Kathryn Ramirez-Aguilar
CU Boulder Green Labs Program Manager and CU Boulder Alumni

Kathy manages the CU Boulder Green Labs Program, a program she has been building & creating since 2009. The program was one of the first five of its kind at universities across the nation and has grown to be a leadership example to many new green labs programs starting up at other universities.  Kathy is an alumni of CU Boulder where she obtained her doctorate in analytical chemistry in 1999 and then worked as a post-doctorate in a CU Boulder biochemistry lab for 7 years.  Working as a research scientist, Kathy saw a real need for a program to engage scientists in resource conservation in labs which could serve as a model for other campuses.  CU Boulder Green Labs encourages and supports action for conservation by scientists and is considered a beneficial resource by campus labs.  The program enhances connectivity between various stakeholders on campus and utilizes a team approach to minimize the use of energy, water, material goods, and hazardous chemicals in campus labs.  Through active participation in the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) community & annual conferences, Green Labs Planning Group, and the DOE Better Buildings Alliance Labs Team, Kathy also regularly collaborates and shares ideas with colleagues across the nation at universities and federal agencies who care about efficiency and sustainability in lab environments.  She leads the I2SL University Alliance Group which is presently exploring the topic of connecting sustainability to lab finances.