Dedicated to advancing sustainable laboratories globally.
I2SL Sustainable Laboratories
Awards Program
The mission of I2SL is to encourage resource efficiency and environmental sustainability in the planning, design, engineering, operation, and use of laboratories and related high-tech facilities. To keep pace with progress being made for sustainability in laboratory environments and scientific research, the I2SL Sustainable Laboratories Awards Program recognizes outstanding people, projects, and programs exhibiting innovative and exemplary achievements in sustainable laboratories. There are three distinct categories of recognition:
Please note the application deadline has been extended until midnight on Monday, April 15, 2024.
The competition recognizes cutting-edge sustainable laboratory leaders, innovation, and best practices that uphold I2SL’s reputation as the international organization for sustainable, safe, and efficient laboratories. An I2SL Sustainable Laboratories Award provides global recognition and credibility to awardees. Award winners are publicized internationally through the I2SL Annual Conference, I2SL chapters, the I2SL website, webinars, and I2SL’s communications and social media channels.
The I2SL Sustainable Laboratories Award application period is now open! Applications must adhere to the instructions below and are due no later than midnight on April 15, 2024. Applicants for the 2024 awards will be notified of their status in mid-summer 2024. Winners will be recognized at an Awards Luncheon during the I2SL Annual Conference and Technology Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 1 and have the opportunity for future speaking events. If you would like to verify that your nomination was received, email info@i2sl.org. Before submitting an application, make sure all parties (e.g., engineers, architects, lab managers, owners) have provided input and reviewed application materials. If you are applying on behalf of another organization, please inform them of their nomination and ensure they have the opportunity to review their application beforehand.
Phil Wirdzek Leadership Award
Phil Wirdzek, I2SL’s late founder, was a dedicated leader in the sustainable lab community. Phil was not only passionate about advancing sustainability and efficiency in labs, but also connecting and uplifting other leaders in the community. Phil recognized that progress is a group effort and always welcomed ideas and feedback from others. This award will recognize outstanding individuals or teams or organizations within the I2SL community that are champions of I2SL’s goals and mission and embody the same spirit as Phil. Nominations should describe how the individual(s) have taken action to improve sustainable laboratory design, sustainability within laboratories and scientific research, the resulting impacts, and any steps taken to broaden the reach and impact of the effort. Nominated leaders can focus on any of a variety of sustainability topics, including resource efficiency, building performance, social equity and justice, resiliency, safety, decarbonization, green labs, best practices, and more. The application should also include how nominees personify Phil’s team-building spirit and dedication to growing the broader sustainable lab community, not just a program, profession, or campus.
Nominations should include any results from individual or team efforts and can include testimonials from colleagues, descriptions of relevant awards, and other evidence of the nominee's efforts to make and inspire others to make laboratory and other high-tech facilities more sustainable. Entries shall be limited to no more than 5 total pages and should be submitted in English in Word or PDF format in 12-point font in a file no larger than 20 MB. Applications are due by midnight on April 15, 2024. Entries should be emailed to info@i2sl.org with the subject line “2024 Award Application” and contact information of whomever should be contacted about your award status. If you are nominating someone anonymously, please make a note of that in your application submission.
Please note that if an application exceeds the allowed 5 pages, the additional pages will not be considered in the review process, with the exception of letters of reference, which should not exceed one page each.
Lab Buildings and Projects Award
Having the laboratory building as its primary focus, this Sustainable Laboratory Award category covers projects or buildings in any of the below categories:
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Adaptive Reuse
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Renovation/Retrofit
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New Construction
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Any combination of the above
In line with I2SL’s goal to help decarbonization the world’s laboratories, I2SL is especially interested in highlighting renovation and adaptive reuse projects for their lower carbon and environmental footprint. This is not an architectural or engineering design award, except to the extent that the design furthers the objectives mentioned below. Entries should describe those features and results that improved laboratory sustainability, including—but not limited to—the following criteria:
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Decarbonization
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Energy Efficiency and Renewables
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Water Efficiency and Reclamation
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Stormwater Management
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Waste Collection Infrastructure, Reduction, Recycling and Diversion
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Indoor Environmental/Air Quality Management
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Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
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Environmental Health and Safety
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Long-Term Financial Assurance and Cost-Effectiveness
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Resiliency
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Continuous Improvement
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Sustainable and Low-Carbon Building Materials
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Social Justice/Equity
Projects do not have to address all of the criteria above. If your project does not address all of the criteria above, please highlight the most applicable categories and include more detail to be considered by the judges. For example, a building developer might not be able to address O&M or specific efficiency measures, but they could incorporate resilience, stormwater management, or sustainable building materials. The evaluation panel may choose to give buildings or projects an award for excellence in one particular category or more. Projects that can address many or all of the criteria will be considered for an overall Lab Buildings and Projects Award. Entries can include written descriptions of the project goals and features; tables of information; photographs; links to videos; energy/water usage and cost savings data; benchmarking results; economic and life cycle analyses; testimonials; descriptions of relevant certifications or awards the project has received; and any other information that the entrant believes will help the judges evaluate projects’ efforts to make the laboratory more sustainable.
