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Penn Green Labs Program

Description

The Green Labs Program at Penn supports safer and more sustainable laboratory practices by educating and empowering lab staff to adopt best practices in research spaces. The program is collaboratively supported by the Office of Environmental Health and Radiation Safety (EHRS) and the Penn Sustainability Office.

Penn has more than 676 laboratories across over 30 buildings, with a growing research footprint in areas including Chemistry, Engineering, and Medicine. These spaces present significant opportunities to improve laboratory safety, reduce waste, conserve energy, and make research operations more sustainable.

Green Labs Resources and Programs

The Green Labs Program provides support and resources related to:

  • Ultra-Low Temperature Freezer Program
  • Penn Freezer Challenge
  • Reusable Sharps Container Program
  • Lab Supplies Reuse and Donation Program — Supports the redistribution of eligible surplus laboratory supplies and equipment to other Penn labs, student organizations, and Philadelphia public schools.
  • Surplus Property Listserv — Provides Penn faculty and staff with a space to offer or request surplus items, share BEN’s Attic listings, and exchange information about surplus property management.
  • EHRS Chemical Inventory
  • Green Labs Working Group
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Surplus Property Listserv

Penn Sustainability’s Surplus Property Listserv helps faculty and staff connect around surplus property across the University.

The listserv may be used to:

  • Offer surplus items
  • Request specific items
  • Share BEN’s Attic listings
  • Ask questions or exchange information about surplus property management

To subscribe:

  • Email Noah Swistak at swistak@upenn.edu with your name and the names of anyone else you would like to add; or
  • Email LISTSERV@lists.upenn.edu with the following command in the message body:
    SUBscribe surplus-property Firstname Lastname

Example:
SUBscribe surplus-property John Smith

Related FAQs

How do I transfer equipment out of the United States?

An export license may be required to ship or hand-carry items or equipment out of the U.S. The need for a license is dependent upon the nature of the equipment, as well as the end-use, recipient, and destination of the equipment. Additionally, even temporary export of equipment to some locations may incur customs tax obligations. Due to complexities of the requirements you should consult the Office of Export Compliance for assistance regarding shipping or traveling with equipment internationally.

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