[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” fullwidth=”on” next_background_color=”#000000″ global_module=”322″][et_pb_fullwidth_menu global_parent=”322″ _builder_version=”3.0.106″ menu_id=”7″ submenu_direction=”downwards” fullwidth_menu=”off” background_layout=”dark” module_class=”main-navigation” \/][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”off” specialty=”on” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#1d1d1d”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ specialty_columns=”2″][et_pb_row_inner locked=”off”][et_pb_column_inner type=”4_4″ saved_specialty_column_type=”2_3″][et_pb_post_title _builder_version=”3.0.106″ title=”on” meta=”on” author=”on” date=”on” categories=”on” comments=”on” featured_image=”on” featured_placement=”above” text_color=”dark” text_background=”off” locked=”on” parent_locked=”off” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_layout=”light” parent_locked=”off”]<\/p>\n
The\u00a0<\/span>Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is a sustainability programme helping labs reduce their environmental impact without compromising research quality. Labs can earn\u00a0Bronze, Silver or Gold\u00a0awards by meeting criteria across areas like waste, recycling, water,\u00a0equipment\u00a0and research quality. As of early 2026,\u00a0nearly all\u00a0labs in\u00a0<\/span>the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health (FBMH) are LEAF-certified, supporting the University-wide\u00a0<\/span>Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2023<\/span>\u2013<\/span>28.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Faculty\u2019s Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) also play a key role as LEAF auditors.\u00a0They\u00a0help labs receive LEAF awards\u00a0by\u00a0visiting labs in person,\u00a0verifying their\u00a0submissions\u00a0and assessing whether they meet the award criteria.\u00a0Many GTAs are also LEAF Champions, helping promote\u00a0sustainable practices and sharing ideas across the\u00a0Faculty.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Two of our\u00a0LEAF Lead Auditors\u00a0shared their experiences through short excerpts below.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Before I\u00a0knew about\u00a0LEAF,\u00a0the weight of\u00a0being \u201cenvironmentally sustainable\u201d\u00a0was\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0individual. This\u00a0felt huge, amorphous, and unobtainable, especially as a lab-based researcher.\u00a0My PhD is in environmental\u00a0radiochemistry,\u00a0and\u00a0as\u00a0I was already spending 40 hrs a week doing my best for the environment, it was hard to\u00a0elect\u00a0to engage outside of that.\u00a0I heard about LEAF as an opportunity to make\u00a0some\u00a0income as a GTA, where\u00a0I could be trained to audit labs for LEAF awards.\u00a0Could\u00a0the weight of climate change be shifted into incentivised and achievable goals?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I took the leap,\u00a0trained as an\u00a0auditor\u00a0and\u00a0got to visit dozens of labs\u00a0in Biology,\u00a0the field of my\u00a0undergrad\u00a0studies. I\u00a0joined\u00a0a positive feedback loop of encouraging those\u00a0taking\u00a0action\u00a0and\u00a0experiencing their joy in return.\u00a0I got to learn about what my peers were\u00a0implementing and\u00a0see a lot of ingenuity\u00a0I\u2019d\u00a0never thought\u00a0of myself.\u00a0I could see how others lived\u00a0sustainability,\u00a0and\u00a0as a nerd,\u00a0this was very enjoyable.\u00a0Suddenly, sustainability\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0feel like the weight of reading\u00a0bad news;\u00a0now,\u00a0it felt like\u00a0a\u00a0friendly\u00a0conversation and\u00a0new ideas,\u00a0and\u00a0it felt like financial stability for me.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After every audit I return\u00a0to\u00a0my own lab\u00a0for conversations around sustainability. We have\u00a0a big research\u00a0group of\u00a0maybe 30\u00a0PhD students across a series of labs.\u00a0Instead of the conversations starting with \u201cyou should really\u2026\u201d they were instead starting with \u201cdid you know\u2026\u201d\u00a0or \u201chave you heard\u2026\u201d.\u00a0The ideas of sustainability in the lab\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0coming as an instruction but instead\u00a0as\u00a0an idea\u00a0through\u00a0open\u00a0conversations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My attitude has changed for the better, and this is encouraging for those around me.\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0also realised how much we personally\u00a0benefit\u00a0from LEAF, from\u00a0PhD students\u00a0right up to PIs\u00a0and University level.\u00a0Saving time and money has never felt like a chore,\u00a0I just\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0know I could link it with my 6R habits!\u00a0Peer-to-peer support is a pillar of scientific research, and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a pleasure to be involved in this so early in my\u00a0career and\u00a0makes me feel valued.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As a\u00a0PhD student,\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0at the beginning of my career\u00a0in research, so\u00a0I\u00a0may have 40 years ahead of me. The practices\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0learned from LEAF will remain with me\u00a0throughout.