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​​​NIH Recipients of an FY2022 HHS Green Champion Award​​​

Recipients from the NIH earned 13 Green Champion awards for their efforts during FY2022. This is almost double the 7 awards for NIH staff from the FY2021 Green Champion awards. The awards for FY2022 come from many categories, such as Sustainable Acquisitions, Electronic Stewardship, Energy & Fleet Management, Environmental Stewardship and Climate Resilience & Health Equity. Please take a moment to read about the many green projects from the NIH!

SUSTAINABLE ACQUISITIONS

NIH NIDDK Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology (LCDB) Sustainable Workplace Engagement

Scientists and staff within the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology (LCDB) were able to reduce the amount of single-use plastic generated, energy consumed and budget expenses by purchasing a CellDrop Automated Cell Counter from DeNovix to replace a traditional cell counter that used costly disposable slides.

Many laboratory practices involve single-use products to avoid concerns of contamination and research integrity, which has limited lab staff seeking to lessen the environmental footprint of their lab's operations. The LCDB successfully overcame this challenge through extensive product review and operation trials to determine the best equipment for their research responsibilities. The LCDB has also championed outreach efforts to educate other lab staff at NIH to support the adoption of sustainable lab practices and products.

In addition, all four sections of the LCDB participated in the 2022 NIH Green Labs Program (GLP), which is the most representation from a laboratory in the program's history. The Section on Regulatory RNAs (ribonucleic acid), the Molecular Mechanisms of Development Section, the Mammalian Developmental Biology Section, and the Gene Regulation and Development Section all received Gold Level GLP certification, awarded only to labs practicing a minimum of 25 sustainable practices. The LCDB also participated in the 2022 NIH Freezer Challenge, completing initiatives for lab grade freezers and refrigerators to increase reliability and reduce energy consumption, operating costs and GHG emissions.

CHANGE AGENTS

Timothy (Ty) Adkins

The NIH Office of Research Facilities, Division of Environmental Protection (DEP), manages hazardous waste, solid waste and recycling operations for the Bethesda, Maryland campus. This includes waste management for a large quantity generator that supports research laboratories across the 27 Institutes and Centers, the NIH Clinical Center and a treatment disposal and storage facility.

Timothy (Ty) Adkins gathered data from the entire waste management operations and built a Power BI (business intelligence) portfolio to convert all waste management data and reports into Power BI data analytics. These reports feature data visualizations and dashboards allowing for quick and easy communication across multiple stakeholders. The Power BI Desktop allows DEP to collect, prepare, analyze and visualize data all in one place, ultimately improving the ability to make environmental and compliance decisions.

During FY 2022, Mr. Adkins established a portfolio of over 50 data sets and converted them to Power BI dashboards. This new data collection allows managers to obtain very specific operational factors to drive decisions and interventions to improve waste management services and recycling strategies. His work with Power Bl has significantly advanced waste management operations at all levels and will impact the way waste operations are approached at NIH for the foreseeable future.

NIH Property Process Automation

Willie Davis, Waquita Smith, Jessica Cullen, Margaret Straubinger, Edom Seifu

The NIH Division of Logistic Services (DLS), Property Management Branch (PMB) created the Report of Survey Tracking System (ROSTS) to automate all Report of Survey (HHS-342) forms, significantly reducing the amount of paper used for manually generated and processed Personal Property Forms.

The previous process was not in compliance with HHS Personal Property and Green Policies, generated paper waste, human error and was labor intensive. The team worked with automation partners to re-engineer and transform the end-to-end processing of Personal Property Forms while ensuring environmental sustainability and operational efficiency were incorporated. The team also completed testing of process automation of the NIH Loans Program for Domestic Loans, Foreign Loans, and Foreign Donations.

The automation of the NIH Report of Survey Process prevented over 1,000 pounds of paper waste as well as the prevention of ink and toner cartridge disposal with more than 400 assets processed during FY 2022, using ROSTS. The benefits from this automated system include a 33% increase in efficiency in the overall forms processing, an increase in administrative efficiency and accuracy, a centralized asset tracking to improve monitoring, reporting and accountability for NIH property, and an increase in administrate efficiencies.

