What is the Green Laboratory certification program?

Green Laboratory certification at the University of Houston seeks to:

1. Help labs gauge how sustainably they are currently operating
2. Show labs specific ways they can operate more sustainably
3. Recognize labs for the good work they are already doing

Members of any UH lab from any department can certify their lab. Labs may belong to.....To apply for certification, lab members simply fill out the online application (this typically takes 20-25 mins). This short initial questionnaire allows them to see what steps they are already taking to operate sustainably and where they can improve. It addresses workplace practices in action areas such as energy use, chemical use, work-related travel, and more.

Why get Green Lab certified?

Laboratories are one of the primary waste generators at universities around the world. Using roughly 4 times more energy than office spaces of the same size, laboratories have an enormous impact on a university's energy use. With the University of Houston receiving the grant money for their research - and harboring over X laboratories on campus alone - it is time for us to lead the way in implementing sustainable laboratory practices.

How does applying for certification work?

Levels of certification

Based on their responses to the initial questionnaire, labs will earn a certification score. The questionnaire calculates scores as a percentage, dividing the number of points a lab has achieved by the number of points the lab is capable of achieving. The questionnaire will not deduct points for failing to close a fume hood sash, for example, if the lab does not have a fume hood. Instead, the questionnaire will adjust the total number of points possible for the lab to achieve. Labs that earn a score equal to or greater than 55% will receive a certification: Bronze for a score of 55-69%, Silver for 70-84%, and Gold for 85%+.