Mission
The goal of the Green Labs Program is to work with partner labs to maximize sustainability and safety initiatives while minimizing impact on vital research performed by each lab.
Necessity
CU Anschutz houses over 700,000 square feet of research laboratory space which is equivalent to more than 12 football fields! Due to the process-heavy nature of research, laboratories at CU Anschutz are the most resource intensive spaces on campus. On average, research buildings use 3x the energy of our academic spaces. Beyond energy, labs also consume high volumes of water, chemicals, equipment, and PPE.
The CU Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated to improving human health. Labs have an outsized impact on greenhouse gas emissions, waste production, and water use. The consumption of these resources negatively impacts climate change, landfill capacity, and resource availability. To better preserve human health, in addition to their research, labs can partner with the CU Anschutz Green Labs program to minimize this environmental impact.
Model
The Green Labs Program was started in August 2024. In March 2025, ten labs began the My Green Lab Certification program. The program customizes sustainable actions for labs based specifically on the research and processes of each unique lab. After the ten lab pilot concludes, we hope to onboard more labs for My Green Lab Certification.
In addition to the sustainability certification, we are working on small pilot projects that can be scaled up or modified based on success.
Communicate
Keep up to date with the Green Labs Program by signing up for the CU Anschutz Green Labs newsletter.
Contact Derek Cooper to find out how your lab may participate: derek.cooper@cuanschutz.edu.
Sign up for the 2025 freezer challenge
Freezers are the second most energy intensive piece of lab equipment behind fume hoods. To earn points for the freezer challenge, optimize your cold storage according to Cold Storage Best Practices. Participants earn points for taking any combination of actions in the guide.
An official spreadsheet to enter your actions will be released in February. Be sure to sign up for the freezer challenge to receive this scoresheet. Any actions you take from January through June 2025 will count toward your point total. Awards will be given to the highest scoring laboratories on campus. Additionally, CU Anschutz is competing against CU Boulder to see which campus can earn the most points.
Want help maintaining your freezers? You can sign up for a maintenance program through Facilities Management. See attached flyer: -80 Maintenance Guide.
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The ACT Environmental Impact Factor Label was designed to address the need of both scientists and procurement specialists for clear, third-party verified information about the environmental impact of laboratory products. By emphasizing Accountability, Consistency, and Transparency (ACT) around manufacturing, energy and water use, packaging, and end-of-life, ACT makes it easy to choose more sustainable products.