Green Lab Research Articles

Operational Excellence by Implementation of 5S Concepts and Lean Management Practices in Vivarium

Modern vivarium operation requires collective efforts by cross-functional teams especially within the collaborative research organizations for the successful outcomes of comprehensive laboratory animal care program. The drug discovery with rapid screening turnovers and innovative approaches demands infrastructure expansion by increasing several other capabilities in vivarium. The strategic portfolio changes and therapeutic areas closure retained several high-end equipment’s left unused that eventually occupied space in the barrier system which intricate daily operations and space management became challenging over the period. The vivarium facility was under continuous improvement by the quality assurance program based on monthly independent audit reports and compiled the compliance including animal welfare standards of at least 5 years period. Corporate initiatives such as Kaizen events, 5S concepts, Gemba walk and green labs certifications were implemented systematically at various phases across the organization including vivarium. The leadership team was a driving force behind the lean management practices and its implementation. The quality assurance program was able to bring out several improved operational processes notably by creating an additional quarantine space; repurposing high-end equipment for other investigators to support their ongoing programs; effective space utilization by creating in-house diagnostic laboratory; donating low-density animal racks for academic institutions as part of educational outreach efforts; containment of solid radioactive waste disposal by compaction process for longer half-life radioisotopes. In conclusion, lean management practices collectively demonstrated a measurable outcome in terms of continuous process improvement, effective vivarium management by ensuring compliance based on periodical observations without compromising animal welfare, conservation of energy and resources, effective space utilization and systematic implementation of 5S concepts by repurposing of equipment to other laboratories. Overall, the system-driven process has improved the standards with better performance that eventually enhanced the quality and productivity at the laboratory animal facility

The future of scientific labs: how we are making our research more sustainable.

The need for climate action is becoming increasingly urgent, and research labs need to be part of the solution. Scientific labs consume large amounts of energy and water and produce significant waste. Globally, scientific research generates over 5.5 million tons of plastic waste annually, which is ~2% of the world's plastic waste. Recognizing the need for sustainability in research, the La Trobe Green Labs program leads this effort in Australia. Since receiving Australia's first "MyGreenLab" certification in 2021, a dedicated steering committee of volunteers has driven successful green initiatives at La Trobe University. The program ensures proper implementation of sustainable practices, enhanced safety and integration with existing operations. More importantly, these small changes will initiate wide-scale and long-term transformations that will improve research into more sustainable options for the future.

Green Labs Austria: Pioneering sustainability in scientific research

While scientific research plays a crucial role in developing solutions to the imminent threat of climate change, research labs across the world are significantly exacerbating the problem through extreme energy usage and excessive plastic consumption. To explore ways scientists can minimize the environmental impacts of their research, MIT Science Policy Review spoke with Dr. Melina Kerou, a Senior Scientist at the University of Vienna, and Dr. Philipp Weber, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Vienna and Sustainability Project Officer at the European Molecular Biology Organization. Drs. Kerou and Weber are two of the co-founders of Green Labs Austria (GLA), a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the carbon footprint of research settings by promoting sustainable practices, providing resources, and raising awareness of key issues hindering progress in combating climate change. In our conversation, Drs. Kerou and Weber shared the inspiration behind founding GLA, the necessity for sustainability to become an integral part of all research practices, and the benefits of creating networks and collaborations to promote sustainable methods in laboratories across Europe and beyond.

Feedback from the Science Café roundtables at the ninth European Bioanalysis Forum Young Scientist Symposium: optimizing the work-life balance in a bioanalytical laboratory.

As part of the European Bioanalysis Forum's continued commitment to develop young scientists beyond their scientific skills, we also focus on soft skills and a community responsibility during the Young Scientist Symposia, with the Science Café. In previous years, we have focused on topics such as sustainability (green lab) or the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on career development. At the ninth Young Scientist Symposium, the Science Café roundtables focused on the work-life balance and how caring for it can be beneficial for both the individual and the company. Feedback from a premeeting survey and from the discussions during the roundtables can be an important addition to personal and professional development. If organizations are not already focusing on the importance of a healthy work-life balance, they can be inspired to include some aspects of the outcome of the Science Café discussions when developing their staff toward future (scientific) leadership.

