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− | <h1 class="box-heading"> | + | <h1 class="box-heading">Embracing Sustainability</h1> |
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For a detailed look on our consumptions and calculations check out our Excel file: <a class="excel-resources" href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/9/9c/T--TU_Dresden--GG_CalculationTU.xlsx">Our carbon footprint of labwork</a> | For a detailed look on our consumptions and calculations check out our Excel file: <a class="excel-resources" href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/9/9c/T--TU_Dresden--GG_CalculationTU.xlsx">Our carbon footprint of labwork</a> | ||
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<h3>Travel</h3> | <h3>Travel</h3> | ||
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<p>To estimate the carbon foodprint of our travel, we used the online tool from <b>atmosfair</b>, accessable at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.atmosfair.de/en/kompensieren/flug" style="color: green">https://www.atmosfair.de</a>. </p> | <p>To estimate the carbon foodprint of our travel, we used the online tool from <b>atmosfair</b>, accessable at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.atmosfair.de/en/kompensieren/flug" style="color: green">https://www.atmosfair.de</a>. </p> | ||
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<h3>Avoiding power consumption of devices in the standby mode</h3> | <h3>Avoiding power consumption of devices in the standby mode</h3> | ||
− | <p>We found out that some of our lab devices (e.g. scales and photometers) always consume power although they seemed to be turned off. This is because of the standby mode. Some devices have an additional switch to disconnect from the mains. For those that cannot be turned off completely we decided to pull the plug if the device is not in use for longer periods of time. | + | <p>We found out that some of our lab devices (e.g. scales and photometers) always consume power although they seemed to be turned off. This is because of the standby mode. Some devices have an additional switch to disconnect from the mains. For those that cannot be turned off completely, we decided to pull the plug if the device is not in use for longer periods of time. Thereby allowing us to save energy without effort. </p> |
<h3>Reconsidering working routines</h3> | <h3>Reconsidering working routines</h3> | ||
− | <p>By sharing devices and thoroughly planning | + | <p>By sharing devices and by thoroughly planning experiments, no-load running can be avoided and thus power consumption can be reduced. Sometimes it is reasonable to (literally) go the extra mile and incubate your plates in the 37°C room (if there is one at your institute), instead of turning on the incubator in your lab for incubating one petri dish. We tried to share as many devices as possible; such as our ultra-low temperature freezer, our ice-machine, autoclaves, thermocycler, plate reader, etc with other working groups at our institute. Furthermore, we collected media and materials of the whole team for autoclaving or tried to autoclave our stuff together with materials that were needed for practical courses anyways. Reconsidering working routines means also to differentiate between reasonable actions and convenience. Is it really necessary that computers or incubators are running at all times? </p> |
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<h3>Reconsidering machine settings</h3> | <h3>Reconsidering machine settings</h3> | ||
<h4>Ultra-low-temperature freezer</h4> | <h4>Ultra-low-temperature freezer</h4> | ||
− | <p>The power consumption of just one | + | <p>The power consumption of just one ultra-low temperaturefreezer is equal to that of 2-3 average german households. <a target="_blank" href="http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/average-household-electricity-consumption" style="color: green">[1]</a>. That is why we have set our minds to raising the temperature of our ultra-low temperature freezer from -80°C to -70°C which saves up to 40% of its total energy consumption <a target="_blank" href="http://www.freezerchallenge.org/temperature-tuning.html" style="color: green">[2]</a>. It was not hard to convince the head of our institution of this action, as he has an interest in prolonging the longevity of his device. This is due to that fact that raising the temperature of the freezer reduces the burden on the compressor, making a failure of the system less likely. There is a lot of proof as well, that the sample quality is not influenced by storage at -70°C (have a look at this list of <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13UvBeoXAhwSHshSYoUDHwcxWiW7qYLnUb-eLwxJbCYs/edit#gid=0" style="color:green"><b>successfully preserved samples</b></a> ).</p> |
