Circular Economy for Labs | Community of Practice
Town Hall
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March 20 Water Reduction and Reuse in Lab Equipment Forum
In honor of World Water Day in March, the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) hosted a free webinar on Water Reduction and Reuse in Labs, hosted by I2SL’s Circular Economy for Labs Community of Practice.
Learn about ways to reduce water and reuse water in labs, through equipment replacement, researcher education, and sustainable design. A representative of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) WaterSense program will share tips from their best practices guide on water reduction in labs, and three I2SL Sustainable Laboratory Award winners will share their successes with autoclave education, waterless condensers, and stormwater reclamation.
Speakers include:
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Robbie Pickering, ERG, a contractor to EPA’s WaterSense program
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Star Scott, University of Georgia
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Kate Andrews, University of British Columbia
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Patrick Murphy, Vanderweil Engineers (for a Lehigh University water reclamation project)
In addition to brief presentations by these speakers, participants asked questions and share their experiences finding ways to reduce water use in labs.
January 31 Circular Economy for Labs Forum: Revisiting EPS Packaging
Anyone who has worked in or with a lab knows that expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam packaging waste can be a real problem. Though it has benefits for shipping fragile or cold storage items, the abundant use of EPS foam containers and packaging in laboratories has had some negative environmental, social, and public health impacts in the greater scientific sector. As a result, some forward-thinking suppliers have been working to reduce or eliminate EPS foam shipping materials and coolers where possible.
Two years ago, I2SL published a Technical Bulletin on the Use of EPS Foam in Laboratories; since then, some companies have conducted research and made strides in their efforts to reduce the need for this material in product shipments to labs. During the forum, Kelly Weisinger of the Environmental Defense Fund revisited that bulletin and was joined by Anthony Michetti of Cell Signaling Technology and Dustin Andre from Millipore Sigma to talk about their successes and lessons learned in EPS alternatives and packaging waste reduction. Participants also had time to offer their thoughts about challenges and potential solutions for reducing, reusing, and recycling packaging waste related to lab products and cold storage.