Berkeley Lab
Bringing Science Solutions to the World

Sustainable Berkeley Lab

(SBL) - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Your Role

The Lab is making significant progress toward big Sustainability Goals, but to achieve them, everyone has a role.

AT WORK

Sort Your Waste

Do you ever wonder how to recycle or what happens to items after you put it in the bin? We’ve created an online Waste Guide (wasteguide.lbl.gov) to answer all of your questions. You can find out not only which bin to use, but also tips to reduce and reuse things so you don’t have to throw them away.

  • Bonus! When you visit the Waste Guide, send a screenshot of it to sbl@lbl.gov along with your Mail Stop and we’ll send you a stainless steel reusable cutlery set in a convenient pouch (while supplies last!)
  • Extra Credit! Give up your personal trash can. The Lab’s waste data show that waste stations are where the best sorting happens. Contact sbl@lbl.gov to give up your personal trash can, and/or to get small “sidecar” bins to help with sorting waste at your desk.

Want to see how the Lab is doing? Check out the data page for more information.

Purchase efficient products

Whether buying products with recycled content such as copy paper with 100% recycled content, using Energy Star to select a new refrigerator for your breakroom or Ultra Low Temperature for your lab, you can save the Lab’s resources and reduce your impact on the environment with the decisions you make. Considerations for reducing the impact of your purchase depend on the product and many other factors, but two concepts to keep in mind are: embodied energy and operational energy. 

Contribute and participate

You have a unique perspective! Share your ideas and observations, and stay connected.

IN LABS

Shut the sash

Fume hoods use a lot of energy to ensure safe ventilation throughout the fume hood and laboratory room. Sashes left open when nobody is using the hood wastes a lot of energy. When a sash is left open, conditioned air moves through the fume hood at a high rate and is replaced by outside air that must be heated or cooled. Closing the sash at the Lab can avoid the release of 3 to 4 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year, roughly equivalent to the emissions associated with a typical Californian driving for a year.

  • Tidy fume hood spaces so the sash can close
  • Close fume hoods when not in use
  • Leave Kimwipes, paper, and other light objects outside the fume hood, as they can be sucked up and impair the safety, function, and efficiency of the hood
  • Put electrical cords through the space under the airfoil
  • Submit a Facilities work order to fix fume hoods

Manage freezers

Ultra-low temperature freezers (ULTs) are one of the largest electricity loads in a laboratory, using about 7,000 kWh of electricity per year. This is about the same as an average house in California and amounts to about 1 to 2 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year, depending on the electricity supplier (that is, whether your freezer is on or off the Lab’s main site). ULTs hold samples at very cold temperatures, typically using cascade, compressor-based freezer technology just like a residential refrigerator/freezer. ULTs last about 10 years, and then they fail, often unexpectedly, risking the loss of samples or causing frantic ULT replacement purchases. 

Consider these important steps to help reduce the energy consumption of your freezer and protect the integrity of its contents

  • Operate your ULT more efficiently
  • Purchase an Energy Star ULT for replacement
  • Ensure that your unit receives proper maintenance
  • Learn more in our ULT Guide 

Avoid single-pass cooling

Single-pass cooling refers to using cold city water – running into the drain – as a dump for waste heat. This is not an acceptable approach for cooling in our drought-prone state (and it is restricted by UC policy). The Lab is working hard to avoid temporary uses of single-pass cooling with building HVAC cooling towers.

  • If you encounter laboratory or other equipment on single pass cooling, contact Sustainable Berkeley Lab at sbl@lbl.gov. We’re interested in helping find alternative solutions!

Manage Lab Waste

Much of Laboratory waste can be composted, recycled, or reused, including used paper towels and various forms of packaging. 

AT HOME

Use Wisely

Why use energy and water when you’re not there? Get the most of the resources you use use in your home. Some electronics, such as speakers, can use significant energy when not in use but still plugged in.

  • Install a programmable thermostat and set it to turn down when you’re out
  • Plug electronics into power strips to simplify switching off when not in use; better yet, use a smart strip, which turns everything off when the “controlling” unit, such as a TV or laptop, is turned off.
  • Water smartly – water early when it’s going to be hot outdoors, and avoid watering during the heat of the afternoon, when much will be lost to evaporation. And skip watering when it’s raining – your plants will thank you.
  • Don’t let water run when you’re not using it – fix leaking toilets, and remember to turn off the tap when brushing teeth, shaving, doing dishes. See more more water saving tips 
  • Creatively reuse or fix household items instead of throwing them away or replacing.

