Welcome to the Sustainable Labs Initiative
Welcome to the Sustainable Labs Initiative
The Sustainable Labs Initiative (SLI) is dedicated to fostering a culture of sustainability within research laboratories at the University of Rochester. By addressing the environmental impact of laboratory practices, we aim to foster eco-conscious research, reduce waste, enhance resource efficiency, and implement sustainable solutions to ensure a healthier planet.
Our vision is to lead the scientific community in adopting environmentally conscious practices by integrating sustainability into every aspect of research operations.
We encourage investigators to take part in our sustainable labs campaign this Spring 2025 semester by taking the pledge to creating a more sustainable laboratory culture at UR and participating in the following events:
Freezer Challenge (January - June 2025)
Investigators for Sustainable Labs training (February 2025) https://forms.gle/RCYCpx6krK214G1U8
Laboratory Spring Cleaning Month (March 2025) https://forms.gle/pqNtdvdYbLHcYnXf6
Freezer Challenge (January - June 2025)
The University of Rochester is proud to participate in the 2025 International Laboratory Freezer Challenge for the first time, organized by My Green Lab with the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL). Laboratory fridges and freezers are essential for scientific discovery and the betterment of human health—but Ultra Low-temperature freezers could be consuming the same amount of energy each day as a small house!
We encourage you to join this free competition, which has saved over 44.7 million kWh of energy over 7 years (equivalent to the electricity used by 6,100 homes for one year). Through the Freezer Challenge, your lab’s cold storage can be optimized for better sample access, sample integrity, reduced costs, and energy savings. Join the 2025 International Laboratory Freezer Challenge, and over six months, implement tried-and-true best practices for your refrigerators and freezers. UR Sustainability is supporting investigators through this 6 month challenge, January - June 2025. We encourage you to sign up by contacting sustainability@rochester.edu.
Investigators for Sustainable Labs training (February 2025):
SLI hosted an Investigators for Sustainable Labs training series to train the next generation of investigators in green lab practices. This training series was sponsored by URMC MyHub and utilized the My Green Labs Ambassador program as the training platform. This training series included guest speakers from University departments such as sustainability, facilities, and the Biological Supply C, that led discussions on current practices at UR. The instructor of the training was Dr. Samantha Romanick, a My Green Labs Accredited Professional and a microplastics researcher in the department of Biomedical Engineering with a passion and goal to inspire the practice of sustainable habits by investigators inside the laboratory at UR. We have successfully certified over 12 My Green Lab Ambassadors through this training. If you are interested in becoming a My Green Lab Ambassador, we encourage you to complete the online training through the My Green Labs Ambassador program.
Laboratory Spring Cleaning Month (March 2025):
Each week of March we will be organizing a spring cleaning event, from repurposing name plates, recycling styrofoam coolers, and freezer cleanouts. Look out for more details of these upcoming events or signup to our email list to be notified for more details: https://forms.gle/pqNtdvdYbLHcYnXf6
Each week of March we will be organizing a Laboratory Spring Cleaning Event:
- March 3rd – 7th: Name Plate Repurposing. Drop off name plates at the Biological Supply Store located in the School of Medicine and Dentistry, Room G8633, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Do you have old name plates from previous students/faculty/staff hanging around your lab or office? If so, we want them! As part of the University’s Reuse programs, name plates are recycled or repurposed. Please participate by dropping off name plates during our collection hours.
- March 10th: Styrofoam Cooler Clean Out. Get those piles of stored Styrofoam ready for recycling! SLI will be collecting Styrofoam coolers on both medical and river campuses. We will be collecting in the Medical Center SMD Flaum Atrium 9:00 am – 11:00 am and again on the River Campus Goergen Hall Munnerlyn Atrium 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm. Coolers will be dropped off to Thermal Foams for recycling. ALL STYROFOAM needs to BE #6 POLYSTYRENE (PS), and FREE of TAPE, STICKERS, & GLUE RESIDUE. FOAM FOOD CONTAINERS, #5 POLYPROPYLENE (PP), & CARDBOARD WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED! Please reach out to Samantha Romanick (sromanic@ur.rochester.edu) with any questions. Download a PDF flyer here and advertise the event!
- March 17th – 21st: Freezer cleanout, as part of the freezer challenge. Join us in cleaning out your freezers! Any small action will make an impact, from defrosting your freezers to simply reorganizing your inventory. Please contact Alan or Phil for more information on how you can contribute to the freezer challenge and the best ways to clean out your freezers this week, or anytime through June 2025.
From repurposing name plates, recycling styrofoam coolers, and freezer cleanouts. Look out for more details of these upcoming events or signup to our email list to be notified for more details https://forms.gle/pqNtdvdYbLHcYnXf6
