UNMC LiveGreen launches fume-hood sash campaign

Campus researchers may soon notice green stickers on fume hoods that remind them to fully shut the sashes when they are not in use.

UNMC LiveGreen team member Nicole Lindquist places a sticker on a fume hood in The Lied Transplant Center to remind investigators to shut the fume hood sash when it’s not in use.

When a fume hood sash is open, it essentially creates a large hole in the lab’s wall that leads directly outside.

“Closed fume hood sashes can greatly benefit our campus efforts to become more environmentally sound and energy efficient,” said Rick Kmiecik, director of strategic energy initiatives in facilities management and planning.

When they fully shut unused fume hood sashes, researchers help:

• Conserve energy and reduce UNMC’s environmental impact;
  
• Ensure their safety and that of their colleagues;
  
• Save the university at least $700,000 to $900,000 annually by ensuring the air exchange system runs efficiently;
  
• Limit the amount of conditioned air that exits the building; and
  
• Prevent alarms from going off in the evening in some of our research buildings.

Visit the UNMC LiveGreen webpage for more information or contact UNMC LiveGreen Coordinator Melanie Stewart at livegreen@unmc.edu or 402-559-3231 for more information.