Environmental Factor – February 2020: Sustainability Report reports progress in reducing waste and energy use

The report states that “NIEHS strives to meet or exceed all applicable federal sustainability requirements.” (Image credits to NIEHS)

The NIEHS 2019 Sustainability Report, released January 7, details the organization’s efforts and other goals related to sustainable operations, such as the following.

• Further reduce energy use.
• Recycling improvement.
• Dispose of hazardous waste.
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Health and Safety Branch of the National Institute of Health and Safety (NIEHS) released the 29-page report, the sixth in a biennial series. It covers the years 2017 and 2018, and assesses the progress made over the past decade.

Dr. Rick Woichick, director of the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety and the National Toxicology Program, highlighted the report’s important findings.

• Energy density has decreased by approximately 12% over the past four years. Energy density is a measure of efficiency across sources, with both cost and energy units calculated.
• Increase solar power generation.
• 80% of non-hazardous solid waste diverted from landfills between 2010 and 2018.
• Reduced volume of wastewater discharge by 32%.
• Approximately 30% reduction in CO2 emissions from the vehicle fleet.

“The report shows how our operations align with our mission to protect and promote human health and the environment,” said Paul Johnson, Director of Environmental Protection and Stewardship Programs. Johnson supervised the development of the report.

“It is our duty to strengthen environmental stewardship here at the institute,” Wojcick said. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw)

NIEHS is the only institute or center in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that regularly publishes a sustainability report about its operations.

“It is an example of our leadership in sustainability,” Johnson said. “It demonstrates transparency and openness about environmental stewardship.”

“I am particularly proud of Net-Zero Energy (NZE) and its leadership in energy and environmental design [LEED] “Platinum certification,” Woichick said. “It saved the equivalent of 20 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.”

Changes in rules and weather

Statistics that did not show improvement were influenced by factors beyond the control of the NIEHS.

hazardous waste Production increased by more than 9,000 pounds between 2017 and 2018, due in large part to a change in waste management practices.

“Some of the liquids that were previously allowed to drain into the drain began to be collected and shipped off-site for disposal in 2018, such as aqueous fluids from labs and rinses from imaging processors,” Johnson said.

Johnson chairs the Environmental Awareness Advisory Committee at the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, which advises management on sustainability issues. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw)

On-site carbon dioxide emissions It remained below the EPA’s reporting threshold, revealing a downward trend. Then, in 2018, emissions levels returned to their 2008 levels. The data suggest that the increase was a result of extreme temperatures driving up the use of winter fuel oil and summer electricity demand.

The installation of more efficient chillers, which provide cooling, in 2013 and 2018 at the central utility plant kept electricity demand higher.

The report indicated that the Climate Resilience Report issued by the National Institute for Health and Environmental Safety in May 2018 was the first report of its kind at the National Institutes of Health. The report’s planning team assessed vulnerabilities to extreme changes in weather and climate, enabling the NIEHS to adapt.

“NIEHS continues to face a significant challenge in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Woychik said. “We must look for every opportunity to reduce our energy consumption and switch to renewable energy.”

to go forward

Woechek highlighted the action items necessary for future sustainability gains.

• Increase data center modernization to reduce power requirements.
• Add fleet electric vehicles to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
• Condensate capture and reuse system installed to reduce water demand.

Overall, the report reflects the unique sustainability challenges facing the lead environmental institute at the National Institutes of Health.

“Biomedical research is resource and energy intensive. We know we face environmental challenges even when we try to find environmental solutions,” Johnson said. “This report says: This is what we do about it.”

(John Yewell is a contract writer for the NIEHS Office of Communications and Public Liaison.)

Data from the NZE repository revealed a surplus large enough to run two average homes for a year. (Image credits to NIEHS)

from San Jose News Bulletin https://sjnewsbulletin.com/environmental-factor-february-2020-sustainability-report-reports-progress-in-reducing-waste-and-energy-use/