LEAF launches at Surrey to support sustainable lab practices
The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework has launched at the University of Surrey to support our labs’ transition to more sustainable practices.
Laboratories are essential to teaching, research and innovation here at the University of Surrey. They are, however, incredibly high energy and resource intensive environments. Just one lab alone can use 3-10 times more energy than a non-lab environment.
To tackle labs’ high consumption, and support a wider sustainable labs campaign, the university’s Sustainability Team have launched LEAF – a prestigious sustainable labs accreditation scheme.
Set up collaboratively by a number of UK universities, LEAF provides lab users with simple actions they can take to reduce their use of plastic, water, energy and other consumables. Not only are teams awarded either bronze, silver or gold for embedding sustainable practices within their labs, but a lab can also reduce their carbon emissions and improve sustainability – all whilst maintaining an environment that continues to support research quality.
To find out more about sustainable practices in labs at Surrey, and to get involved with LEAF, head over to our dedicated Sustainable Labs pages.