Two other organizations that could prove useful for creating a laboratory's environmental sustainability plan are:
International Organization for Standardization, more commonly known as ISO 14000, is an international family of standards that promotes effective environmental management systems in organizations.21 It includes the ISO 14001 voluntary standard, which can be used to design and implement an effective environmental management system. The newer version focuses on the improvement of environmental performance, rather than just the improvement of the management system itself. Much of the information is directed at companies that make products, but some helpful information may be gleaned by those involved in laboratory operations.
Hospital Energy Alliance (HEA) is a domestic organization of the US Department of Energy (DOE). It is directed at hospitals rather than clinical labs specifically, but membership in this organization can benefit clinical labs based in hospitals. According to the description, it "empowers members to realize unprecedented energy savings - and energy-related cost savings."22(page 1) Encouraging each hospital to join this alliance could benefit the energy component of your specific lab as well.
