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Sustainable Berkeley Lab

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Policy

Berkeley Lab Sustainability Policy & Performance

Berkeley Lab Sustainability Policy & Performance

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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):

  • GHG emissions: 31% lower than FY 2015
  • Building energy consumption per square foot, excluding major process loads*: 29% lower than FY 2015
  • Non-hazardous waste generated: 0.42 lbs daily per person
  • Water consumption per square foot: 20% lower than FY 2007

Learn More:

* at NERSC, ALS, B88, and the B50A/50B computing centers

Join the Net-Zero Lab Visioning Team!

Join the Net-Zero Lab Visioning Team!

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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 —

  • Meet monthly with a diverse, 15-20 person team
  • Explore all aspects of the Lab’s net-zero planning
  • Be creative, question assumptions
  • Plan a new climate future in alignment with the recent federal Executive Order (see below)

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:

  • Buildings: 100% Net-zero emissions for all buildings entering design phase
  • Fleet: 100% Zero emission fleet vehicle acquisitions by 2035
  • Campus: 100% Net-zero emissions from campuses by 2045
  • Electricity: 100% Carbon pollution-free electricity by 2050
  • Procurement: Zero emissions from procurement
  • Organizational Change: Engage/educate the federal workforce, incorporate climate justice
  • Waste, Water, Energy: Updated targets

Learn more in this Summary

Integrative Genomics Building Receives LEED Gold

Integrative Genomics Building Receives LEED Gold

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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:

  • On track to use just 36% of the energy of the Walnut Creek facility it replaced. This estimate is weather-corrected, factoring in the difference in climate between the two locations.
  • Using electric heat pumps rather than natural gas for space and water heating, so that greenhouse gas emissions will decline as the grid is decarbonized. 
  • Two electric vehicle charging stations installed as part of construction.
  • IGB is the Lab’s first Zero-waste building – occupants have no personal waste bins, and an ambitious employee group is actively pursuing zero waste strategies for the building.
  • The Lab’s Sustainability Standards for New Construction policy informed IGB’s design, and was in turn updated based on knowledge gained from building IGB.

More about IGB Sustainability >

Water Conservation: Always a Good Idea

Water Conservation: Always a Good Idea

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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

  • Installed new water metering to better track usage
  • Established monitoring to optimize cooling tower water and avoid periodic single-pass cooling
  • Established policies on water management, irrigation, low-flow fixtures, and no single-pass cooling
  • Certified energy & water management practices to an international standard
  • Installed low-flow restroom fixtures

How You Can Help
Individual actions add up. B90 water use is down 44%, partly through conservation.

  • Turn off faucets when not actively using water. 
  • Notify your Facility Area Manager about leaks
  • Let us know at sbl@lbl.gov if you see any single-pass cooling (cooling water running to drain)
  • Send ideas for water conservation to sbl@lbl.gov

Water Conservation at home

UC Policy to Ban Single Use Plastics

UC Policy to Ban Single Use Plastics

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The University of California has enacted a policy to phase out single-use plastics across all of its campuses.

  • Berkeley Lab is part of this goal and has been working to reduce use of single use plastics with initiatives such as distributing free reusable cutlery.
  • Part of UC’s commitment to reduce waste, the policy includes phasing out plastic bags, single-use plastic food service items, and plastic bottles.
  • Plastics have a significant impact on the environment during manufacturing, disposal, and even recycling, though only a small fraction, especially single-use items, are ever recycled.

Learn more about the policy.