Sustainable Labs (LEAF)
At the University of Kent, we are committed to embedding sustainability across the whole institution. This means integrating it into education, research, and operations.
Our laboratories play a key role in this, as places of innovation and discovery and at Kent we have numerous facilities that allow research to thrive. However, laboratory activity consumes around 5-10 times more energy per square meter than typical academic spaces. There’s a real need – and opportunity – to tackle this and reduce the negative environmental effects of laboratories on campus and beyond.
The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework
We are trialling LEAF (The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework), a tool developed by University College London (UCL) to help researchers, staff and students understand and improve the sustainability and efficiency of their laboratories.
LEAF contains criteria that lab users can implement around areas such as waste & recycling, equipment management, procurement, and more. The criteria are based on actions that have already been proven to work in other laboratories. A key feature of LEAF is that it allows you to quantify your impact in both financial and carbon savings.
LEAF is intended for anyone working in any of our labs. It is ideal for technical staff, lab management, PhDs and post-docs with an interest in sustainability, or anyone working around laboratories.