Difference between revisions of "Team:TU Dresden/iGEM-goes-green"

 
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<p><b> How sustainable is lab work? How much energy does a freezer consume or how many pipette tips do we use? </b> </p>
 
<p><b> How sustainable is lab work? How much energy does a freezer consume or how many pipette tips do we use? </b> </p>
  
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<p class="makeresponsive" style="width: 70%>
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<figure>
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Research projects often aim at making the world a better place, but at the same time they consume a lot of materials and energy. The iGEM competition encourages teams to also consider the environmental implications of their projects and the team of TU Dresden decided to go one step further. We want to take responsibility for the environmental impact of our whole project and our team. With the “iGEM goes green” initiative, we want to share the ecological improvements of our work and encourage as many teams as possible to get involved.  
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<figure class="floatleft" style="width: 30%;">
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To easily share our idea and prospects with other iGEM Teams, we have collected all our information and ideas about an environmentally-conscious project in our “GoGreenGuide”. Furthermore, we calculated the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions) of our lab work and offered this option to other teams as well with our own created GHG emissions calculation tool. For the development of the guideline as well as the calculation tool we also got in contact with some experts in the field of sustainability and exchanged views with the existing community. </p>
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      <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/9/93/T--TU_Dresden--gogreen_logo_withoutbackground.png"
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<p> Our vision is to encourage not only other iGEM teams but also research groups worldwide to join the green movement!
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          alt="iGEM goes green logo" class="zoom">
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</p></div>
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    </figure>
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<p>
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Research projects often aim at making the world a better place, but at the same time they consume a lot of materials and energy. The iGEM competition encourages teams to also consider the environmental implications of their projects, and so the team of TU Dresden decided to go one step further. We want to take responsibility for the environmental impact of our whole project and our team. With the “iGEM goes green” initiative we want to share the ecological improvements of our work and encourage as many teams as possible to get involved. </p>
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<p>To easily share our idea and prospects with other iGEM Teams, we have collected all our information and ideas about an environmentally-conscious project in our <a style="color: green" href="https://2017.igem.org/Team:TU_Dresden/iGEM-goes-green/Resources#guide">“GoGreenGuide”</a>. Furthermore, we calculated the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions) of our lab work and offered this option to other teams as well with our own created <a style="color: green" href="https://2017.igem.org/Team:TU_Dresden/iGEM-goes-green/Resources#calculator">GHG emissions calculation tool</a>. For the development of the guideline as well as the calculation tool we also got in contact with some experts in the field of sustainability and exchanged views with the                                                                     existing community. </p>
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<p><b> Our vision is to encourage not only other iGEM teams but also research groups worldwide to join the green movement.</b>
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</p>
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</figure>
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</div>
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<div class="contentbox">
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<h1 class="box-heading">Trailer</h1>
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<video src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/4/4f/T--TU_Dresden--GG_Trailer.mp4" controls class="makeresponsive"  style="padding-left: 10%; padding-right: 10%; width: 90%;" poster="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/d/d9/T--TU_Dresden--V_Cover.jpeg">
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    This video is not available for your browser<br/>
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    This video is a trailer for iGEM goes green.
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    You can watch it here: <a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/4/4f/T--TU_Dresden--GG_Trailer.mp4">https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/4/4f/T--TU_Dresden--GG_Trailer.mp4</a>
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  </video>
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</div>
  
 
<div class="contentbox">
 
<div class="contentbox">
 
<h1 class="box-heading">How we became green</h1>
 
<h1 class="box-heading">How we became green</h1>
 
<p class="survey-quote">
 
<p class="survey-quote">
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“Climate change is the biggest challenge of humanity and therefore we should think and act sustainably in everyday life. Science is the basis of innovation and that´s why I believe that we, as young scientists, bear a special responsibility for guiding our society to more sustainability.”
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“Climate change is one of the biggest challenges that humanity faces, and therefore we should think and act sustainably in our everyday life. Science is the basis of innovation, and that´s why we believe that, as young scientists, we bear a special responsibility for guiding our society to more sustainability.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;-iGEM TU Dresden team member
 
