Welcome to the Green Labs Newsletter! We hope this monthly round up of news, tips, and awards will help incite and continue your interest in sustainable practices in the laboratory. 

Sign up for the 2024 freezer challenge!

The 2024 Freezer Challenge runs from January to June 30th. Official communication won't begin until the spring, but sign up today to get a head start and receive updates.

Read about it here, and sign up here!

The ROSEI summit at the Homewood Campus on January 17th is a place to share sustainable energy and related research being conducted at Johns Hopkins, and all are encouraged to attend!

Registration for late attendees is still open here

James Leatherman, GI/Onc Lab

Freezer Challenge 2024 Kickoff Event

The Global Kickoff for the 2024 Freezer Challenge is on January 18th! You can register to join virtually here.

JHU's own James Leatherman, research associate and lab manager at the GI/Onc Laboratory, will be giving a short presentation at the kickoff.

The GI/Onc Lab at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine won the "Top Large Lab" category in the International Freezer Challenge 2023. 

Kaitlin went to Japan for a conference in 2023, which included highlights like deer that bow for snacks and sushi.

Kaitlin is a Green Labs Communications Intern who began working with the program in 2022. She has worked on Green Labs branding, informational flyers, trash sign consolidation, and recently launching this newsletter!

She is an MD-PhD candidate studying cellular biology and innate immunology during her PhD, and has enjoyed putting her lab knowledge to good use to integrate sustainability practices with laboratory culture and safety. 

Does your lab turn off equipment after use, have automatic lights, utilize outlet timers, or have high efficiency freezers? You likely are already eligible for a Green Labs certification!

Contact sustainability@jh.edu directly with questions or to start the process. 

Learn more here!

Check out Green Labs Ambassador Training to learn more and start your lab off with more sustainable practices safe and beneficial to your experiments and work!

Reducing freezer temperature is viable for nearly every lab, helps the environment, and prolongs the lifetime of your freezer, corresponding to savings for the lab. See more details on storing samples (protein, nucleic acids, cells) safely at higher temperatures here, or email sustainability@jhu.edu with questions!