By Dr Laura Corns, Freddie Lear, Jack Chapman, Madeliene Harper & Mollie Dutton
The School of Biosciences is committed to embedding sustainability into our teaching and research. We believe that it’s crucial to equip our students with the knowledge and skills to address the global sustainability challenges we face.
A Student-Led Approach
To further our sustainability goals, we’ve established an undergraduate sustainability group. This group aims to work alongside the staff Biosciences Sustainability Committee to drive change and foster a sustainable culture within the School.
Key Objectives of the Sustainability Group:
- Disseminating Progress: Sharing the School’s sustainability initiatives and achievements with students.
- Understanding Student Concerns: Identifying areas of sustainability that matter most to our students.
- Empowering Student Action: Providing a platform for students to propose sustainability actions and encourage sustainable behaviours across our student population.
Building a Sustainable Lab Culture
Last year, the sustainability group conducted a short survey at the end of practical sessions. This survey provided students with an opportunity to share their thoughts on how to make these sessions more sustainable. The results highlighted a significant concern: the use of plastics in laboratories. This issue was already recognised by the technical staff in the School who for a number of years have been minimising plastic use where possible. However, the survey highlighted that it is crucial to communicate these efforts to students and explain the limitations we currently face in reducing plastics. By encouraging an open dialogue and transparency between staff and students, we can build a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities in sustainable laboratory practices.
Empowering Students with Sustainability Knowledge
To this end, we’re developing a series of lectures for our students. These lectures directly link to the ongoing positive work of the School of Bioscience sustainability committee. Last year committee members, Louis Garnham and Rachel George, the year 1 lecture and we plan to build on this for the same cohort as they progress into year 2:
- Year 1 Lecture: Introduces the University’s sustainability strategy, highlights the School’s specific challenges (particularly labs creating waste and using lots of energy), and outlines ongoing initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint.
- Year 2 Lecture: Will focus on the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) and the growing importance of sustainable research practices. It will showcase how labs across the School are working towards LEAF standards.
By combining student-led initiatives and targeted education, we’re making significant strides towards a more sustainable future. We believe that a collaborative approach, involving both staff and students, is essential to achieving our sustainability goals and inspiring future generations of scientists to embrace sustainability as a core value.
Dr Laura Corns is a Teaching Specialist in the School of Biosciences and is the teaching representative on the School of Biosciences Sustainability Committee. Freddie Lear, Jack Chapman, Madeliene Harper & Mollie Dutton are all members of the Biosciences Undergraduate Sustainability Group.