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Reposted by Greenlab Zürich

Patrick Penndorf @patricks-science.bsky.social · Aug 1

If you care about sustainability, these numbers you need to know - let's make it super quick:

These numbers are hard to come by but:

Centrifuge: 4.2 kWh
Incubator: 0.04–0.9
PCR Cycler: 0.2–2
Thermomixer: 0.11
E-pipette: 0.01–0.05

#GreenLab #STEM #Sustainability

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Reposted by Greenlab Zürich

Royal Society of Chemistry @rsc.org · 10d

Do you have an idea that could make research more environmentally sustainable?

Get up to £10,000 to develop your project and help increase sustainable lab practices. Find out more ➡️ rsc.li/sustainable-labs-grant #ChemSky

Promotional image for the Royal Society of Chemistry's Sustainable Laboratories Grant 2025. Illustrated scene of diverse scientists working in a lab, with textual details encouraging innovative thinking in science. 'Find out more' invitation included.

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Reposted by Greenlab Zürich

Royal Society of Chemistry @rsc.org · 20d

The Sustainable Laboratories Grant 2025 is open!

Apply for up to £10,000 to support projects that improve sustainability in lab practice – we’re accepting applications till 6 October 2025.

Apply today: rsc.li/sustainable-labs-grant

Promotional image for the Royal Society of Chemistry's Sustainable Laboratories Grant 2025 featuring diverse scientists working in a vibrant laboratory setting. Quote from Christina Picken, University of Manchester, praising the grant process.

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Reposted by Greenlab Zürich

Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · Aug 13

Doing the basics well (not just shiny tech/gadgets) is a huge part of reducing emissions & we need to recognise + embrace that.

We have just tested a simple change to the hot water system in a big university building & it reduces energy use by ~20%. Users won't notice.

Yay for the simple stuff!

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Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Sep 9

Happy #SustainabilityTipTuesday! This week, we want to encourage any of you who help to organise meetings, workshops and conferences to consider offering a virtual option to reduce travel-related emissions ✈️

The Organization for Human Brain Mapping @ohbmofficial.bsky.social · Sep 1

The carbon footprint of conferences is large – but fully virtual meetings can reduce the environmental impact by 99%! You can keep sustainability in mind while learning & connecting with researchers around the globe by attending the OHBM Satellite Meeting September 10-12!

Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Sep 2

Happy #SustainabilityTipTuesday - today, we want to shamelessly promo our new LinkedIn page, which you can find and follow here: www.linkedin.com/company/gree...

Greenlab Zürich | LinkedIn

Greenlab Zürich | 15 followers on LinkedIn. Making scientific research more sustainable | We are a group of scientists on different levels based on Zürich, aimed at raising awareness and reducing the ...

www.linkedin.com

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Reposted by Greenlab Zürich

Beyond Benign @beyondbenign.bsky.social · Jul 29

Students are leading the charge for #GreenChemistry education at @queensuglobal.bsky.social. 👏🌱 Q-ACS helped bring the Green Chemistry Commitment to the Department of Chemistry and launched programs like “Which Is Greener?” to advance sustainable science on campus. Read more. buff.ly/xfvJDAt

From Our Community: How Student Leadership Helped Bring the Green Chemistry Commitment to Queen’s University

The Queen’s University International Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society is advancing green chemistry through the Green Chemistry Commitment and other initiatives.

buff.ly

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Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Aug 19

This #SustainabilityTipTuesday, we want to share this great read about improving efficiency in the lab to further sustainability efforts! Take a look 👇 febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

FEBS Press

As interest in sustainability grows, many researchers raise questions about changing scientific practices. To enable effective change, we reconceptualize sustainability as an approach that optimizes ...

febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Sustainability & Circularity NOW @suscircnow.bsky.social · Aug 11

We are excited to share this review by Gabriela T. Quadros and coworkers on Bio-Based Green Solvents in Organic Synthesis!

🔗 www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejo...

#SCNOW #SDGs #SustainableSolvents #BioBased #Synthesis

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Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Aug 5

Happy #SustainabilityTipTuesday! Today, we encourage you take action on reducing water use in the lab, with the help of this great resource 👇💧

Irish Green Labs @irishgreenlabs.bsky.social · Jun 23

www.tcd.ie/sustainabili...