The entries will be evaluated by a jury of lab architecture, engineering, and construction industry experts. Depending on the quality of the entries, the judges may award first place award(s) and excellence awards for projects that demonstrate particular success in one of the criteria listed above, whether they be in Adaptive Reuse, Renovation/Retrofit, New Construction, or a combination of these categories. The judges can also decide that no award be given in a category if the entries are not of sufficient quality. Entries must have been substantially completed and operational for at least one year preceding the competition year entry date and cannot be more than five years old.
Winning entrants will be encouraged to submit a short case study (see examples on the I2SL website at https://www.i2sl.org/case-studies) of their project for posting and recognition on the I2SL website. Winners will also be encouraged to submit case studies for presentation at I2SL’s Annual Conference, as well as presenting their project as an I2SL webinar or inclusion in an I2SL Best Practice Guide.
Applications are due by midnight on April 15, 2024. Entries should be submitted in English in a Word or PDF file with a maximum of 12 pages, 8.5x11-inch page size, 12-point font, and no greater than 20 MB in size. Entries should be emailed to info@i2sl.org with the subject line “2024 Award Application” and contact information of whomever should be contacted about your award status. Contact information for both the project designer, engineer, or builder submitting the project and a representative of the owner of the facility should be included in the body of the application, for the purposes of coordinating on the acceptance of any award or future speaking opportunity or promotion of the project. Before submitting an application, make sure all parties (e.g., engineers, architects, lab managers, owners) have provided input and reviewed application materials. If you are applying on behalf of another organization, please inform them of their nomination and ensure they have the opportunity to review their application beforehand.
Please note that if an application exceeds the allowed 12 pages, the additional pages will not be considered in the review process.
Lab Programs and Initiatives
These awards will recognize outstanding laboratory sustainability programs or initiatives, rather than the laboratory building itself. This award category focuses on the people, programs, and initiatives within the lab itself that improve or enhance sustainability; it does not recognize sustainable laboratory products or technologies. Entries can focus on one or all of the following aspects:
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Sustainable laboratory programs: Operations or initiatives that promote sustainable laboratory practices. This could range from one initiative in a green lab program to an entire green lab program, as long as it promotes the operational aspect(s) of running sustainable laboratories. For example, the application could highlight broad lab management practices implemented by labs that reduce, reuse, recycle, and/or compost waste that would otherwise be sent to landfills, or an initiative that focused on successfully reducing a particular type of hard-to-recycle waste.
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Systematic changes in your organization to promote a culture of sustainability across laboratory operations, (e.g., space utilization, shared equipment, scientist engagement, grant funding, or procurement process changes).
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Manufacturer or supplier initiatives, either within their own internal sustainability programs or in partnership with lab owners or customers, to eliminate waste, toxic materials, or packaging either upstream and/or downstream within the value chain, and promote a circular economy. Some examples include removing expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, starting a take-back program, or eliminating toxic materials in products or packaging. Please note that this does not include lab products or technologies. Applications from manufacturers or suppliers that promote a specific product or technology will not be considered.
The entries will be evaluated by a jury of experts in sustainable programs and initiatives; the panels will not review products or technologies from a lifecycle analysis perspective. Depending on the quality of the entries, the judges may award first place awards and multiple honorable mention awards. The judges may also decide that no award be given if the entries are not of sufficient quality. Projects and initiatives must have been substantially completed/continuing or in operation for at least one year preceding the competition year entry date.
Winning entrants will be encouraged to submit a short summary describing their program or initiative and provide any metrics and quantifiable results from sustainability efforts. In addition to having their description posted on the I2SL website, winners may be encouraged to submit abstracts for presentation at I2SL’s Annual Conference, present their entry as a Circular Economy for Labs Community of Practice webinar, or submit more information about the effort as an I2SL Best Practice Guide.
Applications are due by midnight on April 15, 2024. Entries should be submitted in English in a Word or PDF file with of maximum 5 pages, 8.5x11-inch page size, 12-point font, and no greater than 20 MB in size. Entries should be emailed to info@i2sl.org with the subject line “2024 Award Application” and contact information of whomever should be contacted about your award status. Please include contact information for the organization or lab that will accept any award on the winner’s behalf. Before submitting an application, make sure all parties (e.g., researchers, sustainability managers, lab owners/managers) have provided input and reviewed application materials. If you are applying on behalf of another organization, please inform them of their nomination and ensure they have the opportunity to review their application beforehand.
Please note that if an application exceeds the allowed 5 pages, the additional pages will not be considered in the review process.