</p>
 
</p>
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<p>
 
<p>
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In November 2016 our team started planning our project for the iGEM Competition 2017. Starting with fundraising, developing project ideas and setting up our lab made us realize how much material and devices we were going to need. For the first time, we were not only students attending a practical course, or working in an equipped lab where everything was prepared, but had to order and organize everything by ourselves. When we then booked our flights to Boston one of our Team members reminded us of the high greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by long distance flights like this. </br>
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In November 2016 our team first got together to plan our project for the iGEM Competition 2017. Starting with fundraising, developing project ideas and setting up our lab made us realize how much material and devices we were going to need. For the first time, we were not only students attending a practical course or working in an already equipped lab where everything was prepared. Rather, we had to organize everything by ourselves. By the time we had booked our tickets to Boston, we became aware that flights like these (crossing half of the planet) lead to high greenhouse gas emissions. </br>
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It seemed kind of contradictory to think about world changing biology ideas while at the same time almost completely forgetting the effects on the environment of our project itself. We thought about compensation ways for our flights like planting trees and where we could reduce greenhouse gas emission in lab work. That’s when the idea of iGEM goes green started.  
+
It seemed kind of contradictory to develop world-changing biological ideas, while at the same time doing harm to the environment. We thought about ways to compensate for that; such as planting trees and finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas emission during our lab work. That’s where the idea of iGEM goes green started.  
 
</p>
 
</p>
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    <figure>
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      <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/a/af/T--TU_Dresden--GG_Flights.jpg"
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          alt="Airplane" class="zoom"
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          style="width: 32%;"
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          class="makeresponsive">
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      <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/8/88/T--TU_Dresden--GG_Meeting2.jpeg"
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          alt="Meeting" class="zoom"
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          style="width: 32%;"
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          class="makeresponsive">
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      <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/9/96/T--TU_Dresden--GG_Materials.jpg"
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          alt="Labmaterials" class="zoom"
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          style="width: 32%;"
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          class="makeresponsive">
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    </figure>
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</div>
 
</div>
  
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<h1 class="box-heading">Where we started</h1>
 
<h1 class="box-heading">Where we started</h1>
 
<p class="survey-quote">
 
<p class="survey-quote">
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“Initially, I thought it is going to be a small subproject. It all started with the idea of planting trees as an symbolic act. I liked the idea from the very beginning. In the end, it turned out to be so much more!”
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“Initially, I thought it is going to be a small subproject. It all started with the idea of planting trees as an symbolic act. I liked the idea from the very beginning. In the end, it turned out to be so much more!”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;-iGEM TU Dresden team member
 
</p>
 
</p>
  
 
<p>
 
<p>
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What seemed like a simple idea initially, became more complicated by trying to find more information about how to reduce the CO2 emissions of a biological laboratory. Due to the high security regulations in biological laboratories it is often not possible to turn off devices and systems (e.g. ventilation) to save energy and the ecological handling of working materials is difficult.   
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What seemed like a simple idea initially, became more complicated by trying to find more information about how to reduce the CO<sub>2</sub> emissions of a biological laboratory. Due to the high security regulations in biological laboratories it is often not possible to turn off devices and systems (e.g. ventilation) to save energy and the ecological handling of working materials is difficult.   
  
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In the beginning we spent a lot of time investigating options and possibilities for planting trees, getting familiar with CO2 compensation, looking for collaborating partners and support. Therefore, we had to face some problems with university regulations and different opinions about sustainability in our team. Nevertheless, we were a motivated and dedicated group of people to realize our idea of a sustainable iGEM project.  
+
In the beginning, we spent a lot of time investigating options and possibilities for planting trees, getting familiar with CO<sub>2</sub> compensation, looking for collaborating partners and support. Therefore, we had to face some problems with university regulations and different opinions about sustainability in our team. Nevertheless, we were a motivated and dedicated group of people to realize our idea of a sustainable iGEM project.  
 
