Why Sustainable Labs Start with Awareness—Not Expensive Tech

When people think of sustainability, they often imagine high-tech automation or costly renovations. But as we learned in our recent webinar "Reimagining Your Lab: A Conversation on Sustainable Lab Practices," hosted by Hai Ting Yeung and featuring Lab ReNew’s Executive Director Stephen Miller, the most powerful sustainability efforts often begin with awareness.

🧪 Start with baselining—Know your current energy, water, chemical usage, and red bag waste output. Once you understand your lab's footprint, you can make smarter, budget-conscious decisions.

🧤 Focus on behavioral shifts—Train your lab teams to be more energy-conscious: close fume hoods, reduce ultra-low temp freezer settings from -80°C to -70°C (a 25% energy savings), and turn off unused equipment.

♻️ Use simple tools—From $1 color-coded stickers for fume hood sash positioning to $25 motion sensor alerts, small tools can lead to massive savings.

Stephen put it best:

“Would you throw this away at home? No? Then let’s not do it here either.”

You don’t need a big budget to create real environmental impact. You just need a mindset shift and the willingness to ask questions.

📺 Watch the full conversation on our YouTube channel here: [YouTube Link]

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