I2SL’s UK Chapter: Building Momentum in Great Britain

For lab owners, operators, designers, engineers, and users in the United Kingdom (UK), sustainability has long been a priority, through organizations such as SLabs and the UK Science Park Association (UKSPA). This spring, UK sustainable lab advocates took it a step further, officially forming the I2SL UK Chapter. According to Phil Macdonald of Oberlanders Architects, who is a newly appointed member of the I2SL Headquarters Board of Directors, “The UK Chapter was founded to provide a forum focused predominantly on facilities for science, specifically focused on energy performance and carbon reduction.”

The I2SL UK Chapter’s vision, as Phil described during I2SL’s virtual Education Week in April, is to be a global leader and go-to resource connecting sustainable lab stakeholders in the UK and providing information to promote safe, sustainable laboratory design, operation, and use. Phil said the chapter plans to promote the I2SL Labs2Zero program and encourage more UK labs to enter data into the Lab Benchmarking Tool (LBT) as well. Over 100 organizations have expressed their interest in becoming founding members of the chapter and supporting its day-to-day operations.

I2SL’s UK Chapter held a soft launch event in April featuring presentations and networking with founding members. In June, Lab2Zero Program Director Alison Farmer led a workshop with the chapter in London where attendees received hands-on training on I2SL’s LBT and a preview version of the Actionable Insights and Measures (AIM) Report. In September, the chapter will hold a formal launch party in London. “A lot of our early activity has been focused around London, but there will be a big push to get our message out into the regions [of the UK] as early as possible,” Phil said.

A research and technical group has formed within the UK Chapter to conduct publication reviews; engage with external bodies such as the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard; define science and technical sub-sectors; and develop metering and measurement guidance. “The whole reason we wanted to promote I2SL in the UK was very much in the spirit of avoiding duplication,” Phil said. “We’ll find where there are opportunities to learn from one another and add value.” Phil expressed the UK Chapter’s interest in learning from other I2SL chapters and having members attend various forums and events across the UK to promote chapter membership.

If you are interested in getting involved in the UK chapter, email uk-chapter@i2sl.org.