Fantastic writeup from Trinity College detailing how to reduce water consumption in your lab.

#getgreener #greenchem

Water usage - Trinity Sustainability | Trinity College DublinmenusearchSearchmenu

www.tcd.ie

Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Jul 29

It's always a good time to think about your chemistry protocols - could you replace harmful chemicals like TFA with something more benign? #SustainabilityTipTuesday

Irish Green Labs @irishgreenlabs.bsky.social · Dec 12

Another article highlighting sustainability issues with TFA.

TFA is as a good low pH stabilizer, however its environmental impact is huge. Greener alternatives such as acetic or formic acid can be validated for this application

#getgreener #greenchemistry

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘Forever chemical’ found in mineral water from several European countries

Contamination thought to stem from the heavy application of pesticides containing TFA, a type of PFAS

www.theguardian.com

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Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Jul 15

If you're taking some time out of the lab 🏖️, make sure to switch off🔌your computer (+screens!) and any other equipment you won't be using to save energy ⚡💡 #SustainabilityTipTuesday

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Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Jul 8

Happy #SustainabilityTipTuesday! Today, we encourage you to collect and reuse plastic bags that come with consumables, kits and other lab materials. These can have a second life as bin liners, or for storing/shipping materials. #greenlabs

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Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Jul 1

This week's #SustainabilityTipTuesday is all about measuring the impact of your actions - as scientists we are convinced by data, and putting numbers on sustainability improvements can help to keep motivation high! Nice example of this below 👇

Irish Green Labs @irishgreenlabs.bsky.social · Dec 18

Green certification programs like LEAF and My Green Labs allow labs to formally critique their own green profile.

This article details measurable improvements in a biomedical facility following enrollment in My Green Labs.

#sustainibility #greenlabs #greensky

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Environmental Impact, Cost, and Acceptability of a Laboratory Sustainability Certification Program for Biomedical Research in an Academic Medical Center

The healthcare sector contributes considerably to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Biomedical research within academic medical centers (AMCs) is p…

www.sciencedirect.com

Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Jun 17

Happy #SustainabilityTipTuesday! This week we encourage reflecting on the environmental impact of work that you do, perhaps in the framework of a life cycle analysis - nice example below!

teun-bousema.bsky.social @teun-bousema.bsky.social · Feb 28

Our lifecycle analysis paper is out. What are sources of environmental damage or a clinical #malaria trial and where can we make important work more #sustainable [email protected] @lshtm.bsky.social

journals.plos.org/sustainabili...

Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Jun 10

Happy #SustainabilityTipTuesday ! Today we want to share this nice overarching graphic about how us scientists can make a difference in sustainability - both inside and outside the lab 🌱

OHBM Sustainability & Environmental Action SIG (SEA-SIG) @ohbmenvironment.bsky.social · Nov 14

Thankfully, there are a number of avenues where neuroscientists can get involved in sustainable practices. Figure 1 from the article (pictured here) has a great quick summary. Let's get the conversation going! What sustainable practices have you incorporated into your research?

A graphic "map" illustrating many areas in which neuroscientists can get involved fighting climate change. These include:

1. In your research (quantify impacts, join a lab accreditation scheme, compute carefully, recycle liquid helium)
2. In your institution (teach, push for divestment, lobby institutional leaders, join sustainability committees)
3. In your academic life (open science, slow science, review resource use, fly less, grant funding)
4. In your community and society (inform the general public, vote, contact political representatives, live sustainably)
5. Talk about it!

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Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Jun 3

Happy #SustainabilityTipTuesday ! Today we remind you that choosing plasticware that fits your experimental needs can help to minimise waste 🗑️

Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · May 27

Does your lab have *that one room* where the light is always on, even if nobody is in there? Reminders like these can help to save energy by switching off the light 💡 #SustainabilityTipTuesday #greenlabs

Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · May 20

Another #SustainabilityTipTuesday about computation - this time, raising awareness about simulation efficiencies! If you run a lot of simulations, making sure they are efficient can have a big effect on their environmental impact 🖥️🌱 #sustainablelabs #greendisc

Loïc Lannelongue @loiclnlg.bsky.social · Jan 28

What is scientists' attitude towards the carbon footprint of their simulations? A mixed bag according to this survey in fluid dynamics: low awareness and low priority, but researchers know it can and should be improved.

