Land and Buildings – Blending the Natural and Built Environments

Nurturing Nature

Stanford supports diverse ecosystems and provides habitat for three federally protected species: the California red-legged frog, the steelhead trout, and the California tiger salamander. Stanford is also home to protected species such as the western pond turtle and the San Francisco garter snake.

Key conservation and restoration efforts include:

• Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve: 1,200 acres for teaching and research which support studies by Stanford and other universities and an outdoor classroom for K-12 students and local organizations.
• Habitat restoration: a 25-year vegetation management program restoring oak woodlands for endangered and protected species and habitat conservation, in collaboration with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries.
• Oak reforestation: planting over 2,000 oak seedlings since 1980 in collaboration with nonprofits, individual volunteers, and the larger California community to preserve native ecosystems.

Green Labs

As a leading research institution, Stanford occupies 2 million square feet of laboratory space, housing over 5,000 diverse research projects concurrently. On average, laboratory buildings consume 3-5 times more energy than office buildings, generate considerable waste, and consume high amounts of water. Stanford Green Labs aims to empower researchers to reduce the environmental impact of their laboratories while maintaining research excellence.

To support labs in lowering their environmental footprint, the Green Labs Program provides essential resources, including in-lab recycling collection, energy-efficient equipment rebates, surplus chemical sharing, tips for conserving water, and tools like outlet timers and cold-storage optimization guides. Through these resources, labs can reduce waste and water consumption, and effectively lower energy usage. Learn more about how you can get involved in Green Labs on campus and enhance lab safety and the well-being of lab personnel.