\u00a0I can take these practices\u00a0with me to industry, as my PhD is\u00a0closely linked\u00a0with our nuclear industry as part of a large \u201ctraining conveyor-belt\u201d.\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0learned how to\u00a0cultivate a positive attitude towards sustainability, which I hope to share with\u00a0those\u00a0I\u2019ll\u00a0mentor in my career.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve\u00a0always been concerned about the amount of waste produced in laboratories, but I also understood that much of it is often necessary.\u00a0I wanted to become a LEAF auditor to see how other labs tackled this difficult balance between scientific rigor and sustainability.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Through auditing,\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0found myself thinking more critically about sustainability in everyday life too,\u00a0often asking whether something can be reused or repurposed.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One of the most rewarding parts of the role has been meeting passionate LEAF Champions and learning about their research out of sheer curiosity.\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0also started to ask more practical questions in my own work, such as \u2018can this be simplified?\u2019 or \u2018how pure does this realistically need to be?\u2019,\u00a0often drawing inspiration directly from the labs\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0audited.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To find\u00a0out\u00a0more about LEAF, LEAF Champions, and gaining accreditations for your lab group or space,\u00a0visit the\u00a0University’s\u00a0new\u00a0<\/span>LEAF SharePoint Site<\/span><\/a>, which includes\u00a0full\u00a0award criteria, step-by-step guides to starting your LEAF journey, case studies and more.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you would like to become a LEAF Champion for your group or lab space, please complete this\u00a0<\/span>registration form<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you are interested in becoming a LEAF\u00a0auditor, please contact\u00a0the\u00a0Faculty\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Social Responsibility Team<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Related blogs:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To find out more about Environmental Sustainability: visit the Faculty\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>intranet page<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>website<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or contact\u00a0<\/span>srbmh@manchester.ac.uk<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to sign up to\u00a0our\u00a0<\/span>ES Good Newsletter<\/span><\/a>. For more information on Environmental Sustainability at the University watch this\u00a0<\/span>short film<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or visit\u00a0our\u00a0<\/span>website<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_post_nav _builder_version=”3.0.106″ in_same_term=”off” show_prev=”on” show_next=”on” prev_text=”Previous” next_text=”Next” locked=”on” parent_locked=”off” \/][et_pb_comments _builder_version=”3.0.106″ show_avatar=”on” show_reply=”on” show_count=”on” background_layout=”light” header_font_size_tablet=”51″ header_line_height_tablet=”2″ custom_button=”on” button_icon_placement=”right” button_text_color=”#ffffff” button_use_icon=”off” locked=”on” parent_locked=”off” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_size__hover=”null” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover=”null” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover=”null” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover=”null” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover=”null” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover=”null” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover=”null” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover=”null” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover=”null” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover=”null” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover=”null” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover=”null” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover=”null” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover=”null” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover=”null” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover=”null” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover=”null” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover=”null” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Related posts” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light” locked=”on” parent_locked=”off”]<\/p>\nOur\u00a0LEAF\u00a0auditors<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
What does it mean to me to be a LEAF auditor?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Excerpt\u00a0by Lea Shaughnessy<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n
Jeremy Dejardin\u2019s perspective<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n
Want to get involved?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Additional\u00a0information<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
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