Are you unsure where to find the answers to certain survey questions? Check the recommendations below for information sources.
Ask for a show of hands at a lab meeting or ask your staff via our internal survey:
Ask the lab manager/administrator:
Ask the person who handles purchasing in your lab:
Email the Sustainability Office:
The Sustainability Office provides an internal survey to help gather data required by the main Green Lab Certification Survey. For example, the Internal Employee Survey might help you answer question EN1, which asks you to indicate what portion of electronics are off or asleep after one hour of activity.
PLEASE NOTE: Use of the Internal Employee Survey is not mandatory. If you prefer to estimate answers rather than ask fellow employees, please do so. The Internal Employee Survey is intended to help you find answers to certain questions from the main survey, not to complicate the process.
If you would like to utilize the Internal Employee Survey, please email the Sustainability Office. We will send you a survey link you can distribute to fellow employees and lab members; then we will either give you access to the survey data via Qualtrics or send you the data in an email once the results are in, depending on your preference.
The OSU Sustainability Office is the main resource for this section. Feel free to reach out via sustainability@oregonstate.edu.
Change Your Computer Sleep/Hibernation Settings:
Change "sleep" or "low-power mode" settings on devices to save energy after a specified time (recommended no longer than 30 min.).
Contact Your Building Manager:
Each building has at least one building manager who can assist with general questions or direct you to the correct person. By clicking the title link above, you can search by building to find out who your building manager is, and view any current work orders.
If something is broken or running inefficiently, you can submit a Work Order form through OSU Facilities Services in the title link above.
Freezer/Refrigerator Inspections:
Samples that are no longer needed or viable should be removed from freezers/refrigerators at least annually. Freezer/refrigerator doors should also be inspected at least monthly for frost accumulation around door seal gaskets. To learn more about best freezer practices, click the title link.
Request Replacement of Incandescent Light Bulbs:
If you know of any incandescent lights in your lab and would like them changed to CFLs or LEDs, please email the Sustainability Office with a request. CFLs use 75% less energy than incandescent lighting!
High-Energy Sterilizers (combustion ovens, autoclaves, etc.):
To minimize energy consumption, use high-energy sterilized only when your lab (or group of labs) can run a full load. For more information about autoclaves/sterilizer best practices, click the title link from "My Green Lab."
Fume hood sashes should be shut or lowered to a height of fewer than 2 inches when not in use to conserve energy. To learn more about the energy costs and savings associated with lowering a fume hood sash, click the title link to be directed to the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program.
Campus Recycling is the main resource for this section. Feel free to reach out to Andrea Norris, the Marketing & Development Coordinator for Campus Recycling.
The OSU Sustainability Office is the main resource for this section. Feel free to reach out via sustainability@oregonstate.edu.
OSU Transportation Services is the main resource for this section. Feel free to reach out to Sarah Bronstein, the Transportation Options Coordinator, for any questions.
The OSU Sustainability Office is the main resource for this section. Feel free to reach out via sustainability@oregonstate.edu.
Attached to a sink tap, an aerator screws onto the tip of the faucet and mixes air and water to increase pressure for the user while decreasing water usage. The flow rate in gallons per minute (gpm) is typically stamped on the side of the aerator. If you need help identifying your building's aerator flow rates, please email the Sustainability Office.
A device designed to protect electrical devices from voltage spikes by blocking or shorting to ground any unwanted voltages above a safe threshold.
Lighting that aids in illuminating personal activities such as reading, lab work, etc. It can be recessed or tracking lighting, or portable floor or desk lamps. Task lighting saves energy compared to overhead lighting that brightens spaces not always needed.