TIGERSpaces Labs is open to all Auburn University lab spaces regardless of department, college, or research focus. Whether your lab is a wet lab, dry lab, teaching lab, or research facility, if it is an Auburn lab, it is eligible to participate.

We’ve designed the program so that most labs can complete the full TIGERSpaces journey — from the interest form to the initial badge designation — in roughly one semester. The process is designed to be guided and supported at every step, so you never have to figure things out alone. Ongoing participation after designation is low-effort and built around practices your lab will naturally adopt over time.

The lab assessment is a guided walkthrough of your space conducted together with a member of the Auburn Office of Sustainability staff. We review your lab’s current practices across key sustainability categories and identify where you are already doing well and where there are opportunities to improve. It is a collaborative conversation, not an inspection, and our team is there to support and advise, not to judge.

Anyone in the lab can complete the interest form and get the process started, so you do not need PI approval to express interest. That said, your lab manager and at least 60% of regular lab occupants will need to complete sustainability training before your lab earns its official TIGERSpaces designation. We encourage early conversations with your PI so the whole team is on board from the start!

Participation in TIGERSpaces Labs is completely free at every stage of the program. Some labs may choose to invest in equipment or infrastructure improvements to reach a higher badge tier, but those decisions are entirely optional and at the lab’s discretion. The program itself, including all training, assessments, and support, costs your lab nothing.

Earning your initial badge is just the beginning. Once designated, your lab gains full access to TIGERSpaces participant resources, perks, and community. From there, you can continue implementing sustainable practices at your own pace, and as your percentage of completed strategies increases, you can earn toe upgrades and move up through the Cub, Yearling, Prowler, Sentinel, and Apex tiers. There is no pressure or deadline to level up; your lab moves at the pace that works best for your team.

Every two years, TIGERSpaces Labs participants complete a brief recertification to confirm their current practices and update their badge designation. This keeps the program meaningful and ensures the Auburn community that a TIGERSpaces badge reflects an active commitment, not just a past one. Our team guides labs through the recertification process the same way we guided the original assessment.

We understand that labs change: personnel turn over, priorities shift, and maintaining every practice is not always possible. If a lab does not meet its previous badge threshold at recertification, the lab receives a temporary band-aid designation on its badge and has one semester to work toward meeting at least the baseline Cub level. Our team will work alongside you during that time to help identify what is achievable. The goal is always to support labs in moving forward, not to penalize them for circumstances outside their control.

We would love to hear from you. Reach out to the Auburn University Office of Sustainability anytime at sustain@auburn.edu and a member of our team will get back to you. You can also express interest in TIGERSpaces Labs directly at aub.ie/tigerspaces and we will be in touch to answer any questions as part of the onboarding process.