Green Labs Certification Program

The Green Labs Program is a collaboration between the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Health & Safety with the goal to minimize the environmental impact, and inspire and promote a culture of sustainability in laboratories at NAU. We have developed educational information with waste metrics, and a checklist for labs to complete to become a Certified Green Lab.

The total amount of hazardous and non-hazardous waste generated from labs on campus has been increasing, and has averaged 50,766 lbs/year since 2015. The costs associated with properly handling the waste has also increased, with an average annual cost of $58,364. Laboratories also contribute to about 9% of NAU’s total energy use, or about 28 million kWh per year.

As a Certified Green Lab you will have the opportunity to cultivate a positive impact on people, planet, and profit, the three pillars of sustainability. Sustainable laboratories is a growing field, and this program lays out the foundation for your lab to be a leader in this field and demonstrate your commitment to sustainability. To learn more about the positive impacts in this field join the Green Labs group on Constellation, a platform available to anyone to communicate with other Green Labs in Arizona. There is also more information on NAU’s Green Labs Program, and research in the field on sustainable laboratories.

Download the Certification Checklist, and get started to become certified
Go through the checklist and follow the prompts
Once you complete the Checklist, save a copy and then submit the spreadsheet and the signed Green Labs Program Pledge to greenlabs@nau.edu
Meet with your Green Labs Coordinator to go over the checklist, and advance on the sustainable improvements in your lab to achieve a higher level of the certification