Taking a LEAF out of the green lab book

Abstract

With climate and environmental change a global concern, people and governments have looked to scientists to find ways to reduce carbon emissions and to live a more sustainable existence. In this context, scientific research does not only need to be reproducible and reliable, it must also itself be done sustainably. Both industrial research and academic research have huge carbon footprints: they need large capital equipment with high energy inputs, and day-today work in laboratories generates vast amounts of waste. For those working at the lab bench, the task of reducing the environmental impact of their work can appear daunting. But by setting data-driven objectives to reduce energy use and waste, and providing practical and realistic goals, we can carry out lab-based research more sustainably. Recently, the Biochemical Society hosted a webinar, titled ‘Environmental Sustainability in Biomedical Laboratories’ (Figure 1), outlining some of these sustainable labs initiatives, with an introduction to LEAF from Martin Farley. In this article, we hear from those working to implement lab sustainability programmes at the University of Oxford.