4. Hype the competition!  Get folks excited.

            After we kicked off the new competition in September, we immediately started to see results. "I've never seen so many closed hoods in the building,” according to Joe Houlihan, longtime member of Siemens and Harvard Biological Laboratories building operations.  The first two months are showing increased improvement, and I think we are on our way to a huge success story.  Notably, some of the researchers printed off the flyer that announced the competition, and taped it to their fume hoods.

            This competition shows how we can harness the intrinsic competitiveness of researchers to create a positive result for all involved.  Researchers compete to win prizes, and their success is celebrated.  Lab administrators and faculty often thank us for running the competition, and consider it a mechanism for socializing and networking.  In the meanwhile, we are eliminating emissions that would contribute to climate change, as well as saving money for the University.  It’s a win-win all around.