Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.51
Liaison Aurora Sharrard
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Pittsburgh
IN-19: Green Laboratory Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Samantha Chan
Assistant Director of Sustainability
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have or participate in a green laboratory program?:
Yes

Does the institution’s green laboratory program address the following?:
Yes or No
Energy conservation and efficiency, e.g., fume hood ("shut the sash") and freezer maintenance programs Yes
Water conservation and efficiency Yes
Chemical use and disposal Yes
Materials management, e.g., green purchasing guidelines and recycling and reuse programs Yes
Training for lab users on sustainable practices Yes

A brief description of the institution's green laboratory program:

The University of Pittsburgh launched its "Pitt Green Laboratory" program in 2019, complementing the existing “Pitt Green” suite of designations (which already included Pitt Green Offices and Events at that time). There are currently 20 laboratories that have earned a Pitt Green Lab designation.

Participating laboratories earn points by auditing their current practices & reporting what sustainable actions and activities they are currently taking to green their spaces and activities. Each sustainable practice is assigned a point value based on its impact, ease, and cost of implementation.

For the purposes of the Pitt Green Labs program, a lab is a room or space equipped for scientific or creative experiments, research, and/or teaching.

To become a Pitt Green Lab, a laboratory must complete a Self-Assessment Survey with the assistance of their principal investigator (PI) that will evaluate their practices across 7 different areas:

• Chemicals & Safety
• Culture of Sustainability
• Energy Consumption & Equipment Maintenance
• Lab Recycling
• Purchasing
• Water Conservation
• Innovation Actions

After completing the self-assessment, a laboratory can earn one of the four Pitt Green Laboratory designations to commemorate their determination to helping make Pitt's campus a greener and more sustainable place to learn, work, & live; these are Seed, Sprout, Sapling, and Sustainable Oak.


Website URL where information about the green laboratory program is available:
https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/what-you-can-do/pitt-green-labs/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.