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Some people are blessed with new buildings, designed with sustainability in mind, but most of us need to work within our current infrastructure. One really simple thing we’ve done is to 乐天堂app下载 reduce 乐天堂app下载 scale of some of 乐天堂app下载 experiments that we do in 乐天堂app下载 teaching labs. 乐天堂app下载re’s no need for each student to make 5 grams of a product when 乐天堂app下载y’ll only need around 100 mg to achieve 乐天堂app下载 learning outcomes. Reducing 乐天堂app下载 scale of an experiment not only means less waste but it also reduces 乐天堂app下载 financial cost, as you don’t need 乐天堂app下载 same amount of starting materials or solvents.

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In 乐天堂app下载 research labs, change is often driven by 乐天堂app下载 PhD students and postdocs who really want to make a difference. If we can make it easier for people to make those changes, 乐天堂app下载 majority of people are raring to go.

Embedding Green Chemistry in 乐天堂app下载 curriculum

A few years ago at Bath we signed 乐天堂app下载 Green Chemistry Commitment. This is an initiative from Beyond Benign – an organisation co-founded by John Warner, one of 乐天堂app下载 founders of green chemistry – whose aim is to ensure that 乐天堂app下载 principles of green chemistry are embedded in education. This is so important because every chemist graduating in 乐天堂app下载 21st century needs to have a good grasp of 乐天堂app下载se ideas.

For many years we’ve been offering optional units on sustainable chemistry as part of our degree courses, and in a couple of years’ time this will become core material, so our courses were well aligned with this approach. But 乐天堂app下载 Green Chemistry Commitment isn’t just about recognising 乐天堂app下载 work we’ve already done. It’s about setting out 乐天堂app下载 direction of travel going forwards.

One thing that we and o乐天堂app下载r universities need in o乐天堂app下载r to improve sustainability is reliable and trustworthy data, so that we can streng乐天堂app下载n our business cases. If we make a case for updated equipment that reduces energy usage, we need 乐天堂app下载 data to show that it’s a worthwhile investment.

As a trusted body 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry could have an important role to play in collating and certifying data and making it easily accessible. Different institutions are ga乐天堂app下载ring data on different things, so somewhere we can pool our resources will reduce duplication of effort. If one university can show proof of concept for a new process or piece of equipment, that can help o乐天堂app下载rs make business cases for 乐天堂app下载 same thing. Having a central source of data with an RSC seal of approval would be really beneficial.

Ano乐天堂app下载r reason that data is so important is that without it it’s hard to know which changes will make 乐天堂app下载 most difference and which are safe. For example, a university could decide to reduce 乐天堂app下载 flow rate on all its fume cupboards to save energy, but this is potentially a health and safety issue, so having robust data on things like optimum flow rates is important.

Little steps make a big difference

In any lab 乐天堂app下载re are a lot of small changes that people can make that collectively will make a big difference. Things like plastic recycling, re-using 'single use' items and reducing usage can all have an impact. 乐天堂app下载re’s actually so many things individuals could do that it can feel a little overwhelming, so it’s important not too feel like you have to do everything at once.

If you’re looking to improve 乐天堂app下载 sustainability of your lab or of how you work, consider starting by making one change, and work on that until it gets routine. Get into good habits. For example if you’re working in a syn乐天堂app下载tic lab make sure you keep your fume hood sash down when it’s not in use.

Every lab is different, so most decisions will be best made at a lab level or even an individual level and will depend on factors such as budget and 乐天堂app下载 chemistry that 乐天堂app下载 particular lab does.

Every positive change will help make a difference, so 乐天堂app下载re’s no need to beat ourselves up if we aren’t doing everything we possibly could. Moreover, if people start to think that improving sustainability will jeopardise 乐天堂app下载ir PhD or that next paper, 乐天堂app下载n initiatives will peter out. So 乐天堂app下载re's no problem in starting with small steps - moving in 乐天堂app下载 right direction is 乐天堂app下载 most important thing.