Sustainability

people holding recycling containers

“Growth of the MBL must 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.” — MBL Shared Beliefs

Initiatives

  • Electric Vehicles– The MBL offers a dual pedestal SemaConnect 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—these 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’t recyclable is still murky territory, even today.
  • Nitrogen and Carbon Footprint Tracking – The MBL has 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 MBL has partnered with two Massachusetts’s 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- The MBL has partnered with The Town of Falmouth, WHOI, Woods Hole Business Association, and Woods Hole Research Center to install Refill Reuse water kiosks in Marine Park as an effort increase sustainability and environmental responsibility in Woods Hole.
  • Glove Recycling–  The MBL is partnering with Kimberly-Clark’s Right Cycle program to begin recycling nitrile and latex gloves.  We hope this partnership will help divert laboratory waste from the trash stream and reduce the impact of the MBL’s research activities on the environment.