{"id":78,"date":"2020-10-02T19:39:51","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T19:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sustainabilityreport.ucop.edu\/?post_type=location&p=78"},"modified":"2023-12-14T22:08:23","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T22:08:23","slug":"lawrence-berkeley-national-lab","status":"publish","type":"location","link":"https:\/\/sustainabilityreport.ucop.edu\/2023\/locations\/lawrence-berkeley-national-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is a Department of Energy Office of Science research laboratory operated by the University of California. Sustainability performance highlights from the past year include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Net-zero planning:<\/strong> In May 2023, the Lab released a net-zero vision and roadmap to define a decarbonization pathway across all reported greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2045.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More about sustainability at berkeley lab<\/summary>\n

Energy savings:<\/strong> The Lab maintains a portfolio of energy and water savings that currently generates an annual utility bill savings of over $1.3 million, driven primarily by a dedicated ongoing commissioning team. As of the end of March 2023, the Lab\u2019s total weather-corrected energy consumption per square foot in its general building stock is 28% lower than in 2015. Fossil gas consumption across the Lab is down 28%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: <\/strong>Total reported GHG emissions as of October 2022 are 31% below 2015 levels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ISO 50001:<\/strong> The Lab completed a third-party three-year re-certification audit of its energy and water management system against ISO 50001, an international energy management standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Circular economy:<\/strong> The Lab conducted a pilot project with a local vendor to divert laboratory plastics and use them to manufacture new laboratory plastic ware. These items are not currently accepted by the Lab\u2019s waste-hauling contractor for recycling. As of fall 2023, the Lab has circularized approximately 2,000 pounds of plastics into new laboratory consumables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy consumption<\/a> is up slightly compared to the previous year as on-site populations increase, but lower than pre-pandemic levels.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

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Making Renewable, Infinitely Recyclable Plastics Using Bacteria<\/a><\/h3>\n

Scientists at Berkeley Lab engineered microbes to make the ingredients for recyclable plastics, replacing finite, polluting petrochemicals with sustainable alternatives. The new approach shows that renewable, recyclable plastics are not only possible but also outperform those from petrochemicals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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Berkeley Lab\u2019s Vision and Roadmap for a Net-Zero Campus<\/a><\/h3>\n

Berkeley Lab has created a vision and roadmap to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its campus by no later than 2045. Released in May 2023, the document identifies seventeen actions to reduce GHG emissions by at least 90% and negate remaining emissions through carbon removal, consistent with the new UC climate action policy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n