity!
As University of California employees, we are eligible for some sustainability-related offers from Mosaic Solar Loan and Nissan. Find more information and links to sign up at the Sustainable Berkeley Lab website. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) does not endorse or recommend any products or services identified
Sustainable Berkeley Lab hosted a booth at the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Fair to talk to Berkeley Lab employees about EV charging and alternative commuting options. Three of our EV-charging permit holders brought their vehicles to show the variety of cars available. Thank you, Valerie, James, and Henrik! We also talked to fair visitors about some alternative commuting options, such as WageWorks and Zimride. Thank you to the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee for inviting us AND for taking care of road safety around Berkeley Lab.
Thank you to Workforce Development and Education and Epicurean for achieving about 99% waste diversion at the annual Mentor and Intern BBQ. The lunch produced 5 bags (~75 lbs) of compostable material, 1 bag (~5 lbs) of recycling, and 1 handfull (<1 lb) of landfill waste. This is fantastic!
Congratulations to our retiring Sustainability Coordinator/Energy Manager, Blair Horst. After an impactful career as an engineer in the private and public sector, he leaves us in a better place than how he found us. Best wishes, Blair!
In partnership with ALS safety and operations personnel, Sustainable Berkeley Lab brought the new waste diversion program to Buildings 6, 15, 80, and 7. The waste stations around the ALS ring also include special recycling bins for aluminum recycling and copper gaskets. We are very excited to bring this program to another Berkeley Lab User Facility.
Our own Chief Sustainability Officer, John Elliott, was appointed to the UC President’s Global Climate Leadership Council, which is tasked with leading the UC system to carbon neutrality. In her short tenure, President Janet Napolitano has set ambitious sustainability goals, including climate neutrality by 2025. The council will also offer guidance in other sustainability areas.
Deirdre McShane, PE, joined the Sustainable Berkeley Lab team as the new energy manager. Deirdre comes from Taylor Engineering where she focused on HVAC design and retro-commissioning. Welcome, Deirdre!
The Berkeley Lab Plumbing Shop continues to help us conserve water. They have replaced bathroom faucet aerators to low-flow, 0.35 gpm aerators in Buildings 2, 6, 7, 31, 46, 47, 50, 50A, 50B ,62, 64, 65, 66, 70, 70A, 80, 88, and 90. This is the first, low-cost action to reduce our water use in response to the severe drought we are currently experiencing. By replacing bathroom faucet aerators, we estimate that we will save about 1.5 million gallons of water per year.
As part of the Berkeley Lab Water Action Plan, the Plumbing Shop is replacing bathroom faucet aerators with .35 gallon per minute aerators. They have completed replacements in the 50 complex and Buildings 70, 70A, and 90. The next replacements will occur in Buildings 62, 64, 66, and 74. Thank you for helping us conserve water, Plumbing Shop!
Fume Hood Watch, an Employee Engagement Initiative program, kicked off during Earth Week. We met with our first group of Eco-Advocates who have committed to looking after at least one fume hood each to ensure that it is closed when people are finished working at it. Our Employee Engagement Initiative relies on Eco-Advocates throughout Berkeley Lab to make everyday actions and operations more sustainable. If you’re interested in participating, please email sbl@lbl.gov.
In honor of Earth Day 2014 and according to Berkeley Lab’s Water Action Plan, the Bathroom Brigade, made up of 15 volunteer employees, visited the 200 bathrooms on the main site to take inventory of the bathroom fixtures and post “See a Leak?” stickers. The inventory will help the Lab understand water usage in bathrooms and plan fixture upgrades. Remember to report leaks to the Work Request Center (x 6274).
In partnership with the USPS and EHS, employees were able to drop off unwanted personal electronics for recycling at a lunchtime event. In total, nearly 100 employees on the main site and three satellite locations recycled 754 pounds of electronic waste. The USPS BlueEarth Program provides a free and convenient method to ship these items to an R2-certified (Responsible Recycler) vendor, making the process simple, secure, and free to employees. Thank you to Patrick Thorson (EHS) for planning and hosting this successful event! And remember, as employees to a Department of Energy site, this program is available to us from home any time, not just Earth Day.
As part of the Berkeley Lab Water Action Plan, the Lab has confirmed an irrigation water policy: “The Lab does not do ongoing, automated irrigation watering. The Lab may do automated irrigation watering for a period up to 18 months to establish new landscaping, or may do occasional watering by hand to prevent loss of landscaping.” Facilities is working to ensure that current practice aligns with this policy.
The Lab is taking several steps to reduce water use in response to the extreme drought and to meet long-term water conservation goals. See the Berkeley Lab Water Action Plan and contact Sustainable Berkeley Lab (sbl@lbl.gov) with any comments or questions.
While the nearly eight inches of rain earlier this month at Berkeley Lab more than quadrupled the season total, cumulative precipitation levels following these storms have only now just inched above the driest years on record in California. Read more here.
Following on the success of the waste diversion pilot program at Building 74, Sustainable Berkeley Lab is expanding the waste diversion program in Material Sciences Division and Earth Sciences Division buildings. This includes buildings 2, 62, 66, 67, 84, 70, and 70A. We continue to weigh the waste coming out of these buildings and monitor the dumpsters to understand the impact of the program and determine ways to constantly improve it. Learn more about the program here.
