Shut the Sash: Energy Conservation in CCB

CCB Lab Director Allen Aloise was a featured speaker on March 27th at a forum addressing energy conservation in scientific laboratories. Held at Harvard, the event brought together over 100 lab and facilities managers across the Boston area, as well as representatives of local utilities. Massive air exchange systems, in particular, contribute to energy inefficiencies as well as greenhouse-gas emissions. Harvard’s executive vice president Katie Lapp reported that although labs at Harvard take up only 23% of the square footage on campus, they consume 53% of the energy supplied. New and more efficient technologies have been installed that reduce emissions, but changing the behavior of scientific workers is critical in saving energy across Harvard’s labs, Aloise observed. CCB’s successful and ongoing Shut the Sash campaign, which includes a monthly competition throughout the individual laboratories, is one of the educational programs driving the message of energy conservation home.