ELECTRONIC STEWARDSHIP

NIH NIEHS Database of Laboratory Equipment for Sharing (DOLES)

Raja Jothi, Ph.D., Kevin Gerrish, Ph. D, David C. Fargo, Ph.D., Cheryl Thompson, Joseph D. Poccia, Justin P. Kosak, Stephanie L. Bishop, Kenneth T. Webb, Tina Berger, Steven R. McCaw

Shared use of existing research laboratory equipment offers significant energy, environmental, operational and research-related benefits. To facilitate timely sharing of equipment between laboratories, the NIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) developed the Database of Laboratory Equipment for Sharing (DOLES), an intranet-hosted searchable collection.

Staff can access a wide range of over 100 different equipment types, from centrifuges to DNA sequencers, to microscopes, to pipetting robots. DOLES is the result of cross-institute collaboration between the scientific community, digital designers, web developers and photographers. Since its inception in June of 2022, the database has accumulated over 600 page views. The shared use of existing equipment has reinforced collaboration between laboratories.

ENERGY AND FLEET MANAGEMENT

NIH's Lean and Clean Fleet

Mark Minnick, James Lewis, John Cheatham, Terrance Coates, Michael Jones, Matthew Fortier, Michelle Milligan

In FY 2022, the NIH Fleet Management Section (FMS) met and exceeded targets set by executive orders and the HHS Sustainability Implementation Plan. Each year, the NIH fleet of 319 covered vehicles becomes more energy efficient, having reached a vehicle fuel type breakdown of 55% E85, 22% B20, 15% regular gas, 5% hybrid, and 3% electric.

Through its ambitious clean energy acquisition strategy, the FMS achieved a 100% electric hybrid acquisition rate again in 2022, and purchased six new electric motorcycles to offset gasoline use for non-reportable emergency police department vehicles. In FY 2022, the NIH fleet surpassed the HHS and federal averages for alternative fuel purchases, achieving a total average of 64% for the 12-month period.

The FMS has currently installed four electric vehicle charging stations and planning for three additional stations began in FY 2022. Also in FY 2022, the NIH Transportation Management Branch began modernizing its fleet management program evaluation capabilities by developing innovative advanced data visualization dashboards using business intelligence tools. This allows the NIH Fleet Manager to derive meaningful findings from the overall data.

NIH NIEHS Decarbonization Assessment

Kerri Hartung, Paul Johnson, Steve Novak, Bill Steinmetz, Alexander Santago, Kyle Askins, Bill Blair, Ben Hocutt, Lee Howell, Greg Leifer

As part of the Resilient-Renewable (R2) NIEHS Initiative, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) completed a Decarbonization Assessment (DA), the first of its kind for the NIH. R2 NIEHS is a holistic approach adopted by the Institute in 2021, to make NIEHS more energy efficient and resilient while lowering carbon emissions.

The first step in the initiative was achieving a net-zero energy-renewable energy certificate designation, powering facility operations with the equivalent of 100% percent renewable resources. The next step was to complete the DA, which evaluated both energy supply-side and demand-side strategies for campus decarbonization. Strategies included better energy efficiency, climate-ready new construction, system heat recovery, electrification of the Central Utility Plant, onsite renewable energy generation and offsite renewable energy procurement.

In addition, information from the DA was used to develop a Utility Energy Services Contract Preliminary Assessment, as well as design considerations for a proposed new Computational and Clinical Sciences Building. The DA provides a foundation to delve deeper into the feasibility of specific strategies, plan for future revitalization of the main research facility on campus and build a decarbonization approach for the institute that aligns with the goals of Executive Order 14057.

NIH Freezer Challenge

Energy intensive laboratory freezers and refrigerators are used throughout the NIH to store samples, vaccines, pharmaceuticals and reagents required for medical research and treatments. Energy use, costs, and emissions for one older unmaintained Ultra-Low Temperature (ULT) freezer can amount to 14,000 kWh (kilowatt hour), $1,500 and 9.9 MTCO2e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) annually.

There are over 5,000 laboratory freezers and refrigerators in service at the NIH and the total energy consumption, costs and emissions are significant. The NIH Freezer Policy establishes the requirements for freezer management at the NIH. The NIH Freezer Challenge goes beyond the requirements of the freezer policy to further increase freezer and refrigerator reliability and reduce energy consumption. The NIH held its fourth challenge from January 1 to May 15 of 2022. Labs were challenged to adopt one or more initiatives from a set of freezer and refrigerator management techniques.

