86 Transforming the Learning Environment through the My Green Labs Initiative

Gordon Armstrong described UL’s My Green Labs initiative, a student-driven effort to enhance sustainability within laboratory environments across the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Recognising that scientific labs can be up to ten times more energy-intensive than office spaces—and major contributors to water use and single-use plastic waste—postgraduate researchers in the Bernal Institute initiated a structured sustainability review using the international My Green Labs certification framework.

Working collaboratively with technical staff and external assessors, UL’s labs undertook baseline surveys, identified opportunities for reducing energy, waste and chemical usage, and co-developed a “Green Lab Manual” documenting sustainable practices. Over successive certification cycles, additional improvements have been introduced, including energy-efficient freezer management, reduced-volume protocols in teaching labs, improved chemical procurement processes, and aligned travel and hybrid-working policies.

Equally significant is the cultural shift the initiative has fostered. Students now advocate for sustainability enhancements, prompting collaboration between research groups, technical teams, procurement, and estates. Green Lab practices are being integrated into undergraduate and postgraduate research training, enabling students to carry sustainability-aware laboratory practices into industry and future research roles. With emerging national moves toward requiring sustainability evidence in research funding applications, Mr Armstrong highlighted the importance of such initiatives in positioning UL as a sectoral leader in responsible scientific practice.