Chemistry team. From left to right: Chris Baker (Teaching Laboratory Supervisor), Becki Cook and Jamie Smith.

Biosciences team. From left to right: Jenny Blemings-Derrick, Emily Shaw, Brandon Avgousti, En Spall and William Horne (Teaching Laboratory Supervisor).

The LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) was introduced to the University of Sussex in January 2023 and by July both teaching teams in the School of Life Sciences had achieved their Bronze Awards. The programme aims to assess, encourage and improve sustainability and good working practices in a step-by-step, manageable and measurable way to encourage lab users to take part and improve efficiency in all areas, from recycling to training to chemical and equipment lifecycle management. 

Dr Rob Fowler, Associate Director of Technical Operations is the institutional lead for LEAF and says: "I am really proud of the work of the teaching technician teams in achieving the first LEAF awards for the University of Sussex. This is a great initiative and the benefits for both lab users, schools and the University are extensive. I hope this milestone and the great work of the teaching technician teams paves the way for other teaching and research labs to take up LEAF to improve sustainability, reduce waste and improve working practices"

The School of Life Sciences Teaching Teams have worked collaboratively to create useful guides for disposal of equipment within the school, promotional materials to inform students of their activities and are rolling out initiatives to encourage other labs to take part in the programme. LEAF aims to reduce carbon emissions and create an environment that supports research and teaching quality across all lab spaces.

Each team has a dedicated LEAF Champion who is driving the process in their respective areas alongside their technical roles. Chemistry technician Becki Cook found that "LEAF is very easy to follow and complete. The framework lays out how to fulfil each criteria with plenty of resources to help you and improve your knowledge. We found that we were actually already fulfilling a lot of the criteria for the Bronze award, so that made filling out the application a breeze! It’s also nice to look at other labs and Universities participating as it feels like you’re part of a bigger network with a mutual goal."  Biosciences technician Brandon Avgousti added, "Research has shown that labs often contribute more energy consumption than any other campus building. As the planet continues to feel the effects of climate change and our current government actively destroys any hope of things improving, the responsibility of making a positive change and reducing our environmental impact is now on our shoulders.  

Both teams are eager to develop their sustainability practices and work towards the Silver Award. Brandon Avgousti said: "We’re looking to continue working towards the criteria for the silver and gold awards, such as reducing contamination of recycling in clinical waste bins, improving sustainable purchasing, and would like to offer more opportunities for student engagement". 

If you would like to sign your lab up to this programme, please go to https://app.ucl.ac.uk/leaf/leaf_external and register using your email ending in @sussex.ac.uk. You can then apply to create a lab.