Grizzly Green Labs
Grizzly Green Labs is an elective program that supports sustainable practices in research and educational labs at the 猎奇重口. Our goal is to guide labs through making simple, sustainable changes that fit their space, needs, and processes.
5.5
of single-use plastic waste generated by research labs annually
60-65%
can be attributed to laboratories
60%
goes to research
Discover Ways to Implement Sustainability in your Research!
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Do you have lab equipment or surplus materials that you want to get rid of? Do you need free stuff? Check out the Griz Give-and-Get, an Office of Sustainability program that provides a place for staff and students to post items that they want to donate. More info here.
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Lighting constitutes around 10% of a life science lab’s average energy use, and around 5% of a chemistry lab’s average energy use (1)!
Avoid turning on overhead lights and rely on natural light or individual desk lamps when possible.
Consider printing a poster or sticker reminder to shut off the lights!
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Try to be mindful of your lab’s water consumption!
Water saving tips:
(1) Consolidate items for autoclave usage
(2) Report all leaky sinks to maintenance immediately
(3) Consider investing in materials that save water, such as faucet aerators.
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Faucet aerators limit the amount of water that flows from a faucet while maintaining good water flow. The EPA estimates that they can save up to 30% of water use by a faucet, leading to an annual savings of around 700 gallons of water (2).
(4) If your lab uses water condensers, consider switching to a waterless condenser.
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Single-pass water condensers require large quantities of water, but waterless condensers can help conserve water, avoid flooding from a disconnected tube, and are easier to set up.
- Here are two popular options for waterless condensers: &
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Energy saving tips:
Try to turn off or unplug appliances when not in use to decrease energy consumption. Here are some strategies to ensure that appliances get turned off when they are not in use:
(1) Use outlet timers. Programmable timers allow you to determine specific hours the appliance will be on, whereas countdown timers allow the user to set the length of each use for an appliance.
(2) Not all lab machinery can or should be turned off. If you're concerned that energy-saving advice may lead to someone turning off equipment they shouldn't, labeling is a simple, effective solution. To avoid accidental shutdowns, we recommend labeling equipment using these stickers.
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Fume hoods are typically one of the most energy-consuming appliances in a lab. When open, a single fume hood can consume as much energy as 3.5 homes in 24 hours (3).
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Curious to know how much energy your fume hood uses? by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Variable air volume (VAV) fume hoods control vented air volume through sash height. Keep fume hood sashes closed when not in use to decrease energy usage.
Consider using posters or stickers to remind lab members to shut the sash!
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Ultra-low temperature freezers can use as much energy as an average household every day (4). This has a large impact on your lab’s overall energy consumption and carbon footprint. Simple steps can make a significant difference!
Energy Saving tips:
(1) Locate freezers and refrigerators away from heat sources
(2) Perform maintenance every six months on all refrigerators and freezers
(3) Maximize the use of your freezers and fridges by:
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Consolidating within your lab
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Keeping track of your freezer inventory and clearing out samples you no longer need
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Share cold-storage space with other labs
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Fill empty space with boxes
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(5) Increase the temperature of ultra-low freezers from -80°C to -70°C.
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Many biological samples do not require storage at -80°C; historically, ultra-low freezers were often set to -65°C or -70°C (5).
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For common sample types like DNA, RNA, antigens, and viruses, no evidence shows that storing at -70°C negatively affects sample quality.
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Peer-reviewed research confirms that DNA, RNA, and microbial communities remain stable at -70°C, with RNA even showing better preservation in some cases (7).
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Lowering freezer settings from -80°C to -70°C can reduce energy use by 30–40% (8).
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Still not convinced?
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These scientists were! of university labs around the world that have reset their freezers to -70°C with no detrimental effects.
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with case study data supporting the benefits of raising the temperature of ULT freezers.
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(6) Retire outdated and inefficient freezers and refrigerators
- Looking to replace an old freezer? The Kless Sustainability Committee is offering a rebate program for replacing ULT freezers that are from 2010 or older. , you may be eligible for a $3,000 rebate! Reach out to sustainability@mso.umt.edu for details.
