Green Labs Past Events
Green Labs Past Events
Scroll down to see our past events, including the March WiBBE Social Event (March 16, 2023), Green Labs Certification Challenge (April 2023/24, November 2023/24), and Green Labs Lightning Talks (April 28, 2023 and September 20, 2024), Styrofoam Bowling (August 20, 2024), Orientation Events (September 2024) and more!
Past Events
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 Styrofoam Bowling and Recycling Launch August 20 2024
Green Labs is launching a short-term Styrofoam Recycling Pilot Program!
Come to our fun Styrofoam Lawn Bowling event celebrating the launch of this pilot program, and compete against your fellow labs to get the best score for some awesome prizes! Want to earn even more points? Bring your clean Styrofoam (ie. Styrofoam without any tape or cardboard) to the Beckman Mall lawn for bonus points, and support our newest recycling program!
We will also have some refreshments for labs to enjoy while you "bowl"!
After the event, we are launching a short-term Styrofoam recycling pilot program (scroll down our Pilot Programs page for more details). If you'd like to volunteer to help our recycling pilot program succeed, please fill out this form!
Click here to sign our petition asking vendors to reduce the amount of Styrofoam being sent to campus, and asking Caltech to develop a permanent Styrofoam recycling program.
Lab Spring Clean Event January - April 2024
If you are looking for some clean up how-tos, resources, chore lists (or more!), or to see all of the before and after submissions, as well as above-and-beyond things each lab did, scroll to the bottom of our Spring Clean Event page!
Green Labs hosted a Lab Spring Clean Event From January through April 2024! Participants competed 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 provided 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 ended, Green Labs invited all participating labs to have a sustainable lunch on us!
Lomi Composting Competition September 2023-December 2023
This Fall Green Labs is hosting a competition between all the Lomi Tabletop Composters at Caltech! Currently, there are four Lomi composters on campus: Broad 3rd floor, Chen Basement Level, Chen Level 2, and Chen Level 3. Labs on these floors will compete to turn the most food waste into compost dirt from September - December 2023.
Green Labs will provide a sustainable lunch party for the floor that makes the most compost dirt for our lovely Caltech gardens! Second and third prizes will also be provided.
May the "Lomi-est" lab win! Good luck composters!
If you are interested in getting a Lomi for your kitchen area, please reach out to greenlabsinfo@caltech.edu to learn more!
WiBBE March 2023 Social Event
Women in BBE (WiBBE) has invited Green Labs and one of our partners in sustainability, USA Scientific, to host a WiBBE social event March 16th! This is an amazing opportunity to meet other awesome women* in BBE, as well as learn about Green Labs and lab sustainability. USA Scientific is planning an activity to re-pot succulents into old pipette boxes! Anyone who identifies as a woman* is welcome to attend!
* We use an inclusive definition of "woman" and "female" and we welcome trans women, genderqueer women and non-binary people. We believe in supporting the many intersections of our members' identities, such as (but not limited to) race, sexual orientation, gender expression, socioeconomic class, and immigrant/indigenous status.
Green Labs Lightning Talks April 28, 2023
Green Labs hosted Lightning Talks on Friday, April 28th, to learn about sustainable initiatives in BBE. Download the poster here!
In this zero-waste event, Green Labs partnered with Genesee to provide food, sustainable giveaways, and great conversations surrounding sustainable labs! We invited presenters or attendees to a session of 3-minute talks highlighting lab efficiency and sustainability initiatives labs have implemented (or would like to implement)! Everyone was welcome to attend this event.
* Please note we have extended the deadline for submission of presentation slides to April 24th. Presenters will be gifted a free RocketBook!
Green Labs CCE Graduate Student Council Plant Party
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (CCE) Graduate Student Council invited Green Labs and one of our partners in sustainability, USA Scientific, to host a social event in November in the Schlinger courtyard! This was an amazing opportunity to meet graduate students in CCE and to and share information about Green Labs and lab sustainability. USA Scientific representative Trinity Dorger helped graduate students to re-pot succulents into recycled pipette tip boxes.
Green Labs Certification Challenges - Earth Day, April 22, 2023 and November 30, 2023
Green Labs challenged labs to finish their Green Labs Certification by Earth Day, April 22nd and again by November 30! If your lab was Certified before either of those days, your lab was invited to come have a sweet 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.