The Medical School is now the second school to achieve Gold Certification with the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) in 100% of its laboratories. This follows on from the Veterinary School achieving Gold in August 2023.
LEAF is a certification scheme, developed by UCL, that aims to improve sustainability and efficiency in labs in a range of areas including waste and chemical management, procurement, equipment efficiency and many others. The Sustainability Team has set a goal to reach 100% Silver LEAF certification across all 900+ University labs in 2024.
Professor Chrissie Thirlwell, Head of School, said “I am absolutely delighted that the Medical School has achieved 100% Gold LEAF status. This really reflects the hard work and commitment that the Technical and lab staff and the wider sustainability team have demonstrated in order to work towards Net Zero 2030 and beyond.”
Bristol Medical School has a longstanding history of integrating sustainable practices within their research. In 2020 and 2022 labs within Bristol Medical School won their respective categories in the Freezer Challenge, saving an estimated 548 kWh/day and 243 kWh/day, respectively. The School has also been making significant headway on their Climate Action Plan and have appointed a number of individuals who are working to implement sustainable operations in several areas of sustainability including travel, education, green spaces, labs, offices, computing and research.
The School would like to thank its Technical Teams and lab users in Southmead Learning & Research, Oakfield House, Dorothy Hodgkin and Level 7 BRI buildings who were instrumental in achieving the 100% Gold Certification.