鈥淕rowth of the MBLmust be done in a way that is consistent with the local environment and sensitive to the Woods Hole community while being committed to the overall environment and sustainable business practices.鈥 鈥 MBLShared Beliefs

Initiatives

  • Electric Vehicles - The MBLoffers a dual pedestal Blink Charging Station located in the Swope Parking Lot on Millfield Street for its employees and affiliates who have electric vehicles.
  • Recycling - Carbon footprints, sustainability, a green way of thinking鈥攖hese are all 21st century ideas that have now become household catchphrases. We all know that recyclables can cut your overall carbon footprint and increase efficiency. But for some companies, knowing what is and isn鈥檛 recyclable is still murky territory, even today.
  • Nitrogen and Carbon Footprint Tracking - The MBLhas been calculating and tracking its carbon and nitrogen footprints since 2013. The institution is also an original member of the Nitrogen Footprint Project, a group committed to reducing the environmental impact of higher education by reducing nitrogen emissions.
  • Composting - Since the Spring of 2018 MBLhas partnered with two Massachusetts鈥檚 companies to reduce waste on campus. Since starting this initiative Swope Dining Hall has significantly reduced the amount of kitchen waste sent to the landfill.
  • Water Kiosk and Bottle Refill Stations -The MBLhas partnered with The Town of Falmouth, WHOI, Woods Hole Business Association, and Woods Hole Research Center to install Refill Reuse water kiosk in Marine Park as an effort increase sustainability and environmental responsibility in Woods Hole.
  • Glove Recycling - The MBLSustainability Committee recommends recycling gloves 鈥 any material, any brand 鈥 with Terracycle Zero Waste Boxes. 

The sustainability committee is made up of volunteers from research, education, information technologies, and facilities departments and is interested in hearing from all members/departments of the MBLcommunity.

We currently meet quarterly, so if you are interested in joining the committee full time, just want to suggest new ideas and initiatives, or just want to find out why things happen the way they do, feel free to join us at an upcoming meeting.

If you are interested in joining or have any suggestions, please feel free contact the committee via email at sustainability@mbl.edu.

Current Committee Members - May 2023
Jonathan Butler - Environmental Services SupervisorPaul Anderson - Assistant Manager of Conferences, Kelsey Chenoweth - Research Assistant - Ecosystems CenterBrian Cortright - IT Systems AdministratorBret Grasse - Manager of Cephalopod OperationsBette Hecox-Lea - Research Associate - Bay Paul CenterRobert Kaski - Transportation and Grounds SupervisorJavier Lloret - Research Scientist - Ecosystems CenterKerri Mills - Assistant Director of Housing, Dining and ConferencesMarie Russell - Director of FacilitiesThomas Sensale - Administrative Analyst - FacilitiesMaria Silva - Associate Research Coordinator - Bell CenterMaia Theophanis - Laboratory Operations Support Manager, and MBLDining Services