As a national U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratory, managed by Princeton University, one of our primary missions is to develop fusion energy as a clean, safe, and affordable way to generate electricity for all humankind. PPPL places the highest value on being a responsible steward of our planet. We strive for a safer, healthier, and more prosperous world. We put our principles into action through our environmental management system, which ensures that we promote sustainability, conserve our natural resources and energy, manage hazardous materials, and prevent pollution. Environmental stewardship and social responsibility are key to our bottom line goal: a sustainable planet.
We prevent most waste from going to landfills through a recycling program that is well above federal guidelines with an 83 percent recycling rate in fiscal year 2020 and a rate above 70 percent over the past five years. The Laboratory has received numerous awards for its sustainability programs, including a Sustainability Award from the DOE last year, numerous awards for purchasing sustainable electronics, for an innovative green water treatment method and a gold EPEAT award from the Green Electronics Council for making 98 percent of its electronics purchases EPEAT-certified. PPPL’s main administration building, the Lyman Spitzer Building, was U.S. LEED Gold certified in 2011.
PPPL is ISO-14001 certified/ registered in its Environmental Management System (EMS).
PPPL’s program to treat its non-potable water with a more sustainable chemical affects water flowing into the Millstone River Basin. (Photo by Jim Now )
PPPL's EMS ISO-14001 certificate
Environmental Management System
One of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory’s highest priorities is ensuring that its environmental performance measures up to its world class status in science. As part of our commitment to environmentally responsible operations, we have established a formal Environmental Management System (EMS).
An EMS is a systematic methodology for managing and integrating the environmental, safety and health aspects of operations with special emphasis on compliance assurance, resource efficiency, pollution prevention, and continuous improvement. PPPL implements its EMS in conjunction with its Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) and work planning processes to meet the requirements of Executive Orders as well as DOE Order 436.1.