Green Labs Pilot Programs
Fume Hood Shut the Sash Pilot Program
Fume hoods account for 40-70% of the total energy used by laboratories.
As such, campaigns working to change behaviours surrounding fume hood sash closure make labs not only more energy efficient, but also safer. Here, Caltech Green Labs proposes a summer-long campaign to collect data, educate, encourage behavioural changes, and assess success of a "Shut the Sash" campaign.
In a study published by MIT, the addition of homemade Motion and Sash Height (MASH) sensors, which alarm when the fume hood is open and unoccupied by a user for a set amount of time, encouraged users to close the sash and resulted in a 75.6% decrease in average sash height as compared to control groups that did not have a MASH sensor installed. As a result, the energy costs of running each of the fume hoods was reduced by $1,159 per year. We hope to see similar results if such a campaign was implemented at Caltech, making users both more efficient and safer while working in or around fume hoods. In addition, we hope to build upon the original study by incorporating data collection capabilities.
Each homemade MASH sensor costs around $20-$50 to build and are very simple to install. As such, we hope to build and install 50 MASH sensors in various buildings across Caltech. We will preferentially choose buildings that have a large number of variable air volume (VAV) fume hoods that are ideal for our study. In addition, as part of the campaign we will coordinate with lab managers to increase awareness about the program, educate users on proper fume hood usage, and educate users on how the MASH sensors work. The MASH sensors will alarm if a fume hood is left open for more than 5 minutes without a user present, alerting users to shut the sash. Furthermore, participating labs will be entered into a raffle to win donuts for their entire lab!
To run this project successfully, we intend to use help in the form of one or two interns from June 17- August 30 2024. All data collected during this competition will be presented to the community in various forms, including (but not limited to) during the Green Labs Lightning Talks Event around September 20, 2024.
Our plan: Utilizing the help of one intern over the summer of 2024, we hope to build 50 sensors for installation. Before the sensors are installed, we will work with lab managers and PIs to gain permission to run the study, educate users on the safest and most efficient way to use their fume hood, and explain the competition. After a few weeks of baseline data collection, the sensors will be installed and subsequently the alarms will be turned on. Signs will be posted near the fume hoods to inform users of the function of the sensors and course of action to take if the alarm goes off. Education will continue after the program to encourage users on best practices. Our intern will present their work at the annual Green Labs Lightning Talks event, and will produce a writeup describing the campaign results to share with the community.
Lomi Tabletop Composter Program
Did you notice our Lomi tabletop composters in some BBE kitchen areas?
Green Labs has deployed it's first Pilot Program! We have installed Lomi tabletop composters in the three Chen kitchen areas, a kitchen in Broad, and a kitchen in Beckman Institute in an effort to tackle food waste at Caltech. We will collect data on the usage of these devices to encourage adoption of sustainable lunchtime practices for labs in BBE. In just a few hours per run, these Lomi composters transform our food waste into usable compost dirt that our gardeners are able to use to fertilize the lovely gardens here at Caltech!
Our plan: The composters are going to be run by Green Labs colleagues as needed ~5 pm – 10 pm to make usable compost dirt. If the composters are full or running, we will have small compost bins available beside the Lomi for people to add their food scraps to, or satellite bins that folks can fill up for transport to a Lomi. Signs indicating what can and cannot go into our composters are posted near the garbage cans and near each Lomi. We will be collecting data to show just how much food waste we are producing, and how valuable this food waste can be if diverted correctly. We hope to use this data to encourage Caltech to adopt more sustainable practices and invest more heavily in composting programs on campus.
We eventually want to make the machines available to "borrow" for large events (coming soon!), so if you have an event you'd like to borrow one for, please let us know and we will try to make it available!
Update: Since April 2023, we have diverted about 1036 kg (2285 lbs) of food waste! The Lomi composters have reduced that food waste to about 207 kg (457 lbs) of dirt that the Caltech Gardens are using to fertilize the wonderful campus grounds.
TipOne and Genesee Pipette Tip Box and Wafer Recycling Programs
Have you noticed new tip box recycling points near the mail boxes (or auditoriums *) in Alles, BI, Braun, Broad (*), Chen, and Spalding?
Green Labs has partnered with USA Scientific and Genesee to implement pilot recycling programs for pipette tip boxes and wafers from TipOne or Genesee-affiliated brands! NO PIPETTE TIPS PLEASE
Please deposit ONLY your TipOne or Genesee tip boxes and wafers here, and our vendors will either redistribute these plastics to other labs in need, or will recycle these wafers and boxes within their company. In this way, USA Scientific and Genesee are making the end-of-life waste challenges of their own products a priority, thus closing the loop, and making our labs more sustainable!
Contact Trinity Dorger from USA Scientific or Erik Lawson from Genesee when the bins are full, so they can pick up our recycling bins and redistribute or recycle the pipette tip containers.
Update: Since May 2023, we have diverted over 3,642 gallons (13,786+ liters, about 1730 pounds) of plastic waste that would have otherwise not been recycled!
Our plan: Our current recycling vendor does not accept these kinds of plastics, so they are currently being diverted to the landfill. As such, Green Labs wants to collect information during the next few months on the volume of tip boxes, wafers, etc, that Caltech BBE labs are "wasting". Then, we can see if other vendors are interested in starting recycling programs on campus, OR if there is a better solution to deal with the volume of plastics (for example: a plastic chipper).
Contact Trinity Dorger from USA Scientific when the bins are full, so she can pick up our recycling bins and redistribute or recycle the pipette tip containers.
Here is more information on USA Scientific's sustainable pipette tip lineup.
Contact Erik Lawson from Genesee when the bins are full. Also, be sure to check out Genesee's website, and email our rep for discounted quotes on pipette tips and many other lab essentials, including biodegradable gloves!
Here is more information about Genesee's sustainability commitments.
Styrofoam Recycling Program
In 2024, Green Labs is excited to launch a Styrofoam Recycling Program!
This project will take a few months to get off the ground, so stay tuned for updates.
In the meantime, please see below for more information on Styrofoam and its harmful effects on us and our environment .
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.
We, the staff, students, and faculty at Caltech, sign below to support the reduction of Polystyrene (Styrofoam) waste at Caltech.
Polystyrene has massive effects on our planet and does not biodegrade. It is made from fossil fuels that are non-renewable and chemicals that can leach into and contaminate our environment. Animals ingest this material and can be poisoned or killed. Polystyrene is considered a possible carcinogen by the National Institutes of Health. This material is not able to be recycled in Pasadena and its sale and distribution has been banned in Pasadena as of April, 2023.
Please sign here to show your commitment to this initiative.
We are asking labs to commit to:
- Asking vendors to reduce their reliance Polystyrene (Styrofoam) and transition to more sustainable, recyclable, or compostable options that are just as effective as Polystyrene.
- Asking vendors to offer send-back programs to reuse their Polystyrene containers.
- Where possible, asking labs aggregate or reduce our purchases that rely on Polystyrene, and/or to choose vendors that offer more sustainable shipping solutions.
- Investigating Polystyrene recycling, reduction, or re-use programs on our campus.
We as scientists are acutely aware of the negative impact our research often has on the environment. By working towards a more sustainable future, and by asking for more sustainable resources for our research, we are eager to add fuel to this proverbial fire to continue the success of our sustainable programs and initiatives.
Please sign here to show your commitment to this initiative.