The large number of research labs on UMB's campus present an opportunity for resource conservation and waste reduction efforts. To facilitate this, the UMB Office of Sustainability has launched a Green Labs program to guide labs through processes to improve the sustainability of their operations. Sign up today for up to $100 in BIORESCO credit!

Steps for Participating:

• Fill out the Green Labs Checklist to develop a baseline for the sustainable operations your lab is already doing.
• Identify at least 5 new actions from the checklist that your lab is not currently doing but can implement. Resubmit the checklist with the 5+ new actions identified.
• Integrate these 5+ new actions into your daily operations. Share quantitative and qualitative data with the Office of Sustainability.

Participation Incentives:

• $25 for submitting initial checklist
• $25 for submitting checklist again with new actions identified
• $50 for submitting data on new actions

In order to receive the participation incentives, your lab must have a SOAPF that is not associated with sponsored funding for purposes of journal entry for the BIORESCO credit. All BIORESCO credit will be journaled to the lab's SOAPF at the conclusion of your participation in the program. In order to receive credit via debit memo from the Office of Sustainability to your SOAPF, you must submit proof of purchase from BIORESCO in the amount of $100 or more. More detailed information about receiving incentives will be provided to program participants at the time of signup.

Certified Labs

4 labs on UMB's campus have been certified through the Green Labs program:

• Feng Lab, School of Dentistry, Microbial Pathogenesis
• Johnson Lab, School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Kontrogianni-Konstantopoulos Lab, School of Medicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Shapiro Lab, School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences

To learn more about the Green Labs Pilot, visit our Past Projects page.

The Green Labs Freezer Rebate Program has $20,000 worth of funding available on a first come, first-serve basis for labs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) who are looking to replace an old, inefficient ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezer with a new, more efficient model. This program is being established to reduce the number of old and under-utilized freezers on campus and incentivize the purchase of more energy-efficient freezers in support of UMB’s energy and sustainability goals. As of September 5, 2023, applications are open and will remain open until funding is depleted. 

Participation Conditions

The following conditions must be met in order to participate in the program:

• The lab must use an energy meter (available to borrow through the Office of Sustainability) at least one week prior to replacement to get data on how much energy the old freezer is using, and use the energy meter for at least one week after replacement to get data on how much energy the new freezer is using, reporting back the numbers to the Office of Sustainability
• The freezer being replaced must be located on UMB’s main campus in Downtown Baltimore
  • Freezers at the BioPark, MPRC, the Amish Research Clinic, and other off-site locations are not eligible to participate
• The purchased freezer must be replacing an old freezer that is currently in use
• The lab must have a SOAPF that is not associated with sponsored funding for purposes of journal entry for the rebate 

While not a requirement, the UMB Office of Sustainability highly recommends that freezers be purchased through BIORESCO.

Rebate Thresholds

• No available rebates for the purchase of freezers with efficiency levels of 501 Wh/day/-cu ft or greater
• $1000 available for freezers with efficiency levels of 351 – 500 Wh/day/cu-ft freezers (Tier 2)
• $2000 available for freezers with efficiency levels of 350 Wh/day/cu-ft or less (Tier 1)

For an incomplete list of eligible ULT units, see the Eligible Freezers list.

Needed Materials to Submit:

• Receipt of purchase of the freezer
• Delivery slip for the new freezer
• Proof of disposal of old one (completed surplus property form)

If you are interested in participating, please email sustainability@umaryland.edu to confirm eligibility for the freezer you are planning to purchase, as well as to obtain an energy meter to start monitoring the usage of your existing ULT freezer.

If you have extra lab supplies or equipment that you would like to share with other labs on campus or you are in need of a particular item for your lab, consider participating in our new UMB Lab Share program! Labs can post about what items they have that they are giving away, and other labs can claim items and pick them up. Through this program, our campus will continue working toward our goals of waste reduction and reuse.

Join the Lab Share Program:

• Submit any item(s) you no longer need.
• See what items are currently available.

In research laboratories and clinical areas on UMB's campus, there are additional bins and waste streams which include hazardous waste (biological, chemical, and radioactive), broken glass, and sharps. For more information on these streams, please visit the EHS website. 

Regular trash is serviced by UMB's Environmental Services (EVS) department and cannot contain toxic, biohazardous, or radioactive materials. This stream can also not accept any broken glass or sharps. Common items in this stream include non-contaminated gloves, surgical masks, paper towels, flexible plastic packaging, and styrofoam.

Lab Trash Sign PDF

Many uncontaminated materials from labs can be recycled by EVS, including clean aluminum foil, unbroken glass, plastic bottles, paper, pipette tip boxes, metal drums, and flattened cardboard. Through the rollout of UMB's self-service waste program, single-stream recycling is being added to labs across campus to facilitate the collection of these materials.

Lab Recycling Sign PDF

Turn Off Lights

Turn Off Equipment

Freezer Efficiency