There were 19 participants from nine Institutes and Centers that participated in the 2022 challenge. Their efforts in this challenge will annually save approximately 258,238 kWh, 190 MTCO2e and $25,536. The NIH submitted these results to the International Freezer Challenge and the Ostrander Laboratory from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) won the 2022 I2SL Freezer Challenge in the individual government laboratory category.

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Brandi McCoy Williamson

In FY 2022, Brandi McCoy Williamson made tremendous progress in creating a more sustainable research environment at Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML), part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in Hamilton, Montana. As a microbiologist in a laboratory that was involved in developing treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, she invested significant time and effort into making her lab, and others at RML, more sustainable.

Due to the laboratory's remote location, facility-provided recycling opportunities are limited to paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum and #1 plastic. Therefore, the main waste products created in the lab are not recyclable on-site. As lab manager, Ms. Williamson signed up for the NIH Green Labs Program in 2020, one of 10 NIAID labs involved in the program. Her first action item was to reduce energy consumption by ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers.

She gathered data about sample viability and integrity and determined that the quality of samples in storage would be identical when set to -70 degrees Celsius, but energy consumption would be reduced by 30% while increasing the life span of the ULT freezer. Ms. Williamson also reduced the use of single-use plastics, changed to vendors that used recycled plastics when plastic purchases could not be avoided, and identified vendors that provided a 'take-back' program for their recyclable packaging materials. Furthermore, she educated and trained everyone in the lab to switch off equipment and lights at the end of the day. Her efforts save thousands of dollars in energy costs and lead to significant reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually.

Mansi Mehta

In September 2022, the Maryland Department of the Environment published a regulatory proposal to establish new regulations that would implement new food residuals diversion requirements under Maryland law. Mansi Mehta spearheaded coordination efforts to establish a partnership between the NIH Division of Environmental Protection and Montgomery County to implement a pre-consumer food scrap recycling pilot at several NIH cafeterias.

Since the start of collection service, NIH has set out, on average, up to two 35-gallon carts on each collection day. In FY 2022, NIH diverted a total of 10.6 tons of food scraps. The food scraps are collected and transported to an organics recycling processing facility where they are processed into a beneficial soil amendment. The NIH food composting pilot program was so successful that Ms. Mehta identified strategies to expand the program to other cafeterias on campus. The NIH program is part of the larger Environmental Stewardship Initiative. The benefits of Mansi's efforts include saving landfill space, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions, supporting sustainable agriculture, conserving water and improving soil quality.

NIH Recycling and Reutilization of Excess Property

Willie Davis, Christopher J. Batzel, Jr., Javier Arce-Colon, Kimarlo Burke, Michael Turner, Dawin Rodriguez

The NIH Property Reutilization and Disposal Section (PRDS) of the Division of Logistics Services, Property Management Branch manages excess property collected from the 27 Institutes and Centers of the NIH.

With service to over 100 buildings, the PRDS team processes an average of more than 3,000 excess transactions each month. The PRDS mission is to support the NIH community by extending the lifecycle of property and maximizing its usefulness before disposal. To help fulfil its mission, PRDS launched a Personal Electronic Equipment Recycling (PEER) Program.

Once items are accepted, they are responsibly disposed of through a GSA-approved recycling contractor. Since the inception of this program, NIH has successfully recycled over 6,500 pounds of personal electronic equipment. The NIH Excess Property Management Catalog was also developed to optimize NIH property equipment availability and increase visibility of surplus government property for reutilization and increased property lifecycle.

The catalog is web-based, user-friendly and saves valuable administrative resources and time by providing a virtual shopping experience and access to available excess property. The investment in this automation process was $189,000, and in 2022, catalog use exceeded $65 million of total property reutilization and redeployments to NIH and other government agencies.

