Labs for the 21st Century
In an attempt to curb the tremendous amounts of energy that laboratories typically use, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have kicked off Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21)—a voluntary initiative designed to promote better environmental performance among public- and private-sector labs.
Staff
In an attempt to curb the tremendous amounts of energy that laboratories typically use, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have kicked off Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21) —a voluntary initiative designed to promote better environmental performance among public- and private-sector labs.
As part of this effort, the EPA and the DOE plan to partner with participating labs, sponsor technical training and forums and create an Internet-based resource of best practices and case studies.
If U.S. laboratories, in turn, opt to take advantage of these resources, it is predicted that nationwide laboratory energy consumption may decrease by as much as 60 percent—a potential energy savings of 84-trillion Btus and cost savings of a staggering $1.25 billion annually, say program organizers.
The Labs21 approach has already been applied to EPA's 150,000 square-foot laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich. Following its energy upgrade, the lab's operators are anticipating a 68-percent reduction in energy use and savings of $800,000 annually.
For more information, visit: www.epa.gov/labs21century .