Monday, September 28, 2015
UCSC Farm featured in the New York Times
Mark Bittman, the New York Times lead food columnist, visited the farm at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz and interviewed Daniel Press, the center’s executive director and Tim Galarneau, a coordinator with Food Systems Working Group. The interview highlighted the apprenticeship program that has been active since 1967. Check out the article accompanied with a video, here.
On-Campus Housing Survey informs UCSC’s Climate and Energy Strategy Study
In the spring quarter of 2015, undergraduate residents living in on-campus housing were requested to complete a survey to provide input on heating, cooling, and lighting in their residential housing units. Over the summer, Sustainability Office interns assigned to support the Climate and Energy Strategy (CES) study worked with one of the project’s consultants, Ecoshift, to compile a summary of the survey results. One hundred and eighteen students completed the survey, which represents only a small fraction (1.5 percent) of the total population of undergraduate residents living in on-campus housing. It is important to note that this summary is framed within the context of this small sample. The CES interns are working to increase participation in the survey by launching another round of surveys this fall.
The majority of heating and cooling issues are skewed towards Porter College and Stevenson College, with these residential housing units representing 57 percent of the survey responses. Generally and as expected, respondents agreed that their residences were too hot during the spring, fall, and summer quarters and too cold during the winter quarters. The following graph represents the general thermal comfort of the residences on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being extremely cold and 10 being extremely hot.
The graph displays the majority of survey respondent’s experience thermal comfort. Similarly, the survey found 88 percent of campus has adequate hot water in sinks around campus and showers.
Surprisingly, many students are either unaware that they can adjust the temperatures in their rooms with the thermostats provided in the residences or simply do not use them. CES interns hope to be able conduct outreach to new residents about how they can adjust their room temperatures. As for lighting, a majority of the students agreed that they found unoccupied spaces with lights left on more times than not. Many residents indicated that occupancy sensors did not work or they weren’t sure what occupancy sensors do. By adding occupancy sensors and educational outreach on how they work, wasted energy from leaving lights on in unoccupied spaces can be minimized.
The survey has given the CES interns and consulting team good insight into energy issues that residents face on-campus. This knowledge can enable planning of concrete steps to improve thermal and lighting issues in on-campus residential housing while ensuring that comfort is maximized with the least amount of energy consumed.
As mentioned above, there is another round of the survey happening this fall. Complete this survey for a chance to win the grand prize $100 gift certificate, or one of four $50 certificates to the Bay Tree Bookstore. Please spread the word to your on-campus friends about this opportunity. More survey participation means more invaluable information our campus has for solving energy issues, making students more comfortable, and reaching carbon neutrality! Look out for upcoming emails and flyers about the survey.
The majority of heating and cooling issues are skewed towards Porter College and Stevenson College, with these residential housing units representing 57 percent of the survey responses. Generally and as expected, respondents agreed that their residences were too hot during the spring, fall, and summer quarters and too cold during the winter quarters. The following graph represents the general thermal comfort of the residences on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being extremely cold and 10 being extremely hot.
Surprisingly, many students are either unaware that they can adjust the temperatures in their rooms with the thermostats provided in the residences or simply do not use them. CES interns hope to be able conduct outreach to new residents about how they can adjust their room temperatures. As for lighting, a majority of the students agreed that they found unoccupied spaces with lights left on more times than not. Many residents indicated that occupancy sensors did not work or they weren’t sure what occupancy sensors do. By adding occupancy sensors and educational outreach on how they work, wasted energy from leaving lights on in unoccupied spaces can be minimized.
The survey has given the CES interns and consulting team good insight into energy issues that residents face on-campus. This knowledge can enable planning of concrete steps to improve thermal and lighting issues in on-campus residential housing while ensuring that comfort is maximized with the least amount of energy consumed.
As mentioned above, there is another round of the survey happening this fall. Complete this survey for a chance to win the grand prize $100 gift certificate, or one of four $50 certificates to the Bay Tree Bookstore. Please spread the word to your on-campus friends about this opportunity. More survey participation means more invaluable information our campus has for solving energy issues, making students more comfortable, and reaching carbon neutrality! Look out for upcoming emails and flyers about the survey.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
October 2015: Internships, Employment, & Volunteering
Employment
Student Environmental Center (SEC) is Looking For Two New Student OrganizersBoth organizers will work with SEC's Blueprint Coordinator to compile the 2016-2017 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus. The Blueprint is a document re-written by students each year. It outlines students' visions and actions for on-campus sustainability. Work includes researching topics in sustainability (see Blueprint topics), attending working group meetings, writing and editing. Both positions start Fall quarter and end in June, requiring about 8-10 hours a week. Applicants must have previous experience in a student organization. To apply, email: seclead-group [at] ucsc [dot] edu and indicate SEC Student Organizer Job in subject line.