− | <p>Surprisingly | + | <p>Surprisingly, setting deep-freezers to -80°C is only a result of marketing strategies and not done out of necessity. When we communicated our findings to other working groups they were surprised and open-minded, so that now a handful of our collaborator's freezers are also set to -70°C, with hopefully more to follow.</p> |
<h4>Autoclave</h4> | <h4>Autoclave</h4> | ||
− | <p>When we were looking into our working routines, we noticed that our default setting for the autoclave was at 134°C. As it is one of the devices with a high power consumption we tried to find ways of reducing its | + | <p>When we were looking into our working routines, we noticed that our default setting for the autoclave was at 134°C. As it is one of the devices with a high power consumption we tried to find ways of reducing its runtime. A quick google search revealed that a setting of 121°C is more than sufficient when working with S1 organisms. Higher temperatures are only necessary for persistent pathogens like prions. So of course, we adapted the settings to minimize the autoclaves power consumption.</p> |
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<h3>German-wide Meetup/ GoGreen workshop</h3> | <h3>German-wide Meetup/ GoGreen workshop</h3> | ||
− | <p>In the beginning of July, we hosted a <a href="https://2017.igem.org/Team:TU_Dresden/Collaborations#GWM" style="color: green"><b>German-wide Meetup</b></a> in Dresden with members of 13 German iGEM teams | + | <p>In the beginning of July, we hosted a <a href="https://2017.igem.org/Team:TU_Dresden/Collaborations#GWM" style="color: green"><b>German-wide Meetup</b></a> in Dresden with members of 13 German iGEM teams in attendance. Hosting a big event like that required a lot of organization and therefore sticking to our sustainability goals was challenging. In addition to getting to know the other teams, their projects, and looking for collaboration possibilities; we were also thrilled to share our iGEM goes green concept with the German iGEM community.<p> |
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− | <p>The following aspects of the meetup were the parts where we especially tried to act in an | + | <p>The following aspects of the meetup were the parts where we especially tried to act in an eco-friendly manner: </p> |
<h4>The Food</h4> | <h4>The Food</h4> | ||
− | <p>Providing a dinner for about 50 people on a small budget was a big challenge. But we made it our goal to greatly reduce the amount of animal products on the menu. Our Tortilla Party evening was a great success | + | <p>Providing a dinner for about 50 people on a small budget was a big challenge. But we made it our goal to greatly reduce the amount of animal products on the menu. Our Tortilla Party evening was a great success! |
− | In the end the total amount of meat provided was reduced to only 4 kg of organic chicken | + | In the end, the total amount of meat provided was reduced to only 4 kg of organic chicken; since livestock is one of the main contributors to GHG emissions. All of the other fillings for the Tortilla wraps were vegetarian and vegan (and also yummy!). </p> |
− | <p>Furthermore, we purchased some of our vegetables as well as fruits for coffee breaks from the German foodbank organization “Die Tafel” which is a charitable organization that distributes food that cannot be sold in supermarkets anymore. In this way we could “save” groceries from being wasted. | + | <p>Furthermore, we purchased some of our vegetables as well as fruits for coffee breaks from the German foodbank organization “Die Tafel” - which is a charitable organization that distributes food that cannot be sold in supermarkets anymore. In this way we could “save” groceries from being wasted. |
<h4>The Tableware</h4> | <h4>The Tableware</h4> | ||
− | <p>A big goal of the meetup was to keep the waste | + | <p>A big goal of the meetup was to keep the waste products as small as possible. Therefore, we organized porcelain mugs for the coffee breaks and porcelain dishes for our Tortilla party in the evening. The big advantage was that we did not have to use disposable plastic tableware that would have been thrown away afterward. </p> |
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<h4>Workshop</h4> | <h4>Workshop</h4> | ||
− | <p>During the | + | <p>During the Meetup we presented the general concept of iGEM goes green in form of a workshop, in which we gave tips and instructions on how to improve sustainable scientific lab-work. After a group work task, where the participants could get creative with their own ideas for sustainable research, we showed clear ways to reduce GHG emissions and gave examples on how to calculate the carbon footprint of lab work. </p> |
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<h1 id="compensation" class="box-heading">Compensating</h1> | <h1 id="compensation" class="box-heading">Compensating</h1> | ||