Green labs: Implementing sustainable practices in medical laboratories

Green labs: Implementing sustainable practices in medical laboratories

Green Labs: How Scientists Can Help Fight Climate Change

The healthcare industry creates 4.4% of the world’s carbon emissions. To put this into perspective, if the healthcare industry were a country, it would be the fifth-largest carbon emitter on the planet. The goal of the healthcare industry is to create new, life-saving treatments for patients, but it also produces a lot of waste that cannot be recycled, such as plastic and chemicals. Additionally, this industry uses a lot of non-renewable energy. The Green Lab Project is a worldwide, 10-year-old program attempting to reduce the carbon emissions caused by the activities of scientists within the healthcare industry. The Green Lab project arrived at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) in 2020, at the request of a group of postdocs, graduate students, and employees. The BCH Green Labs group is working to sponsor environment-protecting projects and educate BCH scientists to adopt more responsible, informed, and “greener” work practices. This article will describe ways that BCH scientists are trying to reduce lab waste and energy consumption, including sharing equipment and materials to limit waste production, cleaning freezers regularly, and using outlet timers to avoid wasting energy.

Lab sustainability programs LEAF and My Green Lab®: impact, user experience & suitability

Sustainable lab programs such as LEAF or My Green Lab® help make research labs more sustainable. The article provides a decision-making aid by comparing the programs, their impact and by a quantitative analysis of the user experience of the programs.

The relevance of sustainable laboratory practices.

Scientists are of key importance to the society to advocate awareness of the climate crisis and its underlying scientific evidence and provide solutions for a sustainable future. As much as scientific research has led to great achievements and benefits, traditional laboratory practices come with unintended environmental consequences. Scientists, while providing solutions to climate problems and educating the young innovators of the future, are also part of the problem: excessive energy consumption, (hazardous) waste generation, and resource depletion. Through their own research operations, science, research and laboratories have a significant carbon footprint and contribute to the climate crisis. Climate change requires a rapid response across all sectors of society, modeled by inspiring leaders. A broader scientific community that takes concrete actions would serve as an important step in convincing the general public of similar actions. Over the past years, grassroots movements across the sciences have recognized the overlooked impact of the scientific enterprise, and so-called Green Lab initiatives emerged seeking to address the environmental footprint of research. Driven by the voluntary efforts of researchers and staff, they educate peers, develop sustainability guidelines, write scientific publications and maintain accreditation frameworks. With this perspective we want to advocate for and spark leadership to promote a systemic change in laboratory practices and approach to research. Comprehensive evidence for the environmental impact of laboratories and their root-causes is presented, expanded with data from a current case study of the University of Groningen showcasing annual savings of 398 763 € as well as 477.1 tons of CO2e. This is followed by guidelines for sustainable lab practices and hands-on advice on how to achieve a systemic change at research institutions and industry. How can we expect industry, politics, and society to change, if we as scientists are not changing either? Scientists should lead by example and practice the change they want to see.

Uniting through green chemistry lab a inclusive, responsive pedagogical approach. Experiences from Malaysia

There has been a noticeable surge in the number of publications focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion within the realm of chemistry education. While these publications have shed light on various strategies to foster gender and ethnic equality, a consensus is emerging regarding the integration of these concerns into the landscape of chemistry education. Notably, in Malaysia, where this study was conducted, there has been limited emphasis on inclusivity in chemistry education. This study aims to introduce "UnityChem: Uniting Through Green Chemistry Lab," an innovative and inclusive pedagogical approach designed to bridge this gap. The approach focuses on training a group of 35 pre-service chemistry teachers on inclusivity in chemistry education. At the heart of UnityChem lies the application of green chemistry as a foundational framework for teaching and learning, with a specific emphasis on transesterification chemistry. This approach actively involves students through hands-on activities, leveraging green chemistry principles to produce biodiesel from a variety of vegetable oils. UnityChem intentionally incorporates articles that emphasize gender and ethnic disparities to promote preservice teachers' awareness of these issues while they engage in biodiesel production and learn about transesterification. Pre-service teachers have expressed that UnityChem not only delivers a meaningful chemistry lesson but also nurtures gender sensitivity and underscores the impact of deforestation on the well-being of indigenous people living in forested areas. The design of UnityChem caters to students with diverse abilities, including those with lower abilities. This study collectively presents UnityChem as a viable approach to utilizing green chemistry to make chemistry education more inclusive and comprehensive.

