Phil Wirdzek Leadership Award Winner Reflects on a Career in Green Labs

The Phil Wirdzek Leadership Award, named for the late founder of the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) and Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21), is a distinct honor given each year to an outstanding, inspirational professional involved in I2SL. Kathryn Ramirez-Aguilar, the 2024 winner, is a leading advocate for the sustainable science community. She created and manages the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) Green Labs Program, helped to establish the International Freezer Challenge, and continues to advance initiatives for efficient and sustainable research practices. Her ceaseless energy and passion for the green labs movement emulates Phil Wirdzek’s spirit and dedication.

Before Kathy founded the Green Labs Program at CU Boulder, she had earned her doctorate in chemistry and spent 15 years as a researcher. In 2009, Kathy saw an opportunity to start a green labs program at CU Boulder and wrote a proposal to the university’s Facilities Management department and Environmental Center, and the program officially started in July 2009. At the time, CU Boulder was already using I2SL best practice guides and expertise in the construction of their campus buildings.

According to Kathy, Phil Wirdzek excelled at letting people lead. She attended her first I2SL Annual Conference in 2010 and gathered others to approach Phil about increasing I2SL’s reach to university researchers. Kathy then worked with a group of green labs professionals to organize a session at the next I2SL conference, one of whom was Allen Doyle of the University of California Davis. Allen had the idea of creating a contest promoting energy efficiency and maintenance for lab cold storage, which Allen and Kathy implemented, then presented results at the 2011 conference.  

One of the contest tasks was to raise the temperature of ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers to -70°C from -80°C and document the energy savings. Kathy found several scientists on the CU Boulder campus who already had their ULT freezers at -70°C and began documenting sample types stored at -70 °C, with the idea of promoting this adjustment and gathering data. Once scientists heard other researchers had adopted these practices, there was more buy-in across campus. In 2015, inspired by growing university, agency, and private interest in the Freezer Challenge, Allen and Kathy proposed I2SL and My Green Lab work together to further develop the contest, which evolved into the International Freezer Challenge. Since the first official Freezer Challenge was held in 2011, it has grown to include over 3,100 labs participating in 2024.

From one conference session focused on green labs efforts in 2011 to a full green labs track now, I2SL interest in green labs continues to grow. One of the efforts that has helped to build and unify this community is the I2SL University Alliance Group (UAG) that Kathy, empowered by Phil, formed in 2014 and still chairs. Through open communication among universities and other nonprofit entities, the UAG shares best practices, collaborates, and explores strategies for system change.

Kathy’s contagious optimism and energy are apparent in her work with I2SL and beyond. She attends and speaks at research-related events, where she advocates for system changes needed for widespread, swift adoption of green lab principles and practices by the scientific community. One of the developments she is particularly excited about is the emerging initiatives by research funders across the globe to require sustainability and efficiency practices in laboratories that receive grants.

At the 2024 I2SL Annual Conference, Kathy spoke about the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice that was signed in April 2024. Signatories include six UK funding bodies, over 40 UK research institutions, and 20 supporters, including I2SL. Kathy notes that connecting research funding to sustainable lab practices and efficiency will incentivize researchers’ behaviors, affect facility decision-making, and spur operational change toward creating more efficient and sustainable institutions. This could lead to the establishment and growth of green lab programs and encourage other countries to follow in the UK’s footsteps. Just like Phil Wirdzek did with Labs for the 21st Century and I2SL, Kathy’s ceaseless dedication, optimism, and passion for efficient and sustainable research has helped to build the sustainable science movement and embodies the spirit of the Phil Wirdzek Leadership Award.