</p>
 
</p>
  
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<h1 class="box-heading">Our Vision</h1>
 
<h1 class="box-heading">Our Vision</h1>
 
<p>
 
<p>
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We believe that iGEM goes green has the potential to last longer than one iGEM year and we hope that the idea behind it is carried on throughout the years. Maybe sustainable involvement can even become a medal criterion one day. We want to convince research groups and iGEM teams worldwide that with a small effort research and especially lab work can be organized more sustainable and eco-friendlier.  Join the movement and come to the green side! </b> </p>
+
We believe that iGEM goes green has the potential to last longer than one iGEM year and we hope that the idea behind it is carried on throughout the years. Maybe sustainable involvement can even become a medal criterion one day. We want to convince research groups and iGEM teams worldwide that with a small effort research and especially lab work can be organized in a more sustainable and eco-friendly manner.  Join the movement and come to the green side! </b> </p>
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<figure class="makeresponsive" >
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      <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/a/a2/T--TU_Dresden--A_Vision1.jpeg"
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          alt="iGEM goes green logo" class="zoom">
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</figure>
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Latest revision as of 22:08, 1 November 2017

Start Saving While Researching!

What is iGEM goes green?

How sustainable is lab work? How much energy does a freezer consume or how many pipette tips do we use?

iGEM goes green logo

Research projects often aim at making the world a better place, but at the same time they consume a lot of materials and energy. The iGEM competition encourages teams to also consider the environmental implications of their projects, and so the team of TU Dresden decided to go one step further. We want to take responsibility for the environmental impact of our whole project and our team. With the “iGEM goes green” initiative we want to share the ecological improvements of our work and encourage as many teams as possible to get involved.

To easily share our idea and prospects with other iGEM Teams, we have collected all our information and ideas about an environmentally-conscious project in our “GoGreenGuide”. Furthermore, we calculated the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions) of our lab work and offered this option to other teams as well with our own created GHG emissions calculation tool. For the development of the guideline as well as the calculation tool we also got in contact with some experts in the field of sustainability and exchanged views with the existing community.

Our vision is to encourage not only other iGEM teams but also research groups worldwide to join the green movement.

Trailer

How we became green

“Climate change is one of the biggest challenges that humanity faces, and therefore we should think and act sustainably in our everyday life. Science is the basis of innovation, and that´s why we believe that, as young scientists, we bear a special responsibility for guiding our society to more sustainability.”         -iGEM TU Dresden team member

In November 2016 our team first got together to plan our project for the iGEM Competition 2017. Starting with fundraising, developing project ideas and setting up our lab made us realize how much material and devices we were going to need. For the first time, we were not only students attending a practical course or working in an already equipped lab where everything was prepared. Rather, we had to organize everything by ourselves. By the time we had booked our tickets to Boston, we became aware that flights like these (crossing half of the planet) lead to high greenhouse gas emissions.
It seemed kind of contradictory to develop world-changing biological ideas, while at the same time doing harm to the environment. We thought about ways to compensate for that; such as planting trees and finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas emission during our lab work. That’s where the idea of iGEM goes green started.

Airplane Meeting Labmaterials

Where we started

“Initially, I thought it is going to be a small subproject. It all started with the idea of planting trees as an symbolic act. I liked the idea from the very beginning. In the end, it turned out to be so much more!”         -iGEM TU Dresden team member

What seemed like a simple idea initially, became more complicated by trying to find more information about how to reduce the CO2 emissions of a biological laboratory. Due to the high security regulations in biological laboratories it is often not possible to turn off devices and systems (e.g. ventilation) to save energy and the ecological handling of working materials is difficult. In the beginning, we spent a lot of time investigating options and possibilities for planting trees, getting familiar with CO2 compensation, looking for collaborating partners and support. Therefore, we had to face some problems with university regulations and different opinions about sustainability in our team. Nevertheless, we were a motivated and dedicated group of people to realize our idea of a sustainable iGEM project.

Our Vision

We believe that iGEM goes green has the potential to last longer than one iGEM year and we hope that the idea behind it is carried on throughout the years. Maybe sustainable involvement can even become a medal criterion one day. We want to convince research groups and iGEM teams worldwide that with a small effort research and especially lab work can be organized in a more sustainable and eco-friendly manner. Join the movement and come to the green side!

iGEM goes green logo