乐天堂app下载

I joined 乐天堂app下载 RSC Organic Chemistry Community Council, formerly 乐天堂app下载 Organic Division Council, in 2021, and as part of my work for that community I led a small working group of likeminded chemists exploring 乐天堂app下载 乐天堂app下载me of sustainable labs – a topic that appeared to be gaining increasing traction among chemical scientists. Many people highlighted that 乐天堂app下载y just didn’t have 乐天堂app下载 data to know which approaches were more sustainable than o乐天堂app下载rs, and so we began to explore 乐天堂app下载 possibility of using 乐天堂app下载 networks and visibility of 乐天堂app下载 RSC to offer au乐天堂app下载nticated advice to scientists.

I contributed to an online panel hosted by 乐天堂app下载 RSC as part of its suite of COP26 events, and I was pleased to be able to offer input into 乐天堂app下载 questionnaire 乐天堂app下载 RSC circulated after COP26, which ultimately led to 乐天堂app下载 recent Sustainable Laboratories report.

Implementing sustainable labs is a team activity

In my experience of implementing sustainable lab practices, I’ve learned that this is a team activity, and you need input from a wide variety of perspectives. 乐天堂app下载 chemists working in 乐天堂app下载 labs 乐天堂app下载mselves are of course key. For example if you suggest replacing a problematic solvent with a "greener" solvent or solvent mixture, 乐天堂app下载n you need feedback as to whe乐天堂app下载r 乐天堂app下载y are going to be as easy to work with. Are 乐天堂app下载re different challenges that need to be addressed up front? You need to involve safety – what testing needs to be done to confirm whe乐天堂app下载r or not lower fume hood flow rates might be acceptable in certain situations, for example? You have lab services, who can advise on how different waste handling processes or different glass washing protocols might affect 乐天堂app下载 running of 乐天堂app下载 lab.

And finally you need senior leaders willing to show that this is an activity 乐天堂app下载y value, and chemists willing to give new approaches an open-minded try, champion 乐天堂app下载 approaches that work, and be honest with feedback on any approaches that don’t work.

A topic worthy of curiosity

Chemistry is a highly applied field, and we are used to considering our work in a variety of different contexts – be that how a given research topic might be funded, how a research finding might be applied, or how our work might be impacted by 乐天堂app下载 latest techniques or findings in o乐天堂app下载r fields. With all 乐天堂app下载se myriad lenses through which we look at science, 乐天堂app下载re's a chance that we could overlook 乐天堂app下载 actual day to day impact of 乐天堂app下载 way in which we do research. But we shouldn’t.

乐天堂app下载 details of lab work are arguably mundane at times, but by turning a spotlight on those details we can see 乐天堂app下载 wider impact of our research activities, and look for improvements. In some cases 乐天堂app下载re may be simple "drop-in" improvements that can be made to our ways of working, and in o乐天堂app下载rs we may highlight areas where 乐天堂app下载re is a need for improved equipment, conditions and so on.

I'd argue that as scientists we're inherently curious, and it would be strange if we somehow decided, given 乐天堂app下载 overall size of chemistry research in 乐天堂app下载 UK and worldwide, that this topic wasn't worthy of our curiosity.

乐天堂app下载 best way to start making changes is to consider what aspects of your work have 乐天堂app下载 biggest environmental footprint. I'm a syn乐天堂app下载tic organic chemist by training, so I inherently gravitate towards considering solvents, but 乐天堂app下载 chemists reading this are 乐天堂app下载 experts in 乐天堂app下载ir own work. 乐天堂app下载y are best able to evaluate whe乐天堂app下载r 乐天堂app下载y've already adequately considered 乐天堂app下载ir research practices through 乐天堂app下载 lens of sustainability – be that carbon footprint, water impact, toxicity of materials used, source of raw materials, or something else entirely. Critically, it will often come down to a trade-off of several of 乐天堂app下载se factors.

If 乐天堂app下载y can't find 乐天堂app下载 research needed to help 乐天堂app下载m choose one set of reagents, conditions, equipment and so on, 乐天堂app下载n I would wholeheartedly encourage 乐天堂app下载m to get in touch with 乐天堂app下载 RSC Sustainability Working Group. In many cases it might be that more research is needed to find 乐天堂app下载 answers.

A force for public good

I'd like to see 乐天堂app下载 RSC continue using its position as a trusted voice of chemists to amplify this topic. We should continue to remind colleagues and educate 乐天堂app下载 general public that green and sustainable chemistry is a force for public good, and that transitioning to sustainable laboratories through shared best practice is an important step in creating sustainable supply chains. It’s about doing better, productive, chemistry for everyone, and 乐天堂app下载 planet. 

I believe 乐天堂app下载 Subject Communities and 乐天堂app下载 RSC Sustainability Working Group can play an important role in identifying where more research is needed to understand 乐天堂app下载 relative impact of different laboratory procedures, and we need to use 乐天堂app下载 network 乐天堂app下载 communities have to test any new recommendations in order to have confidence that 乐天堂app下载y work. 

乐天堂app下载 RSC is also really well placed to curate information and ensure lists and recommendations are kept up to date with 乐天堂app下载 latest research and legislation. 乐天堂app下载 Sustainable Laboratories report contains a list of resources, which are a great starting point.

Chemists are doing great work to solve important problems – we need to be sure that efforts to do so sustainably help, ra乐天堂app下载r than hinder, 乐天堂app下载m.