Really great work here! @official-uom.bsky.social
arxiv.org/pdf/2501.09314

Screenshot of a paper abstract: Community attitudes towards the environmental cost of computational fluid dynamics research.

Miranda van Heel and J. R. C. King from the School of Engineering, the University of Manchester, UK
(Dated: January 23, 2025)

Numerical simulations underpin much fluid dynamics research today. Such simulations often rely on large scale high performance computing (HPC) systems, and have a significant carbon footprint. Increasing the efficiency of data centers or the proportion of electricity coming from renewable sources can lessen the environmental impact of scientific computing to a degree, but the attitudes of researchers also play a role. There are many choices researchers make which influence the carbon footprint of simulations. To change behaviours around simulation use, it is first necessary to understand attitudes toward them. Here, we present a case study on fluid dynamics researchers based in the University of Manchester, UK. We find a low awareness of the carbon footprint of computations, compounded by a lack of knowledge of the specific hardware used to run simulations. There is a discrepancy between researchers self-declared attitudes towards reducing the carbon footprint of their work, and their actions and choices. Overall, researchers did not consider carbon footprint as important in their decision making, and we found no correlation between the impact and carbon cost of simulations. Improved education and awareness of the environmental impact of simulations is imperative in the interests of the sustainability of this field.

Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · May 13

For #SustainabilityTipTuesday we want to echo this message about donation and repair, with a shout-out our friends at EquipSent (equipsent.org) who connect labs and enable donation of functional equipment 🤗♻️ #sustainablelabs

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Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · May 6

This week's #SustainableTipTuesday is about computation - did you know there is a version of AlphaFold that uses 95% less energy than the regular version? Take a look below💡 #greenlabs

Ezgi Karaca @ezgikaraca.bsky.social · Feb 22

Inspired by Wallner's AFsample approach, @busrasavas.bsky.social's MinnieFold produced good quality antibody-antigen models even with 95% reduced sampling over CAPRI55 targets.

Just accepted in Proteins!

Paper: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Github: github.com/CSB-KaracaLa...

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Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Apr 29

For #SustainabilityTipTuesday this week, we encourage you to review your chemical use, keeping in mind principles of #greenchemistry to find more sustainable 'solutions' 😉🧪

Irish Green Labs @irishgreenlabs.bsky.social · Dec 5

When labs incur shortages or financial difficulties they become more open to greening.

This article addressing a 2010 acetonitrile shortage can be used as a roadmap for improving your green chemistry profile.

#greenlabs #getgreener

www.pharmaceuticalprocessingworld.com/cost-effecti...

Cost-Effective Solutions to the World-Wide Acetonitrile Shortage - Pharmaceutical Processing World

The Acetonitrile Problem With no end in sight to the worldwide shortage of acetonitrile, the popular high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) solvent, laboratories are in search of cost-effective...

www.pharmaceuticalprocessingworld.com

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Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Apr 22

Happy #SustainabilityTipTuesday ! Today, we encourage you to map out cold storage use in your lab ❄️ This helps keep an overview of empty spaces and unneeded samples, and lets you make the most of your fridges and freezers without wasting space and energy!

an illustration of an open refrigerator with bottles of milk on the bottom shelf

ALT: an illustration of an open refrigerator with bottles of milk on the bottom shelf

media.tenor.com

Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Apr 15

For #SustainabilityTipTuesday this week, we second this 🧽 'Single-use' plastics such as Falcon tubes, Eppendorfs, cuvettes, reservoirs, microtiter plates and weighing boats can all be washed and reused in the lab!

Green Your Lab @greenyourlab.bsky.social · Mar 12

#GreenLab Pro-Tip:
Plastic doesn't mean single use! You can save money and resources washing, (even sometimes autoclaving), and reusing your plasticware. ♻️ #reuse

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Greenlab Zürich @greenlabzh.bsky.social · Apr 8

Happy #SustainabilityTipTuesday - this week's tip is about reusing aluminium foil! Try setting up a collection point in the lab for clean foil, which can be reused for autoclaving, wrapping light-sensitive solutions, or anything else you can think of ♻️

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