Paid Student Staff Positions at the Program in Community & Agroecology
The Program in Community and Agroecology is hiring five student leadership positions for 9/28/15 – 6/30/15. The five positions available are:
- PICA A-Quad Garden Coordinator apply to ER#3372
- PICA B-Quad Garden Coordinator apply to ER#3372
- PICA Compost Coordinator apply to ER#6573
- PICA - Program Assistant apply to ER#7893
- PICA - Events Coordinator apply to ER#7893
Click here to apply at the UCSC Career Center website.
Paid Student Staff Positions at Common Ground Center
Students! Want an empowering paid job on campus working towards social justice and sustainability? Interested in gaining new skills in event coordination and project management while giving back to your community?Common Ground Center at Kresge College is hiring for 3 paid student staff positions:
The initial application review date is Sept 25th, though the jobs will remain posted until filled. Employment Date - Sept-28-2015 to 6-20-2015. $9/hr for approx. 5 hrs/wk.
Santa Cruz County Transportation Planning Technician
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is soliciting applications for a Transportation Planning Technician. A completed job application, resume and cover letter must be received by Monday, October 12 to be guaranteed review by mail or by emailing yparra [at] sccrtc [dot] org by the deadline.
Sustainability Coordinator at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
The Sustainability Coordinator will provide administrative and program support and will have strategic program leadership roles in support of a wide range of sustainability initiatives having broad impact, with a goal of institutionalizing sustainability values in student, faculty, and staff experience and campus culture. This position will heavily interface with and provide information to both internal and external constituents. For more information about position requirements, and to apply, click here.
Green Corps
The mission of Green Corps is to train organizers, provide field support for today’s critical environmental campaigns and graduate activists who possess the skills, temperament and commitment to fight and win tomorrow’s environmental battles. If you're passionate and ready to contribute to the environmental movement, click here.
Central Coast Energy Service in Search of Community Outreach Specialist
The Central Coast Energy Services is looking for a full-time Community Outreach Specialist in Watsonville. The Community Outreach Specialist is responsible for sourcing outreach locations, developing relationships with partner agency staff, and establishing activities schedules. The types of information distribution and application intake sites we serve may include: community-based organization offices, county offices, food bank distribution sites and community events. To obtain this position, the applicant should have an AS degree in Business Administration or a related field. For more information about position requirements, and to apply, click here.
Internships
Environmental Studies Internships Open to All MajorsThe Environmental Studies Internship Office has many different internship opportunities available for fall. These 2 and 5-unit internships are open to all majors. Review some of the internships and learn how to apply on the Environmental Studies website here. Contact Chris Krohn for more information and additional internship listings at ckrohn [at] ucsc [dot] edu.
Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability Internship with National Outdoor Leadership School
There is an internship opening with NOLS in their Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability department for the Spring 2016 semester. The internship is unique in that it will split time between an environmental stewardship position focusing on protecting the outdoor/wilderness areas they operate in and a sustainability position focusing on reducing the environmental impact of their organization. Applications are due by October 23. For more information and instructions on how to apply, click here.
InnerView Intern
InnerView Interns spend a few hours a week (2-4) connecting with student leaders, event organizers and campus staff. They partner and help spread the word about events and programs and help participants get recognition for their activities - all to amp up the good on our campus. Click here to learn more and to apply.
Volunteering
Want to teach elementary school kids about bike safety? Bike Smart program is looking for volunteers to help with the bicycle safety education rodeos at schools across Santa Cruz County. Learn more here.
Want to get your hands dirty and nurture the plants in our campus gardens? Visit the calendar to find out when garden work days are happening here.
Get Involved with UC Global Food Initiative
The UC Global Food Initiative aims to address global issues in the food system. All 10 UCs are working collectively towards this effort to support sustainable agriculture, healthy eating, and food security. UCSC is playing a critical role in this effort with the support of the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. Join a subcommittee and get involved by contacting ucscfswg [at] ucsc [dot] edu.
Call for Students! Conduct Free Local Business Energy Audits
Interested in greening offices and energy conservation? The Green Impact Campaign is a national student-powered movement working to raise awareness of energy consumption. Become part of the movement today and join Green Impact Campaign, here.
