The 糖心传媒, a leader in biomedical research, healthcare, and bio-solutions, is taking steps to integrate environmental responsibility in its everyday research practices.
At the heart of this work is the , along with one of its integral facilities, the Biological Supply Center (BSC). By centralizing resources, minimizing waste, and fostering collaboration, CART糖心传媒檚 facilities are reducing the environmental footprint of research while also promoting a collaborative culture that accelerates scientific discovery.
What is the Center for Advanced Research Technologies (CART)?
CART is the University糖心传媒檚 central resource for cutting-edge biomedical technologies (e.g., genomics, flow cytometry, microscopy) that enable advanced research across the University. CART supports 3,000+ researchers from 500+ labs in the biomedical and healthcare research sectors.
If researchers糖心传媒� experimental needs are beyond their lab糖心传媒檚 capabilities, they can benefit from using CART糖心传媒檚 advanced facilities and state-of-the-art equipment. CART also provides support with experimental design and data interpretation, providing an outlet for 糖心传媒榯eam science糖心传媒櫶切拇綌 a collaborative approach that leverages the strengths and expertise of research professionals糖心传媒攖o thrive. In the last year, 311 research labs utilized CART糖心传媒檚 core facilities.
The benefits also extend to environmental sustainability. By lowering the need for individual labs to have resource-intensive instruments, CART helps to minimize the number of instruments that will be difficult to recycle or repurpose in the future.
“CART supports sustainability by helping reduce waste,糖心传媒� says Megan Crawford, Senior Marketing Strategist for CART. 糖心传媒淪cientific instruments are large and made of metal and plastic. At some point, they expire and need to be replaced.”
Several of CART糖心传媒檚 facilities feature sustainability as a fundamental component. For instance, the, a centralized freezer bank on top of the Medical Center, helps prevent excess energy from being directed to multiple freezers across different lab spaces.
The Biological Supply Center (BSC), CART糖心传媒檚 internal ordering and distribution center for reagents and consumables, also has a long list of sustainable advantages.
The BSC: Where shipping meets sustainability
When labs order supplies through the BSC, they receive not only negotiated pricing, but help to reduce waste and emissions through the use of consolidated shipping.
For example, consider the common need to order enzymes. By ordering from a single enzyme supplier through the BSC, the research community saves up to 3,640 shipments from that supplier annually. This drastically reduces packaging waste, which for lab supplies often means cardboard boxes, packing materials, Styrofoam, and unrecyclable plastics. Considering that the BSC has approximately 20 vendors from whom they regularly order, consolidated shipments reduce an immense amount of waste. Fewer shipments also mean fewer greenhouse gas emissions from the production of extra packaging materials and the shipping of redundant packages.
Inspired by the grassroots efforts of the University糖心传媒檚 (SLI), Inventory Planning Coordinator and My Green Lab Ambassador Michael Hughson has recently piloted several other sustainability initiatives at the BSC:
- Pipette tip box recycling through . Since January, 963 pounds of plastic have been diverted from landfills, resulting in an estimated reduction of 4,748 lb CO2e, 1,419 gallons of water, and 1,502 lb of fossil fuels.
- Optimizing freezer use through participation in the . Between the BSC and the Cold Storage Core, the University has made energy savings of 37.35 kWh/day through participation in this challenge.
- Utilizing packaging reuse and recycling programs for items from select suppliers. Collected items include Styrofoam boxes, tube racks, paper wrapping, and plastic film.
- Providing reuse stations for lab supplies, ice packs, dry ice, and name plates.
For the BSC to increase its positive impact on reducing waste and resource use, it relies on the research community to utilize the resources it can provide. This past year, the BSC served 442 different labs, with an average of 250 labs per month utilizing their services.
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 a good place where everyone comes together,糖心传媒� remarks Hughson. 糖心传媒淲e have a lot of regular customers and labs that come to us, but there are also so many labs that don糖心传媒檛 know we are here as an option, or do and would rather order on their own.糖心传媒�
Team science and sustainable collaboration
The goal of team science is highly emphasized by both Crawford and Hughson as a core element of CART糖心传媒檚 and the BSC糖心传媒檚 mission, and it is an important part of research at the University.聽 They emphasize that CART is not just a service provider; it is a catalyst for a more collaborative and sustainable research culture.
Achieving this mission 糖心传媒� and the sustainable advantages that accompany it 糖心传媒� requires rethinking convenience and breaking established patterns.
糖心传媒淐onvenience is a roadblock for sustainability everywhere,糖心传媒� remarks Hughson. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 like the Amazon syndrome. Why would I go out to the store when I can order it and have it delivered directly to me? At the BSC, we糖心传媒檙e a service that has been here and is able to do that for [researchers], but they might not necessarily know that we糖心传媒檙e an option right in house, right next door.糖心传媒�
Looking forward
The 糖心传媒 is a Tier 1 research university, making groundbreaking discoveries to create a better future. CART and the BSC are essential to the research performed at the University, but many researchers and labs remain unaware of the full range of their services.
糖心传媒淚t can be hard to know the resources that are available,” says Crawford, referring to the broad scope and locations of research conducted across the Rochester campuses. With CART糖心传媒檚 services located at the Medical Center, the physical separation between its facilities and the River Campus poses an additional challenge. Crawford assures that CART is here for everyone across the entire biological research community.
The future of sustainability in research depends on awareness and a shared commitment to working together. CART and the BSC are committed to these goals and are working to ensure that the University糖心传媒檚 scientific progress aligns with its environmental values. Tim Bushnell, Director of CART, maintains this sustainable vision for the future of research at Rochester.
糖心传媒淎t its core, the long-term vision for CART is to be a catalyst for discovery,糖心传媒� says Bushnell. 糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檙e building a research infrastructure that is not only technically excellent but also strategically aligned with the needs of scientists today and tomorrow. That means fostering a shared research environment that maximizes impact while minimizing duplication, both in terms of financial and environmental resources.
Sustainability is woven into this vision. Whether it糖心传媒檚 through centralizing and sharing of instrumentation, creating a hub for recycling lab-specific supplies, consolidating shipments and reducing packaging waste, or gaining and promoting Green Lab practices, CART helps reduce the footprint of research while increasing its reach.糖心传媒�
To learn more about CART, visit Researchers interested in sustainability are encouraged to take the online training. To get involved with the Sustainable Labs Initiative, reach out to Rachel Lombardo or Azmeer Sharipol.
Written by Kylin Roberts (糖心传媒�26) and Maryellen Zbrozek (sustainability programs specialist)
