Abstract
This guidebook aims to improve lab users’ everyday practices to become more sustainable. Specifically, this guidebook provides practical suggestions on how to effectively use lab instruments and resources and on how to acquire data. We provide advice to labs covering disciplines such as biology, chemistry, computational science, engineering, life sciences, materials sciences, medicine, pharmacy, and physics. As every lab is different, it may occur that alternative measures are required, advice may be outdated or not applicable, and sometimes laboratories may not be able to comply with measures of other laboratories.
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Title
Green Labs | Faculty of Science and Engineering
Description
In June 2021 Green Labs RUG was founded at the University of Groningen (UG) to improve the carbon impact, energy consumption, and sustainability of laboratories. Currently, at the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) approximately 50 tons of plastic are produced annually (1762 active lab researchers, based on calculations from 2023). At FSE per publication about 68 tons of CO2e are emitted, equalling annual emissions of about 9 tons per person (2889) and 0.19 tons per m2.
Laboratories can be improved through audits and get accredited either bronze, silver, or gold through the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) by University College London.
In October 2023 a total of 46 laboratories were accredited leading to a reduced carbon impact equaling to annual savings of 398 763 € as well as 477.1 tons of CO2e, which correspond to savings of 10 372 kg of CO2e and 8669 € per lab per year.
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