Author: Cheryl Abudu, Technical Intern at Engineering & Design Technical Services
I showed up on day one ready to go: smart outfit, clean slate on my laptop and tablet, and fully prepared to get labs involved in sustainability certification. I’d already familiarised myself with LEAF, and it genuinely resonated with me. I love gardening sustainably, using the ends of veggies and fruits that would otherwise have gone in the bin, and I’m always looking for ways to save energy or make things a little more efficient at home. Sustainability was already something I cared about.
What I didn’t know was where on earth to start.
So, what is LEAF?
LEAF (the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) is a scheme that recognises labs for running sustainably, covering things like waste, energy, equipment and chemicals, with Bronze, Silver and Gold awards to work towards. My job, alongside two fellow interns, was to help labs across all the Engineering and Design departments get on board.
The door-to-door salesman phase
Here's the honest bit: we were the first interns ever hired for this role, so there was no straightforward map. For the first few weeks, I basically felt like a door-to-door salesman: "Hi, do you have a minute to talk about LEAF?" Thankfully, Lydia and Dave Wood gave us a proper head start, introducing us to staff and helping us get confident talking about the framework.
Summer is one of the few real opportunities for academic and technical staff to catch their breath, yet so many were genuinely interested in how LEAF applied to their labs and how they could get involved during our time here.
Finding where we could help
As the weeks went on, the gap became obvious. The existing LEAF templates were a lot to take in, so we rebuilt them. We turned them into a clear checklist and starter guide, and put together a whole portfolio with stickers, hints on how to answer each criterion, and suggested evidence to back it up.
Then, near the end, it all clicked, like a puzzle falling into place. People started coming to us, asking about the checklist, wanting to meet.
One moment stuck with me. I was sitting with a technician in the Department of Chemical Engineering, going through our checklist, and I could see that they had a real chance of achieving an award. A few weeks later, they submitted for Gold. I really hope they get it.
What I took away
More than anything, I grew. My confidence in talking to people from every department, my organisation and my teamwork all levelled up.
I learned how labs completely outside my field, as an aerospace engineering student, actually work. I even got to muck in with some electrical engineering technicians, sorting wires, capacitors, speakers and PCBs for reuse. Genuinely good fun.
One thing I'd say to you
Think about the world we want our kids, grandkids and future generations to live in. Sustainability reaches into every part of life, and learning about it, playing even a small role can flip a switch.
It’s about protecting the things we love and doing what we can to help tackle climate change.
So, if you get the chance to get involved? Take it.
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