After receiving a lot of positive feedback on one of my LinkedIn posts, I thought I would share the topic in more detail with you!
Often, we work out sustainable solutions for ourselves and then silently hope for colleagues to join in.
However, sharing what we do is the greatest leverage we have.
Therefore, let me share a few ideas on how to spread our solutions effectively!
Today's Lesson: Sharing Greener Solutions
How to let others know what is possible:
Number Of The Day
A study conducted in a hospital in Australia found that their steam sterilizers used about 1 004 000 liters of water when idle (time being turned on but not used). In a follow up study, they found that about 40% of energy consumption is attributable to time in standby.
11.3 x
Sharing Ideas With Others
Although we can generally advise to reduce, reuse and miniaturize, it often needs tailored solutions in science.
The Challenge
Note that it is not necessary to change any of our experimental steps to achieve significant reductions in waste. Actually, the biggest challenge for most scientists is overcoming their mental barrier.
Your colleagues will go through a journey on their path to sustainability. Everyone starts at the stage of Ignorance, where one does not know about sustainability. Here, it is on us to raise awareness in lab meetings or conversations. Due to missing education, most scientists remain in Disbelief about possible change. Both stages are relatively easy to overcome through education. Nevertheless, when it comes to changing practices that affect our work and experiences, Anxiety sets in. Here, we need to help others figure out what they are truly afraid of (not getting mislead by excuses) and then provide instances where their misconceptions were overcome. Afterwards, it is mainly on them to gain experience to see whether changes are feasible. The final hurdle is changing habits. Since it requires a significant amount of willpower, the best we can do is keep people accountable for their own good.
Especially when protocols have been established a long time ago, changing anything causes tremendous fear. Let’s help our colleagues initiate change – for the environment, but also as a first step against the replication crisis.
Adding to Protocols
Apart from talking at conferences, lab meetings, and social media about sustainability, we should start reviewing the protocols we share with colleagues and students.
Of course, finding solutions and taking action ourselves is paramount. However, adding to our protocols and including sustainability in our teaching is an effective way to raise awareness in others. In this way, we automatically share our insights and inspire others by giving them a feeling of security.
By just adding some notes on where potential for greener practice can be found, we achieve several effects:
1) Show that sustainability is part of the laboratory culture
2) Give precise tips others can implement right away
3) Give others a feeling of security to handle items differently without changing experimental procedures
Additionally, we have the chance to make our protocols more practical since we pay attention to how we do things, not only what we do.
An Example
When the original protocol reads: “Mix 5mL of lysate with 6mL of digestion solution”
we might improve it in the following way:
“Mix lysate with digestion solution 5:6.
Notes: Depending on the volume, a 15mL tube can be used if volumes of 12mL are not surpassed. Take care to slowly pipette the digestion solution.”
Now, the person using this protocol knows that they can use a 15mL tube, whereas in other steps they should choose a 50mL tube.
Also, the often minuscule but important notes like “add slowly” are now included.
Finally, by using the 5:6 ratio it becomes clear that the 5mL + 6mL was tailored to a certain experiment/tissue/approach but can be up/downscaled.
Refining Teaching
Sharing sustainable practices in teaching environments goes a long way as it comes from a positions of authority. Furthermore, it can have a huge impact on young students that have not yet build habits.
For example, remind new lab-mates/employees that common solutions, e.g., Tris or SDS for an SDS-PAGE, can be stored in 50mL conical tubes that can be reused for months.
Including sustainability in teaching is very effective as it is the best way to initiate a shift in culture. Advantageously, teachers speak from a position of authority and often address an audience that has not yet built habits. Additionally, as teaching often extends beyond a 1:1 context, it has significant leverage with limited investment.
In practical sessions, teach preparing master mixes or how to come up with smarter pipetting schemes to save pipette tips and time.
If you give theoretical lectures, you can still include some notes on changing solvents or smarter experimental design.
Applying The Knowledge
Every time you have incubation times, take your protocol and add your sustainability notes.
For students, this is an amazing chance to show your supervisor you spend time studying your protocol and thinking about your science!
In the future, we will probably have to report much more on our sustainable practices. Getting used to putting our solutions in words and rewriting protocols will be a great help!
Upcoming Lesson:
Sustainable Protection - Understanding And Using Gloves
Asking You
To pipette any volume below 100 uL, it is advisable to use PCR-Microtubes instead of normal 1.5mL tubes. In terms of plastic waste, you save:
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