Assessing the impact of parental involvement on scaling agricultural technologies from school garden to home farm in Cambodia

Cambodia is a predominantly rural nation with a heavy dependence on agriculture, particularly smallholder rice farming systems. While several sustainable agricultural technologies have been suc­cessfully piloted on research stations or with small numbers of early adopters, questions remain on how to extend these technologies to large numbers of resource-poor smallholder farmers. The Scaling Suitable Sustainable Technologies Project (S3-Cambodia) seeks to examine pathways for scaling sustainable intensification (SI) technologies to smallholder farmers. One of the identified path­ways to scaling SI is through the education system. Cambodian youth serve as an entry point to extend target technologies to farm families through experi­ential learning opportunities in schools by estab­lishing “green labs” featuring school gardens. This research study seeks to support the desired outcomes of the S3-Cambodia project by assessing Cambodian parental involvement in their children’s lives and school activities. While students can serve as agricultural education sources for their homes and communities, there is a need to deter­mine whether relationships between children, par­ents, and schools in Cambodia are strong enough to facilitate this knowledge transfer. Primary data was collected from 178 parents whose children attend three separate high schools in three districts of Cambodia through one-on-one orally conducted surveys. These were supplemented by key inform­ant interviews of selected parents, teachers, and principals at each high school. Results indicate that parents have a strong interest in school garden implementation and activities at their children’s school, with 84% of parents interested in visiting a school garden. Additionally, the majority believe that they can learn from their children (65%) and actively discuss with their children what they are learning at school (72%), indicating a potentially significant likelihood of knowledge transfer from a school garden. Yet, parents’ involvement in their children’s schools and lives varies between regions, with the rurality of the households influencing family social ties and homes’ proximity to the school.

Preface

The University Scholar Conference: Engineering and Innovation (USC) is a conference organized by the Association of Mechanical Engineering (AMES) at Kathmandu University (KU). The first edition, USC 21, was successfully completed in virtual mode, and the second edition, USC 22, was held on May 17-18, 2022, in a hybrid mode. USC 22 was hosted by Kathmandu University, co-hosted by the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC-ICIMOD), and supported by the Department of Mechanical Engineering - KU, the University Grant Commission (UGC), the Nepal Technology Innovation Center (NTIC), and the Green Hydrogen Lab (GHL). The inauguration ceremony of the two-day conference event was held at ICIMOD head office with a keynote session delivered by Dr. David Molden, Director General of ICIMOD, and the closing ceremony was organized at Kathmandu University.The University Scholar Conference 2022 provided an excellent platform for graduate and undergraduate students to share their cutting-edge developments and state-of-the-art research work in the fields of science and engineering. One interesting fact about this conference is that it was completely organized by a student club under the supervision of faculty. Thus, the USC conference is a student-level conference organized by university students for university students. The conference was attended by a mix of academia, researchers, industrialists, professors, students, and policymakers. The conference committee highly encouraged the participation of graduate and undergraduate students engaged in engineering and science education within Nepal and abroad.With the tagline “Women Empowerment in Engineering,” four thematic areas were defined for USC 22: i) Automotive Systems, ii) Materials and Design for Transformation, iii) Digitalization and Emerging Technologies, and iv) Advances in Energy Systems. A total of 103 abstracts were received at the initial phase, out of which 48 papers were selected for presentation in the conference. Participants from 10 different universities from 5 different countries presented their research works in 12 plenary sessions during the two conference days. In addition to the parallel plenary sessions, a poster presentation was also conducted for funded projects. Based on the quality of the presented work, four best paper awards were declared for each thematic area, and a gift hamper was presented to the winners. The 48 papers presented at the conference were considered for further publication in the IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. After a detailed peer-review process, a total of 10 papers were selected for final publication in this volume.List of Conference Chair, Organizing Committee, Advisory Committee, Scientific Committee, Conference Session Chairs, Conference Publication Editors, Supporting Partners are available in this Pdf.

Green Labs: a guide to developing sustainable science in your organization.

Scientific research plays a vital role for society, but carries a significant environmental footprint, involving intensive use of energy and resources. Scientists are well placed to understand the unfolding climate and ecological crises, but may not appreciate how heavily their research, and other work-related activities, contribute to emissions and pollution. With the consequences of climate change and ecological breakdown playing out in real time, scientists now have an important, urgent role to play in catalyzing solutions. Here, we explore how research organizations can reduce their environmental impact, share useful resources and encourage the global community to engage in making science more sustainable.