Berkeley Lab has adopted a new policy that sets sustainability standards for new building construction. The policy was developed by a committee convened last fall by Lab Director Paul Alivisatos, with input from a larger working group. The policy is intended to drive higher performance in buildings by setting clear sustainability targets that can be easily communicated with design teams and carried through into operations. The policy is available here in the Berkeley Lab Requirements and Policies Manual. For more information contact Sustainable Berkeley Lab at sbl@lbl.gov.
It’s a new fiscal year, so it’s time to reflect on our achievements from FY 2013. Here is a list of our big achievements.
Berkeley Lab’s Earth Sciences Division is known for its leadership in the search for new energy resources, cleaning up the environment, and the study of climate change. Now, it has another feather in its cap: LEED Platinum status for the division’s newly renovated headquarters. It’s the highest possible rating for environmentally friendly design. A plaque conferring Platinum status from the U.S. Green Building Council, which operates the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program, arrived this week at the Lab’s Facilities Division, which planned and managed the ambitious overhaul of Building 74 in the East Canyon section of Berkeley Lab’s hillside campus. Read the full article here.
As part of Sustainable Berkeley Lab’s (SBL) electric vehicle readiness initiative, the Lab began issuing permits in May to allow staff to charge their personal electric vehicles at the main site. The program enables staff to use their EVs even when a round trip exceeds the range of a single charge. This initiative supports electrification of transport, a key component of California planning to meet legislated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions along with other efficiency and renewable energy strategies. Eighteen permits have been issued and new permits have been requested every month. Staff pay for the electricity used while charging. For more information, please visit the EV Charging website.
As part of Sustainable Berkeley Lab’s (SBL) waste minimization initiative, paper towels coming from restrooms on the main site are now going to a local compost facility instead of the landfill. This collaborative effort with Facilities and EHS is an important step toward meeting federally-required targets to divert and reduce landfill waste. We will be monitoring and adjusting the program over the coming months, so feel free to e-mail sbl@lbl.gov with feedback. Special thanks to the custodians who make this possible. To learn how to use fewer paper towels, check out this funny and compelling short video.
In collaboration with Facilities, EHSS, and our waste hauler, Sustainable Berkeley Lab is working to start collection of paper towels from bathrooms for composting. In preparation, we are posting signs in bathrooms reminding people to throw only paper towels into the large waste bins. Trash and recycling should be put in bins provided elsewhere. With this step, the Lab will begin diverting a substantial portion of waste material from the landfill and will provide an infrastructure to expand composting on the hill campus. We would like to thank the custodial staff for supporting this effort and doing the “heavy lifting” to help the Lab divert waste from the landfill to more productive uses. Feel free to contact sbl@lbl.gov about the program.
The Lab’s Chief Sustainability Officer, John Elliott, gave an overview of priorities and initiatives for a sustainable Berkeley Lab at an i4Energy seminar on the UC Berkeley campus. A video of the talk (45 minutes) is available at: http://youtu.be/NByRfy7dmE4
During Berkeley Lab’s Daughters and Sons to Work Day, the 112 visiting students and 60 volunteers explored ways to reduce waste. The Lab’s Center for Science and Engineering Education hosts the annual event and partnered with Sustainable Berkeley Lab to audit all waste from lunch and divert 90% of the waste from landfills. To achieve this goal, CSEE worked with their caterer to provide compostable plates and utensils and recyclable beverage containers and provided the color-coded bins for 2 separate waste stations where people sorted their lunch waste into compost, recycling, and landfill bins. After lunch, the group of students aged 13-16 measured the waste streams, graphed the results, and discussed the issues related to waste diversion. Achieving 90% waste diversion can be relatively easy with thoughtful preparation, good bins and signs, and willing participants. We applaud CSEE for taking on this zero waste goal. More »
Sustainable Berkeley Lab, in partnership with EHSS, Custodial Services, and the Earth Sciences Division, launched a new waste diversion program in Building 74. This pilot program placed new waste diversion stations with bins for compost, paper recycling, all other recycling, and landfill waste (see photo) in common areas. Building occupants can choose the number and types of recycling or landfill bins for their workspaces, and they are encouraged to empty those bins into the waste diversion stations. Custodians empty workspace bins about once per week during the detail day, and measure the waste coming from the building. This pilot program also includes measuring and feedback mechanisms to facilitate open communication and constant improvement. The program is intended to be a model for expansion across the Berkeley Lab main site. Click here for more resources.
The Lab has joined DOE’s Workplace Charging Challenge, making a pledge to assess electric vehicle charging demand and implement a plan to increase the availability of charging. Efforts begin with a process to allow permitted staff to charge their personal vehicles at approved 120v outlets on the main campus. Please stop by the Electric Vehicle Showcase on Thursday, April 25, at noon outside the cafeteria to learn about the Challenge, sign up for an EV Charging Only permit, or be part of the Lab’s EV Readiness initiative. We are working to begin charging in early May. Click here for more resources.