13/10/2023
Key points:
The Institute is proud to have been awarded a Platinum Award from SOS-UK Green Impact. Driven by the Green Labs team and working in collaboration with many other Institute staff and a growing community across the Babraham Research Campus companies, the awards recognise ongoing action to address the climate crisis and ecological emergency.
Dr Jo Durgan, the Green Labs steering group chair, said: “I’m really happy we achieved a Platinum Award, which reflects a lot of hard work from across the Institute and tangible improvements in our environmental footprint. A real highlight of the scheme has been developing a cross-campus sustainability network, to share information and amplify the impact we can make.”
The SOS-UK Green Impact programme provides a framework of possible actions, spanning both the labs and wider workplace, and accreditation and awards upon their completion. This year 15 campus organisations participated, completing 1,480 environmental actions collectively, in the labs, around campus and through community engagement projects.
At the Institute, the team have taken action across all areas of life at work this year. Activities included revamping the bike repair station, upgrading the least efficient ultra low temperature freezers, sending over 100 items of equipment for reuse via the UniGreen scheme, planting hedges and sowing wildflower seeds on campus and publishing a Green Labs article setting out how others can galvanise action in their own workplace.
These actions come in addition to those already in place such as the conference travel policy which encourages train travel and carbon offsetting for essential flights, subsidised bus tickets for staff, sharing sustainability tips through the Institute newsletter and blogs, and recycling schemes for lab media bottles.
Other organisations across the Campus undertook actions such as litter picking, fundraising, recycling initiatives and food waste reduction.
At the Sustainable Babraham Green Impact event hosted on the 11th October, Dr Steve Smith, Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, delivered a keynote speech ‘Tipping Points in the Anthropocene’ describing the escalating environmental crises and spoke about accelerating and scaling transformative, positive change.
Fred Fulford, Project Manager at SOS-UK, presented each team with their award. Alongside the main awards, three awards were given to recognised particular dedication. The first ‘Sustainability Hero’ award to Jo Durgan for her ongoing commitment to Green Labs, the Environmental Improvement award to F-Star Therapeutics for their improved recycling and the Community Action Award to Mission Therapeutics for setting up a Still Good Food donation point to allow surplus food to be distributed.
Bronze Award
Gold Award
Platinum Award
More details of the Institute’s actions can be found on the Green Labs page. The Green Labs team also share their learnings with others through talks, workshops, blogs and their Twitter account.
Contact Honor Pollard, Communication Officer, honor.pollard@babraham.ac.uk
Image description: Members of the Institute's Green Labs team
About the Babraham Institute The Babraham Institute undertakes world-class life sciences research to generate new knowledge of biological mechanisms underpinning ageing, development and the maintenance of health. Our research focuses on cellular signalling, gene regulation and the impact of epigenetic regulation at different stages of life. By determining how the body reacts to dietary and environmental stimuli and manages microbial and viral interactions, we aim to improve wellbeing and support healthier ageing. The Institute is strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, through Institute Strategic Programme Grants and an Institute Core Capability Grant and also receives funding from other UK research councils, charitable foundations, the EU and medical charities.
13 October 2023