Green Office Spotlight:The GRASP Labs at PERCH and Levine Hall

What made you want to pursue the Green Office Certification?

When I started in January 2022, our Director, Charity, asked if I was interested in joining the SEAS Green Team, which seemed like fun. The Green Team encouraged labs in SEAS to complete the Green Office Certification, and I thought it would be a great way to show our commitment.

What was your experience like?

Thankfully, we had a lot of support from the SEAS Green Team. They walked us through what we could already check off and what we could work on at the different labs. They also helped determine whether we should do a Green Labs Certification or a Green Office Certification; we learned we should be Green Office, because we’re a dry lab. When working through it, I had a lot of lightbulb moments, like understanding why we had a shared box for scrap paper and printed on both sides.

What was a challenge you faced, and how did you overcome it?

We realized that we couldn’t commit to all of the electrical focuses. As a machine-learning/deep-learning lab, we have significant computational needs. For example, one of the requirements was to power down machines at night, which we couldn’t do. Also, many of the checkpoints are building requirements we couldn’t personally address, such as changing lighting usage. However, we worked within our bounds and did what we could. And we are working to integrate our computational aspects into a group cluster, to improve electrical usage.

What, in your opinion, has had the most noticeable impact?

The K-Cycle program has been really helpful for reducing that type of waste. We also stopped supplying cups, because we’ve given staff so much cup swag that we encourage them to use! We just keep some eco-friendly cups on hand from WB Mason for visitors. We also don’t purchase our owns forks and spoons, we use leftovers from catering.

What advice do you have for other offices who want to pursue the Green Office Certification?

(1) Within SEAS, reach out to the Green Team. They were instrumental. We had two meetings, and they walked us through every question on the list. For example, we didn’t know about water- versus oil-based ink for printers, and they helped. The Green Team also reached out to Penn Sustainability for clarification on some questions. If you’re not in SEAS, reach out to your building administrations, who can help you understand what’s possible.

(2) Check out the checklist. It’s easier than you think! See what you’re already doing, and if there are little changes you can make that you didn’t think of, then grow and expand from there. You can start with Level One certification. You might also realize how much you’re already doing and recognize your own impact!