The future is source reduction
The Laboratory’s total potable water consumption for the fiscal year (FY) 2007 was about 335 million gallons. Total consumption for FY 2015 was about 262 million, saving 73 million gallons annually.
Developed more than 20 years ago at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Pollution Prevention (P2) program works to create a more sustainable Laboratory while also supporting the Lab’s mission.
Source reduction, or producing as little waste as possible by modifying the Lab’s daily activities, is the P2 team’s primary focus. The team also works to lessen waste by focusing on key areas such as spill prevention, education, green chemistry, sustainable purchasing, and working with generators to prevent unnecessary waste accumulation in the future. During the past year, this work has created a healthier, more sustainable Laboratory and has reduced operating costs by $3.4 million.
When the P2 team stepped back and ran the numbers for 2015, it was able to list the following accomplishments:
- Reusing more than 3,000 pounds of computer hardware
- Recycling 1 million pounds of metal, 500 cubic meters of sediment, and hundreds of gas cylinders
- Preventing the use of corrosive and dangerous acids through green chemistry
- Enhancing the Laboratory’s battery recycling program
With such exciting accomplishments in 2015, the P2 team is looking toward challenges that can be addressed—and successfully met—in the future.
To learn more and to see other articles about how the Laboratory’s operations might impact Northern New Mexico, please check out the recently published Annual Site Environmental Report Summary, which details the Lab’s commitment to environmental programs.
