UMBC's Green Labs Program is a set of initiatives and guidelines designed to reduce the environmental impact of laboratories. This program focuses on reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste, and promoting the use of sustainable practices in the laboratory setting. UMBC's Green Labs Program is derived from the Green Office Program and can help laboratories learn about operational sustainability, reduce their carbon footprint, and support overall sustainability efforts.
Additionally, this effort enagages labs about the The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a set of global goals to address the world's most pressing challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, and environmental degradation. Lab sustainability can support several of the SDGs, including SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). For example, by reducing energy consumption and waste in laboratories, we can help achieve SDG 7 by increasing the use of renewable energy sources and SDG 12 by promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns. Additionally, by promoting sustainable practices in laboratories, we can support SDG 13 by mitigating the impact of climate change and protecting the environment.