How To Green Lab?
Through our 'How to Green Lab' monthly series, we share useful tips and hacks to help you green your lab!
Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn to receive a #HowToGreenLab tip every month!
Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn to receive a #HowToGreenLab tip every month!
June 2022
While it may sound simple, turning off the lights at the end of the day can make a difference!
Lighting makes up around 15% of energy in the lab. Simply turning off the lights when you leave the lab or support rooms can have a significant impact.
Turning off the lights during the day when ambient light is sufficient can even further reduce energy consumption. A small LED task light can provide additional illumination if needed and uses much less energy than overhead lights.
While it may sound simple, turning off the lights at the end of the day can make a difference!
Lighting makes up around 15% of energy in the lab. Simply turning off the lights when you leave the lab or support rooms can have a significant impact.
Turning off the lights during the day when ambient light is sufficient can even further reduce energy consumption. A small LED task light can provide additional illumination if needed and uses much less energy than overhead lights.
May 2022
Scientific products use a lot of packaging, from boxes, to instructions, to double wrapping for sterile products, to shipping boxes with padding. Here are a few things to consider when addressing packaging waste:
Scientific products use a lot of packaging, from boxes, to instructions, to double wrapping for sterile products, to shipping boxes with padding. Here are a few things to consider when addressing packaging waste:
- Consolidate what you’re buying from different suppliers into one, or consolidate the number of times you place an order from a particular supplier.
- Designate an employee to handle orders, whether it’s one person who places all orders with all suppliers, or a designated person for each supplier.
- If applicable, consolidate orders with neighboring labs.
- If you have the space to store extra consumables, buy in bulk to reduce shipments.
- Right-size your purchases. For example, if you only need 50ml of a reagent for a set of experiments you’re planning, rather than buying a 1 liter bottle, buy the 100ml bottle. The bottle is smaller, and you’ll end up with less waste if you don’t use all of that chemical.
April 2022
Many companies have recognized the importance of helping labs divert their waste. Take-back programs can be free or relatively low cost, and are a great way to reduce the amount of waste your lab generates.
Here are a few take-back programs to explore: https://www.mygreenlab.org/take-back-programs.html
Many companies have recognized the importance of helping labs divert their waste. Take-back programs can be free or relatively low cost, and are a great way to reduce the amount of waste your lab generates.
Here are a few take-back programs to explore: https://www.mygreenlab.org/take-back-programs.html
March 2022
Chilling up your ultra-low freezer from -80 to -70 has two major benefits: it can reduce energy consumption by 30-40%, and in doing so it can prolong the life of your freezer. This means less down time and less chance that your samples will be compromised.
To learn how to be more energy efficient with your lab's cold storage, join the #FreezerChallenge! Learn more and sign up here: https://www.freezerchallenge.org/
Chilling up your ultra-low freezer from -80 to -70 has two major benefits: it can reduce energy consumption by 30-40%, and in doing so it can prolong the life of your freezer. This means less down time and less chance that your samples will be compromised.
To learn how to be more energy efficient with your lab's cold storage, join the #FreezerChallenge! Learn more and sign up here: https://www.freezerchallenge.org/
February 2022
The best way to impact waste is to reduce its production from the start. This month's #HowToGreenLab tip is to reduce your lab's contribution to the landfill. This can be achieved in a variety of ways, including:
-Purchasing items that have long lifetimes, or that eliminate waste streams.
-Sharing resources including equipment, reagents/chemicals, and consumables.
-Consolidating orders, and order only what you need.
Find more tips on how to reduce here.
-Purchasing items that have long lifetimes, or that eliminate waste streams.
-Sharing resources including equipment, reagents/chemicals, and consumables.
-Consolidating orders, and order only what you need.
Find more tips on how to reduce here.
January 2022
A great way to reduce water consumption in the laboratory is to eliminate single pass cooling - a wasteful process that can also be a safety hazard. Learn how to eliminate single-pass cooling by trying one of these alternatives here.
December 2021
Through this month's #HowToGreenLab, we encourage you to share your knowledge with those around you. When motivated by energetic and passionate individuals, a confident community forms—one that works towards and achieves collective goals. Harness the power of collective action!
November 2021
This month's #HowToGreenLab tip is about chemical inventories—a critical component of sustainable labs. Managing lab chemicals ensures that you don't duplicate chemical purchases or possess expired chemicals. Inventories can be used across departments, enabling chemical sharing.
October 2021
Did you know? Running screensavers requires the use of computer processing power & memory, & as a result uses energy. Our #HowToGreenLab tip this month is to turn off lab computers & monitors completely when not in use. Though it may seem simple, every bit of energy saved counts!
September 2021
This month's #HowToGreenLab is about take-back programs! Take-back programs are a free or relatively low cost option offering a great way to reduce the amount of waste your lab generates. Learn more here.
August 2021
Welcome to our new series, #HowToGreenLab! We'll be sharing useful tips and hacks to help you green your lab. Our first tip is all about how to save energy, which you can do by remembering to shut fume hood sashes when work in the hood is complete. A single chemical fume hood can use as much energy as 3.5 households EVERY DAY. By lowering the sash in certain types of fume hoods including variable air volume (VAV) fume hoods, you can save up to 40% of energy. Remember to "be good in the hood!"
