Biomedical research generates a lot of single-use plastic waste, such as pipette tips and sample tubes. In fact, each researcher is estimated to have 100 times as much environmental impact at work, compared to in their home life (The Guardian, 2019), according to Martin Farley, Associate Director of Environmental Sustainability Programmes at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Given the nature of our work, which must be ultra clean and often sterile, it’s not easy to find ways to reduce our waste.

The UCSC Chemical Screening Center is proud to promote environmental sustainability in several major ways:

1. Waste reduction

• We offer tipless liquid dispensing solutions, which create zero disposable plastic waste.
  • Acoustic dispensing is touchless. Uses sound waves!
  • Syringe-based dispensing with reusable syringe manifolds.
  • Peristaltic pump-based dispensing with reusable tubing cassettes.
  • Pin tool-based dispensing with reusable metal pins.

    

• We have built a tip-washing machine; tips used in our robotic dispensing can be reused. For example, we recently aliquotted a 64,000 chemical library, and what would have required 64,000 tips (or 667 boxes of 96 tips), we accomplished with just over 5,000 tips (or 55 boxes) by washing each tip and reusing at least 12 times. That’s a 92% reduction in waste!
  [Coming soon: insert video here with tip washing!]
• Our instruments make it possible to miniaturize your experiments.
  • We can dispense small volumes into tiny microwells. The acoustic dispenser can go down to 2.5 nl! So less reagent is used up (which is also waste).
  • We have sensitive detectors in our analytical equipment that can make reliable measurements from the tiniest samples. Our plate readers can do assays with only 3 ul per sample.
  • We use microplate format, which is more plastic-efficient than tubes.
    [Coming soon: insert video here about plastic efficiency!]
• We have well-labeled recycling bins inside the lab for cardboard and other clean recyclable waste items to be diverted away from landfills.

2. Green procurement

• Since many labs use our facility, we are able to buy microplates in bulk, and labs can purchase individual plates from us. We buy from green sources where possible, and bulk purchases mean less transportation used in deliveries and possibly less packaging waste.

3. Energy efficiency

• We were recipients of two Green Labs Incentive Program awards in 2024, used to purchase energy efficient fridges.
• We house an astounding collection of 200,000 chemicals in our freezer. By miniaturizing and space-efficiently arranging the samples with a barcoded inventory, and by determining conditions where we can store them at -20 instead of ULT, we’re able to minimize the electrical burden of this volume of frozen storage, while still making the amazing resource easily accessible to all researchers.
• The room lights are motion-activated.
• We turn off devices when not in use, where possible e.g. BioTek, Janus, Image Xpress.

4. Culture, awareness, education, outreach, advocacy, leadership and service!

• We are certified by Green Labs as having Gold status for being super environmentally sustainable! We are the first and only UCSC Biomolecular Core Facility to be certified! According to Green Labs: Gold (Au) certification is granted to labs who incorporate an excellent amount of sustainable practices and labs devoted to goals of improvement.

“Becoming certified was ridiculously easy! A student came around and inspected the lab, providing suggestions, and with a few improvements, we rose from silver to gold status within a few hours! If you work in a research lab or facility, there’s no reason to delay this quick and beneficial opportunity.” – Beverley Rabbitts

Further information about sustainability at UCSC:

• Find out about upcoming events on campus related to sustainability. This includes things like: eBike showcases, cleanups, visiting speakers, and trips to waste facilities.
• UCSC employees, see here for information about the Sustainability Certificate Program.
• Check on the university’s progress towards its sustainability goals.
• The environment impacts everyone in our community, and it will take voices and efforts from every one of us to sustain our planet’s beauty and resources. Our individual experiences, background, and culture shape how we each view and interact with our environment. Therefore, we recognize that addressing climate change and environmental sustainability in our community intersects with issues of social justice and systemic barriers to diversity, equity, and inclusion. For more information, have a look at this official statement from the joint UC Sustainability Office.