The Jackson Laboratory Steps Up to Green Initiatives

JAX® NOTES Issue 510, Summer, 2008

In a world where "going green" is become an increasingly integral part of the collective consciousness, it is also one of the top priorities at The Jackson Laboratory.

We recently received the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership award for energy conservation leadership. The award is partly due to the following:

  • Buildings completed since 2000 are extremely energy-efficient and inexpensive to maintain.
  • Fans and pumps turn at the minimum speed.
  • High-efficiency motors exceed the efficiency mandated by codes and standards.
  • Steam System Maintenance Program minimizes heat loss.
  • New high-efficiency fluorescent lights and ballast systems are tied to motion-detectors and timers, ensuring that lights are on only when needed.
  • Boilers have precision controls for maximum fuel efficiency.
  • New chillers have a non-HCFC (non-ozone depleting) refrigerant and are equipped with energy-efficient variable frequency drives.
  • 100% outside-air economizers are used on all our HVAC systems, taking advantage of “free cooling” when ambient temperatures allow.

Reducing, Reusing, Recycling

  • We recycle more than 60 tons of paper and cardboard a year.
  • We recycle more than 3,000 lbs of glass each year.
  • We use locally supplied wood shavings as mouse bedding and compost approximately 1,800 tons of used bedding a year.
  • Our Shipping and Receiving Department provides battery and ink cartridge recycling depositories.
  • We ship our mice in re-usable shipping containers.
  • We recycle all non-functioning or outdated computers.
  • Our dining facility, Roscoe’s, recycles coffee grounds as compost for local gardens, composts food scraps for local pigs, uses biodegradable paper plates and napkins made of recycled paper, and turns kitchen grease into Biodiesel.
  • Our new trade show booth was constructed primarily of recycled styrofoam packing peanuts.
  • Most of the documents we distribute externally are printed on Forest Stewardship Council-certified and mainly recycled paper, using soy-based inks, by a printing company that is 100% wind-powered.

Environmentally-Sound Landscaping and Maintenance

  • We use organic fertilizer and pest and disease control products, and natural alternative ice melt.
  • We compost all leaves and grass clippings and use them for plantings.
  • We mulch planting beds, reducing the need for water and fertilizer.
  • We have reduced lawn areas and introduced native plantings to cut maintenance costs, equipment use, fuel emissions, and provide an attractive, natural appearance.
  • We have replaced harsh chemical-based cleaning products with green cleaning products.
  • Our Custodial Department uses trash bags made of at least 30% post-consumer waste, and uses “Echo Mops” made of 30% post-consumer waste, 67% post-industrial waste, and free from post-recycling dyes.
  • We use Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards to select renewable building materials (stone, brick, aluminum, steel, copper, cork, and wood).

Reducing the Number of Cars on the Road

  • We operate a carpool and busing program, reducing the number of vehicles traveling to and from MDI each day by more than 200.
  • Our JAXfit program encourages local employees to walk or ride a bicycle to work.
  • We minimize travel miles by teleconferencing and videoconferencing.
  • We facilitate distance learning with the University of Maine, high school students in North Carolina, and the Maine School of Science and Mathematics.

Keeping MDI Beautiful

  • In keeping with the Dark Sky initiative, our shielded lighting protects the night skies.
  • Our campus is designed to blend into its natural surroundings.
  • We installed paths and benches to encourage employees to take lunchtime and other breaks outdoors.

As long as this list of green initiatives is, we realize that it is but one step in many more that we and others must take to make the earth a cleaner, better place. Please join us in our commitment and send us your suggestions for making the biomedical research community greener.

        The Jackson Laboratory booth

        Pictured at left is The Jackson Laboratory's new, flexible, trade show booth, which utilizes the lite system developed in Europe (www.thatlitething.com). The booth is composed of 27 inch square curved lightweight panels, which can be modified to suit various configurations. Composed of recycled styrofoam packing peanuts, each panel weights less than four pounds, so it truly is a "light" system.