The two-year limit encourages labs to recertify and implement sustainable changes iteratively. In this program, labs are encouraged to adopt environmentally friendly practices by following steps that involve assessment, implementing changes, and a certification that lasts for two years. These changes were recommended through My Green LabвЂ™s sustainability certification program. After dropping the temperature, вЂњthe lab was a lot quieterвЂќ and that freezer didnвЂ™t need to work as hard. вЂњWe have an old freezer, and you can hear the вЂclunkinessвЂ™ of those compressors,вЂќ Weeks said. These changes decreased lab energy use and will increase the lifetime of affected equipment. Paying additional attention to turning off room lights and to what materials could be recycled.Turning off incubators and water baths that were not regularly used.Dropping the temperature of ultra-low freezers from вЂ“80в„ѓ to вЂ“70в„ѓ.After working with group members, Weeks helped identify and implement four actionable changes: Weeks volunteered to pilot the program in his groupвЂ™s lab, which focuses on protein evolution and molecular biology. In the beginning of 2020, Duke put out a call for volunteers to incorporate sustainable practices in campus research labs. Session topics ranged from new designs for recirculating chillers that can reduce lab water use to how selling surplus lab equipment can promote a sustainable circular economy.Дuring the summit, Connelly teamed up with Duke and Ryan Weeks, a doctoral candidate in the Chemistry-Biology Interface program at Johns Hopkins University, to present on efforts to incorporate sustainable practices in two labs at Johns Hopkins University. To support sustainable lab practices and help identify solutions for research spaces, Lab Manager recently hosted the Green Labs Digital Summit: Working Toward a More Sustainable Lab. But James Connelly, CEO of My Green Lab, emphasizes that вЂњgreening the labвЂќ is a journey. Many researchers and lab managers want to see their labs embrace sustainable practices. According to My Green Lab, research labs use five times more energy and four times more water than office spaces and produce 12 billion pounds of plastic waste each year.

Research labs are resource intensive spaces. Why arenвЂ™t we doing anything in the labs?вЂќ In her role as a teaching lab coordinator at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Nanobiotechnology (INTB), Christine Duke noticed a contrast between campus-wide sustainability initiatives and research labs: From large-scale projects like installing solar arrays to behind-the-scenes initiatives like composting cafeteria food waste, вЂњgoing greenвЂќ is a reality of the modern workplace.Д«ut one workspace otherwise known for being cutting edge and innovative is still struggling to implement the practices and culture of sustainability. Schools, businesses and organizations across the globe are increasingly implementing sustainable practices within their workspaces. She is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she is double majoring in zoology and life sciences communication, with a certificate in environmental studies. TodayвЂ™s guest blog was written in collaboration with Melissa Martin, a former global marketing intern with Promega.

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