Green Labs Events
Are you hosting an event? Make it a sustainable one!
Click here for tips and tricks to make your event more sustainable.
Check out our Sustainable Restaurants Guide here! We are updating this Guide periodically, so check back for more sustainable restaurant ideas!
Check out our Sustainable Coffee/Breakfast/Dessert Guide here!
Click here for a Sustainable Event Vendor Agreement, asking vendors to be sustainable when they are on campus or are participating in events at Caltech.
Going away for the holidays? Check out our Holiday Checklist to ensure you aren't wasting energy or water during your break! Have a safe and enjoyable holiday!
Lightning Talks September 20, 2024
Green Labs is calling for presenters for Lightning Talks on September 20th. Green Labs is inviting labs to give 3-minute lightning talks highlighting sustainable initiatives their lab has implemented, or would like to implement, in their labs.
Furthermore, we have some exciting updates to share about the first year of our sustainable pilot programs, including a year-long study comparing samples kept in -70˚C vs. -80˚C! We are providing food, drinks, a raffle, and sustainable giveaways for attendees, and providing RocketBooks (sustainable notebooks) to our presenters.
If you would like to attend or present at this event, please use the link here to RSVP!
Green Labs Certification Celebration
Green Labs is challenging labs to finish their Green Labs Certification by November 29th. If your lab is certified by that day, your lab will be invited to come enjoy a holiday treat on us to celebrate your sustainability excellence!
To get certified, finish the easy, 30-minute Green Labs Certification and submit it to sustainability@caltech.edu.
Upon submission your lab will become Green Labs Certified! Your lab will be awarded a brag-worthy Green Labs Certified plaque to post outside your lab spaces. Labs that complete the Green Labs Certification can also expect to receive support from Green Labs, the division, as well as select vendors. Certified labs also have access to items such as free recycling bins, signage, and exclusive Green Labs events.
Green Labs -70/-80 Comparison Call for Samples
Green Labs is calling for samples for a student-led study comparing samples held at -20˚C, -70˚C and -80˚C in the Chen Freezer Farm.
Samples from various labs will be tested and compared at intervals over a period of up to 5 years.
We hope that by conducting a controlled study at Caltech, we can provide evidence for labs to change their -80 ˚C freezers to -70 ˚C, ensuring an energy savings of up to 30%! This "chill-up" will also reduce the number of defrosts your freezer requires each year, and reduces the wear and tear on your freezer! Here are some additional resources suggesting that -70 ˚C is a safe storage temperature for many kinds of samples.
If you are interested in contributing a sample, please email us at greenlabsinfo@caltech.edu or fill our this Google Form!
Green Labs Annual Lab Spring Cleanup Event
Green Labs is hosting a Lab Spring Clean Event From January through April! Participants will compete to clean their labs from top to bottom by cleaning our freezers, organizing storage spaces, taking inventory of lab supplies, and much more! Green Labs is providing lots of resources, including magnets, laminated freezer checklists, chore suggestion lists, freezer inventory spreadsheets, and much much more!
Each participating lab will provide before and after pictures of their cleanup by midnight April 30 to greenlabsinfo@caltech.edu. Prizes will be given for two categories: the biggest before and after difference, and for the "weirdest thing found".
In May 2024, after the competition ends, Green Labs will invite all participating labs to have a sustainable lunch on us!
RSVP your lab by April 30! All Labs are welcome!
Green Labs Freezer Challenge (January 1 - July 1, 2024)
Green Labs is supporting participation in the 2023 International Freezer Challenge from January 1 to July 1, 2024. Here are some resources about why setting your ultra-low temperature freezer to -80 °C may not be necessary. Download the poster here.
You can register at My Green Labs. My Green Labs will present awards to those labs and research organizations who have gone above and beyond to save on energy usage while improving sample storage.
Green Labs will also host a Popsicle party during the summer months to celebrate the labs who participated in this fantastic initiative.