Green Impact spotlight: UniGreen Team
Meet the team who are buying and selling redundant laboratory equipment to reduce the carbon cost of manufacturing new products!
Today we’re excited to share another Green Impact team project. The UniGreen Team, who sit within the Biology department, have been awarded platinum at this year’s Green Impact awards ceremony for their successful UniGreenScheme project.
UniGreenScheme is an initiative that allows research labs to easily sell redundant laboratory equipment for reuse through UniGreenScheme. Their model allows individuals to submit a simple Google form, rather than going through a complex procedure, to initiate the collection of their unwanted equipment. The scheme also allows individual labs to benefit financially from their equipment sales or donate the income to charity.
Take a look at some of their successes to date:
- Since the Green Impact project was launched within the Biology department, 27 pieces of laboratory equipment have been saved from disposal and sent to UniGreenScheme
- As a result of hearing about UniGreenScheme, one research group has made the first departmental purchase from the scheme. Through buying second hand equipment, they have saved both the carbon cost of manufacture and over £6K in purchase costs compared to new products
- The Biology department has saved over £4K since the first UniGreenScheme collections, with a CO2 saving of over 2,000kg vs recycling the equipment
UniGreen's project not only benefits the Biology department but has significant impacts on the wider University community. Their project directly supports the “Sustainable Research” UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) by demonstrating a reduced environmental burden of research activity to complement carbon.
A huge well done to the UniGreen team for their achievements so far! In particular, congratulations to Jodie Malcolm, who won the Innovation for Engagement special award for her work in this project.
If you’re part of a research lab and are thinking about selling your used/unwanted equipment, please get in touch with Clare Steele-King from the UniGreen team via clare.steele-king@york.ac.uk.