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Green chemistry aims to create a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to chemistry, reducing its negative impacts on human health and the environment while promoting efficiency, resource conservation, and the use of renewable resources.
The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry:
Implementing Green Chemistry in your lab:
on Green Chemistry, which provides links to a course on the topic (not free), a guide to green chemistry experiments for undergraduate chemistry labs (free), and resources on choosing greener alternatives.
Want more resources for choosing greener alternatives? created by the American Chemical Society.
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Research labs generate an estimated 5.5 millions of tons of plastic waste annually (8).
Consider recycling your waste! Republic Services, which is contracted with UM, already takes a lot of lab plastic, meaning that you can recycle your lab plastic in any of the recycling bins on campus. HOWEVER, the plastic you recycle MUST be cleaned with soap and water, and sterilized with an autoclave if it has come in contact with bio-hazardous material or hazardous chemicals.
Want to recycle more? Consider subscribing to a Vendor Take-Back Program! Here are some options:
- : This program lets users recycle empty racks from the TipOne® pipette tips systems to produce new racks, free of charge.
- This program recycles lab plastic, even when classified as bio-hazardous.
- This is a recycling company that sells zero-waste recycling boxes for hard-to-recycle waste. The zero-waste boxes that are most applicable to research labs include: , , , , & .
If you feel uncertain about what you can or cannot recycle, reach out with questions!
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Want to learn more about sustainable research? Check out some of these resources:
: This is an open resource with guidelines to reduce waste, implement green chemistry changes, conserve water, and save energy.
: This tool allows users to compare sustainable strategies and materials to allow for laboratories to be designed in a more sustainable way.
: This toolkit provides guidance and strategies for reducing energy consumption in laboratories.
: This organization aims to build a culture of sustainability in research worldwide.
: This is a third-party verified eco-label designed to help scientists make informed, sustainable purchasing decisions for laboratory products. It evaluates products based on their environmental impact across various criteria, including manufacturing processes, energy and water usage, packaging, and end-of-life disposal.
CEEL conducts research to identify and promote energy efficiency opportunities in laboratories.
This tool, developed by University College London, is a sustainability certification program designed to help laboratories reduce their environmental impact. Through an online platform, LEAF guides labs in implementing actions to save energy, water, plastics, and other resources. Labs can achieve Bronze, Silver, or Gold certification levels based on their sustainability efforts. The program also provides tools to measure financial and carbon savings, promoting sustainable practices in scientific research.
This resource integrates social and climate justice into laboratory sustainability by addressing historical and present-day inequities in scientific research. Initiatives include equitable access to shared lab equipment through the BioCore program, promoting inclusive research practices, and raising awareness of environmental injustices linked to lab operations. These efforts aim to create a more just and sustainable research environment.
I2SL is a nonprofit that promotes sustainable lab design and operation through resources, training, and programs like Labs2Zero and the Smart Labs Toolkit.
This is a one-stop resource that helps federal purchasers meet sustainability requirements by consolidating green purchasing guidelines from multiple environmental programs.
This is a UK-based nonprofit that promotes lab sustainability through awareness, resources, and events like conferences for lab staff and students.
This page is a guide for integrating environmental sustainability into research funding. It encourages researchers to proactively incorporate sustainable practices into grant proposals and highlights efforts by funding bodies worldwide to promote eco-friendly research.
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If you are unable to access these materials because you are outside of the 猎奇重口 domain, please email sustainability@mso.umt.edu.
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- Hopkinson, L., James, P., Lenegan, N., McGrath, T., & Tait, M. (2011). Energy consumption of university laboratories. S-Lab.
- https://www.csuohio.edu/sustainability/shut-sash?
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- https://sustainability.weill.cornell.edu/green-labs/ultra-low-temperature-freezer-maintenance-guide?
- Głodowicz, P., Frossard, A., & Górniak, D. (2023). Is -70 °C the new -80 °C? Exploring optimal storage temperatures for microbiome and environmental DNA samples. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30, 61347–61359.
- chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.embl.org/about/info/sustainability/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/EMBL-Green-Lab-Guide_09.23.pdf?
- Urbina, M., Watts, A. & Reardon, E. Labs should cut plastic waste too. Nature 528, 479 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/528479c