LAB MANAGEMENT :: ENVIRONMENTAL
Going green in the Bluegrass State
By MLO Staff Photo 412292590 by Black Salmon |@
Bigstockphoto.com T
he 64-person team at the Kentucky Division of Laboratory Services has been working to reduce its carbon footprint for many years, with a concerted push beginning in 2017. As a result of these efforts, the lab was recognized by the As- sociation of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) as the 2021 Healthiest Laboratory.
The lab, which also goes by the name
Vaneet Arora, MD, MPH
Kentucky State Public Health Labora- tory, operates with two top managers: Medical Director Vaneet Arora, MD, MPH, who manages scientific and regulatory issues, and Division Direc- tor Matthew Johnson, BS, who manages daily operations. Arora, who is an em- ployee of the University of Kentucky, has served as medical director of the lab since 2016, while Johnson has been an employee of the lab for more than 22 years. Arora also serves as an Associ- ate Professor and Associate Director of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Kentucky. The award from the APHL is based
Matthew Johnson, BS
on environmental stewardship as well as employee health and wellness, but this article focuses on the lab’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Medical Labora- tory Observer interviewed the co-directors,
both through written questions and a telephone interview, and provides an edited version of those conversations here.
What motivated your lab to implement green practices? Johnson: We have some very environmentally conscious staff members at DLS. They tend to take the lead on these projects. We have a small nature sanctuary right outside the lab and that tends to bring deer and other wildlife into the area, which has motivated the staff to help preserve the area and limit actions that would negatively impact the environment. As a lab, we
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generate so much recyclable waste that throwing it straight into the garbage was not an option. Our staff started the recycling process before the entire building instituted it. Our safety officer and her safety team look for environmentally friendly options for cleaning supplies and laboratory grade reagents. These include bleach alternatives and low impact soap, including phosphatase-free detergents.
She has also gotten some of the other divisions to partner with us on a regular a chemical waste pickup, so we know that it’s being picked up appropriately and discarded appropriately by the vendor that we are paying to do it.
What other specific steps has the lab taken to improve its environmental stewardship? Johnson: There are five separate laboratories, including the Kentucky Division of Laboratory Services, housed in a 30-year- old physical plant. Each laboratory works independently but relies on each other when it comes to building improvements that may impact all tenants. We all share the same airflow and the same plumbing, for example. We share the same problems, but the problems may affect each of us differently. The overall attitude at our lab is not to be bogged down
by things we cannot control but to focus on things we can control or at least influence. We have an extensive recycling (glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, etc.) program throughout the building. There is a carpooling program with neighbor- ing cities that can transport lab workers to their home city and back, limiting carbon emissions. We have several groups of staff members that live close to each other and work out private carpooling agreements to also limit these emissions. DLS purchased and installed a bike rack to support other modes of transportation for employees. Arora: KY DLS has an energy efficient HVAC system and uses programmable thermostats to conserve heating and cooling costs. We have timed motion sensing lighting in the hallways and several other areas, so energy can be conserved in the less frequently used or low traffic areas. We ensure that solvents are captured in fume hoods, rather than venting into the environ-
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