ORNL is committed to implementing a sustainable campus “from the ground up” to provide a foundation and template that the lab can follow as it transforms its landscaping through the appropriate use of plant species with an emphasis on native plants, planting and seeding techniques and schedules, landscape management principles, and landscape lighting principles.

In 2007 Fabrication replaced their photoprocessing process with a modern digital computed radiography (CR) system and a smaller x-ray film processor. This source reduction initiative provides digital images and increases the speed and efficiency of the process while reducing the potential for hazardous waste or water-related regulatory issues. As a result, this source reduction initiative improved efficiency and expanded capabilities of services while reducing the purchase and use of film by approximately two-thirds, reducing the purchase, use, and resulting waste generation of photographic chemicals by approximately two-thirds, reducing the need for silver recovery, and eliminating the use of approximately 500,000 gallons per year of once-through process water and resulting wastewater generation.

In FY2006, CSD reduced its environmental impact caused by CSD research activities by installing closed-loop chillers. CSD successfully reduced its water usage by approximately 188,000 gallons per year. In FY2007, CSD established a new objective and target to reduce its once-through water usage by an additional 100,000 gallons per year. Building upon its FY 2006 success, CSD purchased and installed additional closed-loop chilled water systems which eliminated an addition 102,000 gallons in two laboratories, and a third system installed on an operation that was being re-established allowed a savings of an estimated 2.6 million gallons of water annually. This initiative also has a downstream benefit of reducing the amount of waste water requiring treatment at ORNL.

The Fusion Energy Division (FED) and Engineering Sciences and Technology Division (ESTD) both identified the reduction of the volume of lead-contaminated waste resulting from soldering operations as part of their 2007 EMS objectives and targets. Both organizations implemented systematic initiatives to revised their management of lead solder scrap by clearly labeling soldering collection containers to collect scrap soldering wire or hardened drips for reuse in the soldering operations. Pieces that are no longer of use are sent to a central collection location for recycling.

As one of ORNL’s 2007 EMS objectives and targets, the SNS facility identified 14 pallets containing a total of 605 empty flasks that had been used to store mercury that were no longer needed. SNS examined various possibilities for reuse/disposition of the flasks and determined that the residual mercury in the flasks would need to be drained before the empty flasks could be reused/dispositioned. SNS designed, fabricated, used, and dismantled a mercury flask drainage rack that allowed 155 kilograms of mercury to be recovered for future use.

During the past several years, the ORNL campus has experienced a significant “green” transformation. Green transportation features were integrated into this transformation along with the addition of several environmentally friendly landscaping and buildings. Specifically, ORNL has had a multi-pronged approach to green transportation:

1. encouraging lab personnel to walk and to ride bikes through innovative campus design,
2. encouraging shared transportation,
3. integrating maximized fuel efficiency features when upgrading roads,
4. continuing expansion of flex fuel vehicle fleet, and
5. implementing bio-diesel in vehicle fleet.

The Fabrication Division has installed a water jet cutter system in Building 7012 that provides a much safer, cleaner, more efficient one-step process for machining metal and only generates a miniscule amount of metal fines with the garnet.

In support of "greening the government" initiatives, ORNL chose to use flex fuel vehicles that can be fueled using E85, a renewable bio-fuel that is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, or with gasoline when E85 is not available.