NIH NIEHS Campus Bottle Filler Installation

Marcos Flores, Derrick Vest, Eric Frails, Barry Yancey, Fred Schwartz, Steven Todd Johnson, Greg Westmoreland, Kerri Hartung, Arrash Yazdani

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Office of Research Facilities (ORF) collaborated with the Health and Safety Branch (HSB) to replace dated water fountains with 43 modern bottle fillers. The goal was to reduce single-use plastics on campus, improve the health of staff, provide filtered drinking water and increase employee satisfaction.

The age of the building and specifics of the construction created significant challenges and required a substantial amount of planning and engineering for some locations. In addition to the primary project goals of waste diversion and employee health, the new bottle fillers will require less maintenance over time. They are more easily accessible and can be maintained using fewer government resources than the prior aging fountains.

The reduction in plastic waste is substantial for an Institute with almost 2,000 staff members. These reductions help NIEHS lower its carbon footprint by lowering the amount of waste generated and reducing the number of visits needed from vendors and waste disposal vehicles. The bottle fillers include built-in meters that display the total number of bottle fills, which provides a highly visible reminder of the NIEHS commitment to sustainability.

WATER USE EFFICIENCY AND MANAGEMENT

Mark Miller

Mark Miller, of the NIH Division of Environmental Protection (DEP), Environmental Compliance Branch (ECB), has been a leader in the strengthening of sustainable water use management best practices throughout NIH operations.

In FY 2022, routine monitoring and reporting duties were challenged by the increased demand for construction and decommissioning. Mr. Miller provided exemplary water use management through coordinated efforts with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, Maryland Department of the Environment, Environmental Protection Agency and the construction and supporting staff.

Water contamination prevention was prioritized to ensure full utilization of water resources and protection of the surrounding community. Stormwater pollution prevention training was provided for various NIH projects to ensure that all requirements were understood. Site inspections were also conducted to assess compliance and support the handling of any corrective action needed.

Decommissioning efforts resulted in 100 completed projects and $4.9 million spent to mitigate hazardous materials associated with these projects, preventing contamination of water sources. Wastewater sampling was also continuously monitored on the Bethesda campus to facilitate timely remediation of potential hazards to water quality. Mr. Miller's commitment to safeguarding the environment is further reflected through the annual Earth Day Seedling Giveaway, where 150 Eastern Redbud and 150 Black Cherry seedlings were distributed, educating staff and spreading environmental improvements beyond campus.

CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND HEALTH EQUITY

NIH-wide Climate Change and Health Initiative

The new NIH Climate and Health Initiative (CCHI) is spearheaded by the NIH Climate Change and Health Working Group (CCHWG) under the leadership of seven NIH Institute Directors. The initiative's purpose is to assist in the nation's capacity to better address the health impacts of climate change and extreme weather events, especially focused on the most vulnerable populations.

The goals of the CCHI are to reduce health threats across the lifespan and build health resilience in individuals, communities and nations around the world, especially among those at highest risk. This new and rapidly evolving working group, consisting of over 140 members from 23 NIH Institutes and Offices, has devoted extensive time and energy to advance the NIH's collective vision and efforts in responding to Executive Order 14008 and other ongoing calls by HHS and the nation's leaders.

The CCHWG developed the NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative Strategic Framework, which clearly delineates NIH's commitment to furthering health effects research, health equity, training and capacity building, and intervention science. Accomplishments for 2022 include: a portfolio analysis of NIH's climate and health research investments; hosting of a series of webinars viewed by over 2,000 people; the development of a new Climate and Health Scholars Program; and a new project to advance data integration focused on wildfires through the HHS Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund Program.

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Sea Level Rise Sea level rise is one of the significant impacts caused by climate change. Why exactly is the sea level rising and how could this affect the NIH? LEA​RN MORE​​​​

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​Benefits of Planting Your Earth Day Seedlings​ ​ ​If you attended the Earth Day event at the Bethesda Campus back in late April, you may have gotten one of the 400 Northern Red Oak or Norway Spruce seedlings from our seedling giveaway. Despite their small size, your seedling will make a big impact over its lifetime. LEARN MORE​

NEMS Training                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Did you know? The increased frequency and intensity of flooding due to sea level rise is a threat to continuity of operations at the NIH. To learn more about climate change and its impact on the NIH​​​, please visit the NEMS Training webpage to view a short (20 minute) NIH environmental awareness training video.