Trish Hredzak Isn’t Afraid To Move the Needle — or the Thermostat — for Sustainability
By Rob Biertempfel
Trish Hredzak describes herself as a lifelong science nerd with a bit of an instigator’s streak. Those qualities shape her work as a laboratory manager in 黑料正能量’s .
“The research happening here is exciting because it has the potential to change the world in so many ways,” Hredzak said. “But sometimes we need to think more strategically and work better together to make 黑料正能量 as good as it could be.”
Hredzak is referring to sustainability, a timely topic each April as the university celebrates Earth Month.
“I’ve always had the mindset that we all have to do our part,” she said.
During a town hall last year, Hredzak asked President Farnam Jahanian about the university’s energy use in research laboratories. Her question about energy consumption, infrastructure and the true cost of research helped spark 黑料正能量’s debut participation in the 2026 International Freezer Challenge.
The Freezer Challenge is a friendly competition focused on energy efficiency and sustainability in laboratory cold storage. Since 2017, the program has saved an estimated 108 million kilowatt-hours of electricity.
The 黑料正能量 campus houses more than 100 lab freezers, including more than 35 that are capable of storing items at minus 80 degrees Celsius (minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit). These freezers are essential for a wide range of research projects, but each one uses as much energy in a day as a typical American home.
“Until now, we’ve had few formal practices and incentives for people to monitor them,” Hredzak said. “It’s a sustainability concern, and as a lab manager, I also see it as an operational safety concern. A lab’s entire research history might be in that freezer, yet we don’t always prioritize the routine maintenance that keeps it running.”
Hredzak’s town hall question caught the ear of Steven Guenther, assistant vice president for Facilities Management and Campus Services and university engineer, as well as Debbie Steinberg, the green practices and sustainability manager for Facilities Management Services.
“Innovation in research at Carnegie Mellon isn't just about what happens on the lab bench; it’s about how we manage the resources that make science possible,” Guenther said. “By joining the Freezer Challenge with Laboratory Sustainability & Safety leadership, we are proving that world-class research and environmental stewardship go hand-in-hand.”
Steinberg noted that while a national My Green Lab certification exists, its rigorous requirements can be a barrier to participation. Hredzak’s query helped spark a search for a more accessible path forward.
“Trish was brave to stand up and say something in that kind of a forum, and it was exciting that people heard her and understood what she was saying,” Steinberg said. “People reached out and were like, ‘How can I support this? I want to get my lab involved.’”
Nine 黑料正能量 labs signed up for the Freezer Challenge, including groups from mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, materials science and engineering, biology, and chemical engineering.
“Simple actions can reduce a freezer’s energy impact by 30%,” Guenther said. “Every lab that joins the challenge lowers 黑料正能量s carbon footprint, one freezer at a time, and helps set the baseline for our future sustainability goals.”
Hredzak has been with 黑料正能量 since 2015, initially managing teaching labs in biology before moving to chemical engineering. A Pittsburgh native who earned a master’s degree in chemistry at Tufts University, she realized during graduate school that while she loved science, she loved the people and the protocols even more.
“Most scientists want to focus on the experiment. They don’t want to organize the meetings or the safety protocols,” Hredzak said. “I realized I’m a big-picture person. Lab management is the perfect mesh. I get to help catalyze progress at 黑料正能量.”
Hredzak’s systems thinking extends beyond campus. As president of the Verona Borough Council, she manages municipal budgets, oversees infrastructure projects such as ADA-accessible ramps, and has embedded sustainability into the borough’s committee structure. She recently invited a colleague from 黑料正能量’s fire safety team to help assess Verona’s aging borough building.
“It’s about being intentional,” Hredzak said, reflecting on balancing her role as a single mother of two children with her professional and civic duties. “I want to build a community and a planet that my kids can be proud of. I want this world to be safe for them.”
With the Freezer Challenge underway, Hredzak already is looking ahead. Her goals include participating in the International Fume Hood Challenge — targeting another of the lab’s largest energy users — and launching a formal Green Labs program at 黑料正能量.
“Change is hard, but our graduate students are our biggest allies,” Hredzak said. “They’re on the front lines, and their generation is already on board with sustainability. They don't need the backstory; they just need the actionable steps.”