CEO Experience and Value Creation: Evidence from Green Lab Locations

CEO Experience and Value Creation: Evidence from Green Lab Locations

A Living Lab Approach towards Promoting Innovation

The transformation projects developed in the context of digital education, sustainable development research and social innovation, and social entrepreneurship have turned the West University of Timişoara (WUT) into an active contributor to the Smart Specialization Strategy at local, regional, and national levels, from its previous status of a passive receiver of policy and R&D strategies. By exploiting open innovation tools integrated into entrepreneurship and aimed at relevant community research, WUT is currently actively involved in the incubation and/or acceleration of more than 200 start-ups, meant to enhance research relevance to actively promote higher technology readiness levels (TRLs) and social acceptance of research results. Building on top of three priority pillars - Digital, Green, and Well-Being, WUT has reconsidered its open innovation strategy and action plan to benefit the community, using a multistakeholder approach. In this context, the Digital & Green Living Lab, with cross-cutting priorities such as entrepreneurship and Culture and Creative Industries, focuses on meaningful transformation projects that contribute to enhanced community well-being. In this direction, important contributions were already achieved toward the digital transformation of educational programs and administrative sectors. Through its sustainable development vision, WUT acts on functional teams working in circular economy consortia, renewable energies, and environmental research.

PERAN KEGIATAN GREEN LAB DALAM MENINGKATKAN PROFIL PELAJAR PANCASILA DI SEKOLAH DASAR ALAM

The Merdeka Belajar curriculum is identical to project-based learning. This learning is implemented in the Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project (P5) activities. Therefore, schools are required to have a program for the implementation of the P5. This study aimed to determine the implementation and role of Green Lab activities in increasing the profile of Pancasila students. The research method used is qualitative with a descriptive approach. The data collection was obtained through observation, interviews, and documentation. The subjects of this study were students at SD Sekolah Alam Excellentia. The study results indicate that implementing the Green Lab follows the syntax in the parent's book, which consists of praying, planting seeds, watering, giving fertilizer, planting together in the garden, sweeping, taking out the garbage, queuing, and feeding animals. The role of Green Lab activities in increasing the profile of Pancasila students, namely: habituation of noble character (pray) and love for the surrounding environment, tolerance in queuing activities by prioritizing common interests over individual interests, collaboration in sweeping and disposing of garbage, trained independence in watering plants, accustomed to solving problems, able to produce a masterpiece in decorating the pot. The impact is to strengthen the profile of Pancasila students from an early age. In the future, they will become superior individuals.

Ecosystem services of the city campus: carbon landfill of the RUDN-University

The approaches to the organization and the first results of the project on the organization of a carbon landfill at the Peoples ' Friendship University of Russia are presented. The topic of the absorption of greenhouse gases by natural ecosystems is one of the most actively developing. A complex of scientific and educational projects on climate change, decarbonization, and assessment of ecosystem services is being implemented at the RUDN University. One of the directions is our own carbon landfill on the campus. The object is of interest as a technologically modified ecosystem that is under the influence of anthropogenic sources. The analysis of ecosystem activity in the absorption of greenhouse gases and, accordingly, the assessment of ecosystem services of this type is implemented using the RUDN's own environmental monitoring network, which has been operating since 2017. Preliminary assessments allowed us to draw conclusions about the degree of transformation of ecosystem components and their contribution to the absorption of greenhouse gases. The project has both practical and educational significance and is considered as part of the package of strategic topics for the development of the university "Campus as a green lab", contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals. Keyword: carbon landfill, environmental monitoring, RUDN, carbon footprint, ecosystem services

Taking a LEAF out of the green lab book

Do you want to make your research more efficient and reliable? Have you wondered whether science could be environmentally sustainable and what you can do to help bring this about?

