Green Labs at UTMB
The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), our Green Labs initiative advances a culture where scientific excellence and environmental responsibility work together. As one of the most energy- and resource-intensive environments on campus, laboratories present a powerful opportunity to reduce waste, conserve energy, and lead through measurable action.
Our Green Labs framework provides researchers, trainees, and staff with the tools and support needed to integrate sustainability into daily lab operations. Through best-practice guidelines, energy and waste reduction strategies, equipment optimization support, certification pathways, educational workshops, and collaborative programming, we empower laboratories to operate more efficiently while maintaining the highest standards of safety and research integrity.
Beyond operational improvements, Green Labs at UTMB serves as a platform for education and leadership development. By engaging students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and staff in sustainable research practices, we foster the next generation of scientists and innovators who view environmental stewardship as essential to public health and biomedical advancement.
Together, we are building laboratories that not only drive discovery—but also model responsible innovation for the communities we serve and the future we shape.
FY2026 Program Highlights
Laboratories are among the most energy- and resource-intensive environments on our campus, providing one of the greatest opportunities to reduce impacts.
UTMB’s My Green Labs initiative is a partnership between laboratories and Environmental Health and Safety, focused on making small changes that can lead to large impacts.
Below is a look at how UTMB labs are putting these programs into practice.
My Green Lab Ambassadors & Interns
This year, nine new My Green Lab Ambassadors and 1 Green Lab Intern joined the initiative, strengthening a growing network of individuals equipped to champion sustainable practices within their laboratories and across the institution.
My Green Lab Accredited Professionals
Two UTMB professionals earned the My Green Lab Accredited Professional credential, demonstrating advanced knowledge in sustainable laboratory practices, including waste reduction, green chemistry, sustainable procurement, energy and water conservation, and organizational engagement.
Labs2Zero Champions
UTMB also celebrated two new Labs2Zero Champions, advancing institutional knowledge around laboratory decarbonization, energy efficiency, and pathways toward net-zero research operations.
Congratulations to the UTMB’s 2026 My Green Lab Employees!
Success Stories: The Beginning of Something Greater
Freezer Challenge
The Reiser/Wei/Gupta labs made a real impact in the 2026 freezer challenge, logging 129 documented actions across their fleet of freezers. Each action taken made an impact on the energy used, saving an estimated 54.2 kWh of energy that would have been otherwise wasted.
Chem Swap
Chem Swap allows UTMB labs to list surplus or unwanted chemicals through EHS Assistant, making them available to any UTMB lab with a legitimate need. It's a formal component of EHS's Pollution Prevention (P2) program, which prioritizes eliminating waste at the source. Chemical reuse sits at the top of the waste management hierarchy, ahead of treatment or disposal.
Pipette Tip Recycling
One UTMB lab group tracked its pipette tip rack recycling across two vendors and found real volume: 254 PRIMA and Fisher brand racks diverted from the waste stream between January and early June 2026, plus another 126 VWR racks over just three months (April–June). Combined, that's 380 tip racks which ended up being 14 bags' worth as of the June 29 collection that were kept out of general waste and were diverted to recycling in under half a year from a single lab.
Close the Sash Campaign
Fume hoods are among the biggest energy draws in any lab, consuming between 3 and 4 homes worth of electricity every year. “Sasha” is the face of a campaign to turn a simple habit into an energy win. These two-piece stickers that line up to a complete image when the sash is appropriately closed have been delivered to each applicable fume hood and give lab members a visual cue to make energy reduction simple.
Events
My Green Labs was introduced in various UTMB events throughout the year. The EHS Environmental Protection Management Program showcased a variety of green initiatives at UTMB’s Earth Day, the Research Summit Core and Resource Showcase, the NetZero Summit 2026 and smaller gatherings for research with Cookies and Compliance.