Success for Sustainable Labs Initiative
Improving the sustainability of our laboratories is integral to the British Geological Survey’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy
31/03/2021
Laboratories are significantly higher consumers of energy than offices, consuming as much as 5 times as much energy in some cases. In addition to increased energy use, labs are also often significant consumers of single use plastics such as disposable gloves, pipette tips and centrifuge tubes for example. Improving the sustainability of our laboratories is integral to the British Geological Survey’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy which is aligned with our parent organisation, UKRI’s, vision to “embed sustainability in everything we do” (UKRI Strategic Prospectus, 2018).
A recent initiative has been the adoption of the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) to improve the sustainable practises of our laboratories. LEAF is a green labs initiative developed by University College London to provide a framework for laboratories to improve sustainability across their buildings, energy usage and methods of working. A collaboration of 13 laboratories across BGS have recently been awarded Bronze LEAF accreditation. LEAF consists of three levels of criteria, Bronze, Silver and Gold, all of which contain actions which laboratory users can take to improve sustainability, such as reducing waste and energy use, recycling more and improving laboratory practises to operate in an increasingly sustainable way.
The laboratories that took part included eleven at our Keyworth site, including a wide range of geochemical and geological processing laboratories. The Aquifer Properties Facility and Dissolved Gases and Tracers Facility based at our Wallingford site also took part. The framework allowed us to review our current practices and make widespread long-term changes across our science facilities.
An increase in recycling on site was key in achieving the Bronze accreditation. An initiative which has been implemented includes rinsing all single use plastic, including pipette tips, centrifuge tubes and reagent bottles. Also, a glove recycling scheme has been adopted, which has let to over 15, 000 gloves being recycled annually in the Geochronology and Tracers Facility alone. There are new routines in place to share resources where possible and signage to remind users to close fume hood screens, turn off equipment and sort all waste. We now ensure our sustainable practises are imbedded into the induction of all new starters, and visitors to site.
There have been some challenges along the way as many of our laboratory facilities include specialist equipment and large infrastructure which creates limitations on what can practically be adapted to improve sustainability. Examples include our Core Scanning and Scanning Electron Microscope facilities. In cases such as this, we can try to consider the sustainable use of accessories such as IT equipment, consumables, waste streams and reducing the energy requirements for laboratory heating or cooling combined with a wider commitment to investing in green energy solutions.
This year, our next steps will be to continue to improve and move onto implementing the Silver LEAF criteria. The adoption of LEAF will help us to maintain an effective environmental management system and drive us forward towards reaching our environmental sustainability targets.
More information on the initiative can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sustainable/staff/labs/take-part-leaf

Dr Angela Lamb
Research scientist

Leah Crosby
Energy and environmental advisor

Dr Nicola Atkinson
Isotope support scientist
Relative topics
Relative topics
Latest blogs

Working at BGS as an postgraduate intern
15/06/2022
Environmental geochemistry masters student, Katie Williams, shares her experience following a placement in the Stable Isotope Facility

Staff sustainability practices around BGS
01/06/2022
BGS recently made time for employees at our sites around the UK to spend a few hours on projects focusing on increasing sustainability, both in their offices and in the local area.
Mining hazard data (not including coal) from BGS
17/05/2022
Great Britain has over 250 000 documented mining sites and the underground voids resulting from past mining activity pose a possible hazard. Knowledge of the distribution of former mining areas will help us to plan for future development and ongoing maintenance.

Introducing GeoCoast: new coastal datasets from BGS
20/04/2022
GeoCoast is an integrated GIS package of datasets designed to inform and support coastal management and adaptation.

Six changing coastlines and how climate change could affect them
12/04/2022
We explore how parts of the British coastline are changing and what important factors we should consider in terms of natural hazards, adaptation and resilience.

Sea level rise and coastal erosion: what’s the real impact?
05/04/2022
How much of an issue are coastal vulnerabilities and what do we need to consider to increase our resilience to future events?

The importance of staff networks
18/03/2022
A sense of inclusivity in the workplace is essential for staff health and well-being. Staff networks can help this by bringing together people from a diverse group of backgrounds, as Romesh Palamakumbura explores.

Building surveys in La Palma during the 2021 volcanic eruption
18/03/2022
In December 2021, BGS BUFI student Sara Osman visited La Palma in the Canary Islands to assess buildings damaged during the Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption. In this blog, she talks about her experiences on the island.

My role as a BGS Geochemistry Technician
08/03/2022
Kotryna Savickaite tells us about her new role as she settles in at BGS Keyworth.

Understanding environmental impact through the study of sediments
23/02/2022
A new study aims to understand the range of organic molecules present in urban waterway sediments from different locations around the world.

Investing in nature
14/02/2022
BGS and local community volunteers join together to plant 12 000 spring bulbs and help native wildlife to thrive.

Understanding the resilience of Mexico City to future water crises
25/01/2022
Long-term solutions for water poverty in one of the world’s largest cities in the face of climate change and a growing population.