− | <p>Unfortunately, some emissions cannot be avoided. Therefore, we | + | <p>Unfortunately, some emissions cannot be avoided. Therefore, we looked into ways to compensate our unavoidable emissions.</p> |
<h2 id="tree"> Planting a tree</h2> | <h2 id="tree"> Planting a tree</h2> | ||
− | <p>Our initial idea, to plant enough trees to compensate for the CO<sub>2</sub> emission | + | <p>Our initial idea, to plant enough trees to compensate for the CO<sub>2</sub> emission was dismissed very soon, when we figured out that, depending on the calculator we used, we would have to plant about 200 trees. Due to the lack of space and money for a small forest, we decided to compensate for the emissions in other ways. Nevertheless, the idea of planting a tree was stuck in our heads and is also represented in our logo. In the end, we decided to plant one tree as a symbolic act for our go green initiative. Now we are proud patrons of a tree (<i>Quercus macrocarpa</i>) in the Forest Park Tharandt near Dresden. </p> |
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<p>Early on in our project we realized that compensating for our GHG emissions would be expensive. Finding sponsors to pay for all the material, registration fees and flights for our team was challenging enough. The decision to donate money to a non-profit organization to compensate for our flights was easy enough to make, but where would the money come from?</p> | <p>Early on in our project we realized that compensating for our GHG emissions would be expensive. Finding sponsors to pay for all the material, registration fees and flights for our team was challenging enough. The decision to donate money to a non-profit organization to compensate for our flights was easy enough to make, but where would the money come from?</p> | ||
− | <p>Luckily, New England Biolabs hosted two creative competitions in the last year. The NEB Upcycle challenge asked the participants to find a new use for one of their products packaging. Totally supporting the idea of reusing and upcycling old material as part of | + | <p>Luckily, New England Biolabs hosted two creative competitions in the last year. The NEB Upcycle challenge asked the participants to find a new use for one of their products packaging. Totally supporting the idea of reusing and upcycling old material as part of the "iGEM goes green" initiative, Anastasia and Labu created a video projector for mobile phones from the NEB box. Although our contribution was featured in the newsletter of NEB, our project was unfortunately not chosen as the winner. </p> |
− | <p>In September NEB hosted yet another competition asking this time for nature pictures for a calendar and we tried our luck again. We contributed with a beautiful image of a bleeding heart flower taken by | + | <p>In September NEB hosted yet another competition asking this time for nature pictures for a calendar, and so we tried our luck again. We contributed with a beautiful image of a bleeding heart flower taken by our talented teammember: Nina. The picture actually won over the judges and it was chosen to become part of the calendar. It was awarded with 500€ for either NEB products or as a donation for a charitable organization. </p> |
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− | <p>These 500€ were donated to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.wilderness-international.org/" style="color:green"><b>Wilderness International</b></a> a non-profit organization based in Dresden | + | <p>These 500€ were donated to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.wilderness-international.org/" style="color:green"><b>Wilderness International</b></a>; a non-profit organization based in Dresden that aims to preserve a temperate rainforest in Canada that is endangered by the wood and mining industry. The money is used to guarantee a long-term nature conservation of a 640 m<sup>2</sup> forest. </p> |
− | <p>We are very happy for the possibility to donate this money to Wilderness International as a compensation for our GHG emissions | + | <p>We are very happy for the possibility to donate this money to Wilderness International as a compensation for our GHG emissions! In the following years, these centuries-old trees will convert CO<sub>2</sub> into biomass and therefore, make up for the emissions we caused with our flights. Of course this is a rather naive calculation, as this will not solve the problem of humankind's enormous GHG emissions in the long run. But saving a rainforest from deforestation is a good place to start fighting global warming. Hopefully in the future we will have deployed new methods for climate-friendly transport.</p> |
</div> | </div> | ||
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<h1 class="box-heading">Inspiring</h1> | <h1 class="box-heading">Inspiring</h1> | ||
