Environmental Impact, Cost, and Acceptability of a Laboratory Sustainability Certification Program for Biomedical Research in an Academic Medical Center - 12/12/24

Doi : 10.1016/j.joclim.2024.100401

Michael Padget ^1,^⁎ , Pernilla Sörme ², Michael Spezia ³, Susan A. Slaugenhaupt ⁴, James McKowen ⁵, Emily Kirchner ⁴, Natalie Ameral ^6,⁷, Surya A. Reis ⁸, Damien Slater ^9,¹⁰, Stephen J. Haggarty ⁸, Benjamin P. Kleinstiver ^6,^7,¹¹, Erin C. Dunn ^12,^13,¹⁴, Regina Larocque ⁹, Christiano R.R. Alves ^6,¹⁵, Max Stern ⁴, Alida Pelli ¹⁶, Ann-Christine Duhaime ^1,¹⁷
¹ Center for the Environment and Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA, USA, 02114
² My Green Lab My Green Lab, 4653 Carmel Mountain Rd, San Diego, CA, USA, 92130
³ Elemental Machines, 185 Alewife Brook Pkwy #401, Cambridge, MA, USA, 02138
⁴ Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA, USA, 02114
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, 02115
⁶ Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, 02114
⁷ Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, 02114
⁸ Chemical Neurobiology Laboratory, Precision Therapeutics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, 02115
⁹ Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, 02115
¹⁰ Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, 02115
¹¹ Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, 02115
¹² Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, 02115
¹³ Center On the Developing Child at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA, 02115
¹⁴ Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, 02115
¹⁵ Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, 02114
¹⁶ Independent consultant, Boston, MA, USA
¹⁷ Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, 02115

^⁎Correspondence: Michael Padget, Phone: +1 857-281-3270

connectez-vous ou créez un compte

Bienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.
Article gratuit.

Connectez-vous pour en bénéficier!

Sous presse. Manuscrit accepté. Disponible en ligne depuis le Thursday 12 December 2024

Abstract

Introduction

The healthcare sector contributes considerably to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Biomedical research within academic medical centers (AMCs) is particularly energy- and resource-intensive. This study sought to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of a formal laboratory sustainability certification process within a large AMC research institute.

Methods

Five labs with diverse research profiles participated in an external certification process consisting of the collection of baseline questionnaire data, a customized intervention plan to reduce environmental impacts, and a follow-up questionnaire to assess changes made and their effects. Investigators also directly measured solid waste, audited benchtop and cold storage plug loads, measured selected energy and potential cost savings, and assessed researcher attitudes.

Results

All labs successfully achieved sustainability certification. Relevant and feasible interventions were identified for all participating labs. The main opportunities for improvements at the workplace that could be measured and are under the direct control of researchers included energy use and waste handling at the benchtop. Researchers generally were positive about the program and most expressed an interest in doing more to improve workplace sustainability. Financial estimates showed that intervention-related cost savings offset the cost of the certification process.

Conclusions

In the context of AMC research, where lab-specific autonomy, sizes, and age make a uniform “top-down” institutional approach to sustainability less applicable, customized sustainability certification programs can be effective and may help achieve environmental goals without significant cost or unduly burdensome behavioral changes.

Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.

Keywords : Environmental sustainability, research laboratories, academic medical centers