Editing Laboratory (section)

== Sustainability ==
The effects of [[climate change]] are becoming more of a concern for organizations, and [[Climate change mitigation|mitigation strategies]] are being sought by the research community. While many laboratories are used to perform research to find innovative solutions to this global challenge, sustainable working practices in the labs are also contributing factors towards a greener environment. Many labs are already trying to minimize their [[environmental impact]] by reducing energy consumption, recycling, and implementing waste sorting processes to ensure correct disposal.

=== Best practice ===
Research labs featuring energy-intensive equipment, use up to three to five times more energy per square meter than office areas.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Adding efficiency to general lab equipment|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/adding-efficiency-general-lab-equipment|access-date=2021-09-07|website=www.science.org|language=en|archive-date=2021-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907145955/https://www.science.org/content/article/adding-efficiency-general-lab-equipment|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Fume hoods ====

Presumably the major contributor to this high energy consumption are [[fume hood]]s.<ref name=":1" /> Significant impact can be achieved by keeping the opening height as low as possible when working and keeping them closed when not in use. One possibility to help with this, could be to install automatic systems, which close the hoods after an inactivity period of a certain length and turn off the lights as well. So the flow can be regulated better and is not unnecessarily kept at a very high level.

==== Freezers ====

Normally, [[ULT freezer|ULT freezers]] are kept at −80 °C. One such device can consume up to the same amount of energy as a single-family household (25 kWh/day).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cold Storage|url=https://ehs.mit.edu/cold-storage/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-07|archive-date=2021-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907170211/https://ehs.mit.edu/cold-storage/}}</ref> Increasing the temperature to −70 °C makes it possible to use 40% less energy and still keep most samples safely stored.<ref>{{Cite web|title=-70 is the new -80|url=https://www.mygreenlab.org/-70-is-the-new--80.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-07|archive-date=2021-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907170206/https://www.mygreenlab.org/-70-is-the-new--80.html}}</ref>

==== Air condensers ====

Minimizing the consumption of water can be achieved by changing from water-cooled condensers ([[Condenser (laboratory)|''Dimroth'' condenser]]) to air-cooled condensers ([[Condenser (laboratory)|''Vigreux'' column]]), which take advantage of the large surface area to cool.

==== Laboratory electronics ====

The use of ovens is very helpful to dry glassware, but those installations can consume a lot of energy. Employing timers to regulate their use during nights and weekends, can reduce their impact on energy consumption enormously.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-08|title=Glassware Ovens Don't Need to be on 24/7/365|url=https://towardsgreenresearch.wordpress.com/2021/06/08/glassware-ovens-dont-need-to-be-on-24-7-365/|access-date=2021-09-07|website=Towards Greener Research|language=en|archive-date=2021-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907145955/https://towardsgreenresearch.wordpress.com/2021/06/08/glassware-ovens-dont-need-to-be-on-24-7-365/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Waste sorting and disposal ====

The disposal of chemically/biologically contaminated waste requires a lot of energy. Regular waste however requires much less energy or can even be recycled to some degree. Not every object in a lab is contaminated, but often ends up in the contaminated waste, driving up energy costs for waste disposal. A good sorting and recycling system for non contaminated lab waste will allow lab users to act sustainably and correctly dispose of waste.

=== Networks ===


As of 2021, there are numerous laboratories currently dedicating time and resources to move towards more sustainable lab practices at their facilities, e.g.  MIT<ref>{{Cite web|title=MIT green lab|url=https://greenlab.mit.edu/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-07|archive-date=2021-04-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405200855/https://greenlab.mit.edu/}}</ref> and the university of Edingburgh.<ref>{{Cite web|title=University of Edingburgh|url=https://www.ed.ac.uk/sustainability/what-we-do/laboratories|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-07|archive-date=2021-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907144832/https://www.ed.ac.uk/sustainability/what-we-do/laboratories}}</ref> Furthermore, several networks have emerged such as [https://greenyourlab.org Green Your Lab],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Green Your Lab Network|url=https://network.greenyourlab.org/|url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-27|archive-date=2022-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227200814/https://network.greenyourlab.org/}}</ref> [https://towardsgreenresearch.wordpress.com/ Towards greener research], the [https://www.bristol.ac.uk/green/get-involved/green-labs/lean/ UK-based network LEAN], the [https://www.nachhaltigkeitsnetzwerk.mpg.de/ Max-Planck-Sustainability network], and national platforms such as [https://greenlabsaustria.at/ green labs austria] and [https://www.greenlabs-nl.eu/ green labs NL]. More university independent efforts and resources include the [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sustainable/staff/labs/take-part-leaf Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework], the think-tank [https://labos1point5.org/ labos1point5] and the [https://www.mygreenlab.org/ non-profit organisation my green lab].