− | <p>With calculating our GHG emissions and collecting our ideas for sustainable iGEM projects and benchwork we also wanted to be an example for others. We thought about what we can do to help other teams | + | <p>With calculating our GHG emissions and collecting our ideas for sustainable iGEM projects and benchwork we also wanted to be an example for others. We thought about what we can do to help other teams adapt our work to become part of iGEM goes green and how our approach could be used in other research groups worldwide.</p> |
<p>The result were three different resources freely available for <a target=_blank href="https://github.com/igem-dresden/GoGreenGuide/releases/tag/v1.0" style="color: green"><b>download</b></a>:</p> | <p>The result were three different resources freely available for <a target=_blank href="https://github.com/igem-dresden/GoGreenGuide/releases/tag/v1.0" style="color: green"><b>download</b></a>:</p> | ||
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<div class="makeresponsive" style="width: 33%;display: table-cell;"> | <div class="makeresponsive" style="width: 33%;display: table-cell;"> | ||
<h3><a href="https://2017.igem.org/Team:TU_Dresden/iGEM-goes-green/Resources#poster" style="color: green">The Green Your Lab Poster</a></h3> | <h3><a href="https://2017.igem.org/Team:TU_Dresden/iGEM-goes-green/Resources#poster" style="color: green">The Green Your Lab Poster</a></h3> | ||
− | <p>The most important lab work | + | <p>The most important lab work with relevant tips are summarized in a poster. It was created to hang it on the wall in labs as a reminder to work greener.</p> |
<h3><a href="https://2017.igem.org/Team:TU_Dresden/iGEM-goes-green/Resources#calculator" style="color: green">The iGEM Goes Green GHG Emissions Calculator</a></h3> | <h3><a href="https://2017.igem.org/Team:TU_Dresden/iGEM-goes-green/Resources#calculator" style="color: green">The iGEM Goes Green GHG Emissions Calculator</a></h3> | ||
− | <p>This Excel based tool offers teams the opportunity to calculate their team´s carbon footprint that is related to the laboratory work. Consumables, heating and electricity consumptions can be entered to get a summary of the GHG emissions of the lab. </p></div> | + | <p>This Excel based tool offers teams the opportunity to calculate their team´s carbon footprint that is related to the laboratory work. Consumables, heating, and electricity consumptions can be entered to get a summary of the GHG emissions of the lab. </p></div> |
<hr> | <hr> | ||
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<h2>Spreading our idea of a greener iGEM</h2> | <h2>Spreading our idea of a greener iGEM</h2> | ||
− | <p>The efficiency of a sustainability project increases drastically with the number of people involved in the idea. Moreover, we realized | + | <p>The efficiency of a sustainability project increases drastically with the number of people involved in the idea. Moreover, we realized that many scientists never actively think about sustainable research and that the information you can find about the topic are very limited. Therefore, it was very clear from the beginning that our aim was to convince as many teams and research groups as possible to take part because, we noticed that iGEM goes green has the potential to become something great.</p> |
<h3>The Trailer</h3> | <h3>The Trailer</h3> | ||
<p>We created a short video to introduce our idea to other teams and people.<p> | <p>We created a short video to introduce our idea to other teams and people.<p> | ||
− | <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%;"> | + | <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"> |
This video is not available for your browser<br/> | This video is not available for your browser<br/> | ||
This video is a trailer for iGEM goes green. | This video is a trailer for iGEM goes green. | ||
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<h3>Social Media</h3> | <h3>Social Media</h3> | ||
− | <p>Today the easiest way to efficiently share your ideas with the world is social media. We created a Facebook and an Instagram account where we inform people about our progress and share sustainable lab work tips.</p> | + | <p>Today, the easiest way to efficiently share your ideas with the world is social media. We created a Facebook and an Instagram account where we inform people about our progress and share sustainable lab work tips.</p> |
<figure> | <figure> | ||
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<h1 class="box-heading">Vision</h1> | <h1 class="box-heading">Vision</h1> | ||
− | <p style="color:green"><b>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- | + | <p style="color:green"><b>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 amount of effort, research and especially lab work can be organized in a much more sustainable and eco-friendly manner.</b></p> |
Latest revision as of 16:25, 13 December 2017