First Green Labs Post

This post is the first in a series (hopefully) of green-themed ideas. The video below really struck me since I've often thought about how to make labs (where throwing away gloves, metal, glass and gallons of chemicals is a daily habit) more eco-friendly. One can forget that the lab isn't a sealed environment. Below I've spelled out the 10 recommendations presented in the video.

If you've got more suggestions please post them in the comments!




Lab Waste from Eva Amsen on Vimeo.



10 Easy Tips from the Video

1. Recycle paper products that haven't come into contact with biologicals like paper wrappers, office paper, cardboard inserts etc.

2. Wash and reuse materials that don't need to be sterile such as pipettes and plastic containers.

3. Use washable glassware whenever possible.

4. Avoid unnecessary disposables like dispo. inoculating loops.

5. Avoid excessive packaging materials. Buy lab supplies in bulk, avoid individually wrapped pipettes and styrofoam stands when possible.

6. Use the smallest amount of materials for your needs.

7. Reuse and recycle cardboard from shipping.

8. Reuse and recycle styrofoam from shipping.

9. Buy second hand lab equipment if possible.

10. Design experiments to limit the waste of time and materials.