The Case for Sustainable Laboratories: First Steps at Harvard University.

Purpose – Laboratories typically consume 4‐5 times more energy than similarly‐sized commercial space. This paper adds to a growing dialogue about how to “green” a laboratory's design and operations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is divided into three sections. The first section reviews the background and theoretical issues. A case is made for sustainable laboratories, introduce the Harvard Green Campus Initiative's (HGCIs) study of potential energy reduction in Harvard's research laboratories and examine other issues including: behavioral change, technical change, and the required codes and suggested standards that influence laboratory design and operations. Next, a survey conducted through a partnership between HGCI, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), and Laboratories for the twenty‐first century (Labs21) to clarify issues surrounding use of codes and standards in high‐performance laboratory design and maintenance is introduced.Findings – Survey findings highlight the confusion among survey...