Increase efficiency

Whether you rent or own, you can take steps to increase comfort AND save money, energy, and water. First focus on making your home more efficient, then you can right-size renewables such as solar.

  • Replace light bulbs – this is an easy place to start, and Lab employees can get a big discount on LED bulbs. Lighting is making a difference in homes! 
  • Use smart power strips for electronics, and set power saving features on computers.
  • Save water by installing low-flow water fixtures. Shower and faucet restrictors are inexpensive and easy to install. Also consider low-flush / dual flush toilets. Learn more at Your Plan, Your Planet.
  • Insulate against drafts and energy loss. Start simply by weatherstripping doors and windows. Save more by adding insulation to attics and sub-flooring.
  • Update home appliances and systems. If you have an old refrigerator, it may be the biggest energy use in your house, so start there. Learn more about efficient home appliances and systems >
  • Learn about sustainable purchase Incentives available to Lab staff.

Electrify

Consider electrifying your home when you are replacing appliances or major equipment like water heater and furnaces. By using electricity, your home’s greenhouse gas footprint will shrink over time as the state de-carbonizes the electricity grid or you add your own renewable electricity systems. Heat pumps are usually the most efficient way to go (for heating, water heating, and clothes drying) while induction cooktops are a good alternative to gas stovetops.

  • Use the CoolClimate Calculator to find out what portion of your home’s greenhouse gas footprint comes from natural gas.

Go renewable

The whole state has committed to a 100% renewable electricity system by 2045. But you can go renewable too! In fact, if your home has good solar exposure, solar photovoltaics can often be cheaper than you regular utility service over time. Prices for residential photovoltaics have dropped about 60% in the last 10 years, and prices are still falling.

  • Check out Berkeley Lab’s Tracking the Sun, and annual survey of photovoltaic system prices.
  • Also explore Bay Area SunShares for additional information and discounts on home solar.

EVERYWHERE

Waste less, compost more

Waste Less by buying less: buy only what you need, and avoid excessive packaging such as single-serving items.

Compost More! Food scraps belong in compost. In the United States, 40% of edible food is wasted — about 1,200 calories per person every single day — and this uneaten food is the single largest source of trash in landfills. This accounts for $218 billion worth of food and 18% of the country’s methane pollution.

At the Lab, waste audits show that food waste is still ending up in landfill. While we’re doing a much better job than the nation as a whole, there’s still room for improvement.

Eat a plant-rich diet

Consider reducing the portion of your diet that comes from meat (especially red meat: beef and lamb). Project Drawdown explored a scenario in which half the world’s population limited meat consumption to about an ⅛ of a pound per day and found this to be the fourth most effective strategy to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions (after managing the release of refrigerants, wind power, and reducing food waste). Your choice makes a difference!

  • Explore the most effective strategies to reduce greenhouse emissions at Project Drawdown.

Bring your own

Most disposable plastics (cups, straws, bottles, containers, cutlery, grocery bags, and food packaging) are used only once before discarding, and most are not recyclable. Plastic packaging accounts for nearly half of plastic waste globally, and per-capita, the US generates the most.

Some common disposables in the Lab’s waste stream include coffee cups, utensils, and food containers… Which are also some of easiest to replace with durable, reusable alternatives.

Choose nontoxic

Many everyday items that we buy are made with toxic chemicals, such as: highly fluorinated chemicals, antimicrobials, flame retardants, bisphenols and phthalates, some solvents, and certain metals.

TRANSPORT

Rethink your commute

You have many alternatives to driving a single-occupancy vehicle.

  • Visit the Lab’s Transportation Website and learn your commuting options, such as biking / e-biking, public transit, carpool/vanpool, Lab shuttles, and telecommuting
  • Consider car/bike share services instead of owning a vehicle

Reconsider travel

Carefully consider and try to limit plane trips to those where face-to-face interaction is really necessary. A plane trip to the east coast has an impact equivalent of one metric ton of carbon dioxide. This one trip can have a similar impact to powering your home for a year, or driving your car for a few months. 

  • Consider virtual meetings using an online tool like Zoom. Ask the person you’re meeting with to help make the online experience effective!
  • Calculate your flight footprint at the Carbon Footprint Calculator. Be sure to check “include radiative forcing” to calculate the full impact of your flight

Go electric

Consider an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid when it’s time to trade-in your fuel-powered car. In California, an EV emits about half the greenhouse gas emissions of the most efficient hybrid getting 50 mpg (UCS 2015). An e-bike emits less than 3% of the most efficient hybrid. These personal choices make a big difference.