The University of Georgia’s Green Labs Program, housed within the Facilities Management Division, supports research labs on campus in adopting more sustainable and efficient practices. (Photo/Ella Brauer)

Green Labs Uses Freezer Challenge to Aid Energy Costs

UGA’s Green Labs program is working to make research labs more sustainable and efficient.

With science labs using much more energy and producing more waste, initiatives such as the Freezer Challenge help reduce energy use and protect research samples.

Reducing energy consumption not only encourages responsible resource use, but it also lowers utility costs and minimizes strain on the infrastructure. Because a lot of the equipment found in labs runs continuously, small changes like adjusting freezer temperatures or improving maintenance can have lasting effects. These efforts can also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Program manager Star Scott and senior student staff member Anvi Rao share how implementing simple maintenance practices, such as defrosting ultra-low freezers, saved nearly 170,000 kilowatt hours.

Pengpeng Bi, associate professor in the Center for Molecular Medicine and the Department of Genetics, also speaks on his experience with the program. 

Watch the video to learn more about how UGA is working toward greener labs.  

Ella Brauer is a fourth-year student majoring in journalism.

 

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