Urban Green as a formative element in cities - urban development by the use of "Green Urban Labs" using the example of Bochum-Riemke

Against the background of continuing urban growth, cities are constantly faced with new challenges. Above all, a strong increase in the number of residents must secure the supply of living space. In addition, the attractiveness of a city depends not only on the available living space and its price, but also on the quality of life in the city. The term quality of life usually refers to factors that can have a positive effect on a person's well-being. Quality of life is characterized by aspects such as educational opportunities, health and nature. As a result, nature is an important criterion in the quality of life and also shapes the appearance of the city. Parks, playgrounds or street trees are just a few of the forms that can be found in cities. In addition, the city green takes over many different functions. These range from economic and urban features to social and ecological purposes. Especially the ecological aspect is becoming more and more important in the course of climatic changes. In this context, a sustainable urban development should be striven for in order to secure urban green spaces, such as the "Leipzig Charter for a Sustainable European City". The challenges for municipalities in dealing with urban green spaces are manifold. The reason for this is the different usage requirements that affect the urban green space through different user groups. In addition to the changed demands, the financial resources available also play an important role. At present, it is difficult to reconcile the different demands placed on an area with the financial resources available. Therefore, this paper examines a new approach to Green Urban Labs in relation to the development and safeguarding of urban greens. In this respect, literature searches are used to shed light on the foundations, goals and problems of urban green. In a further part, the model project "Green Urban Labs" will be examined. In addition to further literature research and expert interviews, the case study "From Hausacker to Urban Green" in the district Riemke of the city Bochum will be used to shed light on the goals and implementation measures of the project. Recommendations for action are derived from the findings. On the one hand, the recommendations should support the consolidation of the model project after the end of the project period. On the other hand, they should serve as good examples and points of reference for other municipalities that can benefit from the new approach.

Assessment of drinking water quality of household bore well plants and WASA water supply system: A case study of Allama Iqbal Town Lahore

The current study has been completed by collecting the 20 water samples from Allama Iqbal Town Lahore, including ten from WASA (Water And Sanitation Agency) filter plants in Iqbal Town other samples were collected from different depths from Allama Iqbal Town Lahore. After the collection of water samples, these were taken to the green lab for physiochemical analysis of samples. Water samples were subjected to Physicochemical analysis that includes temperature, pH, Total Dissolved Solids, Total Hardness, Chloride, Arsenic, Cadmium, Sodium, Nickle, Fluoride. APHA techniques were used to analysis of water samples. Comparison of samples results with values given by the World Health Organization, represented by graphs and location maps. The Filtration plant and tap water samples were odourless, tasteless, and colourless. The amount of Lead in all the parameters was below the detectable level. Correlation analysis was applied to all the parameters to check out the deep relationship among all the parameters.The correlation results showed that with the increase of pH value, all studied traits values were increased except turbidity Physiochemical parameters in all water samples of WASA (Water And Sanitation Agency) filtration plants were within the permissible limits. It revealed that water samples of filtration plants were fit for drinking purposes. Physiochemical parameters in all water samples collected from the different depths of Lahore were not within the permissible limits, and it revealed that the tap water had arsenic amount and water collected from shallow depth have not permissible limit of sulphate, Total Hardness and Total Dissolved Solids. This showed that Tap water samples were unfit for drinking.

Cost of Goods Analysis Facilitates an Integrated Approach to Identifying Alternative Synthesis Methodologies for Lower Cost Manufacturing of the COVID-19 Antiviral Molnupiravir

Orally delivered drugs offer significant benefits in the fight against viral infections, and cost-effective production is critical to their impact on pandemic response in low- and middle-income countries. One example, molnupiravir, a COVID-19 therapy developed by Emory, Ridgeback, and Merck & Co., had potential to benefit from significant cost of goods (COGs) reductions for its active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), including starting materials. A holistic approach to identifying, developing, and evaluating optimized synthetic routes, which includes detailed COGs modeling, provides a rapid means to increase the availability, uptake and application of molnupiravir and other antivirals in global markets. Identification and development of alternate processes for the synthesis of molnupiravir has been conducted by the Medicines for All Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University (M4ALL) and the Green and Turner Labs at the University of Manchester. Both groups developed innovative processes based on synthetic route design and biocatalysis aimed at lowering costs and improving global access. The authors then performed COGs modeling to assess cost saving opportunities. This included a focus on manufacturing environments and facilities amenable to global public health and the identification of key parameters using sensitivity analyses. While all of the evaluated routes provide efficiency benefits, the best options yielded 3-6 fold API COGs reductions leading to treatment COGs as low as <$3/regimen. Additionally, key starting materials and cost drivers were quantified to evaluate the robustness of the savings. Finally, COGs models can continue to inform the focus of future development efforts on the most promising routes for additional cost savings. While the full price of a treatment course includes other factors, these alternative API synthetic approaches have significant potential to help facilitate broader access in low- and middle-income countries. As other promising therapeutics are developed, a similar process could enable rapid cost reductions while enhancing global access.