Sprout Up Environmental Education Opportunity Sprout Up
Santa Cruz is seeking college student-instructors instructors to deliver free environmental education to 1st and 2nd graders in the Santa Cruz community, cultivating the next generation of passionate caretakers of the earth. Commitment is maximum 3 hours/week for 8 weeks, by UCSC academic quarter. For more information, please contact directorsc[at]sproutup[dot]org, and visit their website at www.SproutUp.org.
The Bike Church Community Repair Shop Seeking Volunteers
Have a knack for cycling, biking and learning to maintain bikes? Interested in learning to divert bike parts from the waste stream? Then this is the opportunity for you! Click here for more information.
Community Engagement with San Lorenzo River Alliance
Help the San Lorenzo River Alliance have more positive attention on and more positive engagement with the San Lorenzo River by signing up to be a community engagement volunteer. To learn more or volunteer, email Laurie Egan at legan [at] coastal-watershed [dot] org. Also, check out their website here.
Teach K-12 Watershed Conservation Lessons
Coastal Watershed Council presents lessons to K-12 grade students at public schools throughout the county. Volunteer to present lessons on the link between watersheds and our water supply, recycling and composting, water pollution prevention, how to pack a trash free lunch, wise energy use, and many other topics related to climate change and wise resource use. To learn more and sign up, email Stew Jenkins at sjenkins [at] coastal-watershed [dot] org or call him at (831) 464-9200. Learn more here.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Get paid to fight climate change!
The UCSC Sustainability Office is looking for two passionate, knowledgeable and organized Carbon Neutrality Student Fellows to coordinate climate action engagement and planning this academic year! If you’re a UCSC student interested in climate change, creative problem solving, and student organizing and empowerment, then this is an experience you want to have!
Climate change threatens to destroy our communities and destabilise our economy with higher temperatures, extreme weather, and rising seas. At its core, climate change is an injustice hoisted onto future generations and people who have done little to create the problem, affecting first and worst the global poor. But the world is changing in more than just climatic systems, and tackling climate change promises to host co-benefits for humans and non-human beings alike.
Be part of the transition.
The Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellowship program, now in its second year, gives students the opportunity to engage in the rapid decarbonization of the university’s energy system through a yearlong paid internship. The Student Fellows will have the opportunity to build their knowledge of climate change science, policy and economics, social movements, campus sustainability, UC bureaucracy, renewable energy systems, climate justice, and other topics related to carbon neutrality and climate leadership.
Fellows will help coordinate a carbon reduction pledge campaign through social media, host events to garner student feedback and priorities in climate action planning, as well as gain leadership skills and explore intersectional sustainability issues through a revolutionary inter-fellowship retreat with students involved in the Global Food Initiative. The Fellows will also lead efforts to plan and execute visioning sessions and charrettes to engage the campus community in climate action planning.The Fellowship will require creative construction of programs, activities and/or campaigns to promote climate action and reduce emissions on campus and beyond.
Apply here for ER#7842, and submit a cover letter and resume that highlights your direct skills, knowledge and abilities supporting the position. Send to Chrissy Thomure, Climate Action Manager, at cthomure@ucsc.edu. Feel free to contact Alden Phinney, the outgoing Carbon Neutrality Fellow, with any questions regarding student experience in the fellowship program at aphinney@ucsc.edu. Applications are open until filled.
This Fellowship is open to undergrad and grad students at UCSC, though applications may be open at other UC campuses as well; check with your campus Sustainability Office for more details.
Be part of the transition.
The Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellowship program, now in its second year, gives students the opportunity to engage in the rapid decarbonization of the university’s energy system through a yearlong paid internship. The Student Fellows will have the opportunity to build their knowledge of climate change science, policy and economics, social movements, campus sustainability, UC bureaucracy, renewable energy systems, climate justice, and other topics related to carbon neutrality and climate leadership.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Growing and Designing Flower Arrangements and Bouquets for Special Events
Growing and Designing Flower Arrangements and Bouquets for Special Events - Saturday, July 25
Join professional flower grower Zoe Hitchner of Healdsburg’s Front Porch Farm, and Sky DeMuro of UC Santa Cruz's Alan Chadwick Garden for a workshop on special event flowers.
If you are a bride, groom, farmer-florist, or simply love playing with flowers, this workshop will delight and educate. The workshop will take place on Saturday, July 25 at the Chadwick Garden on the UCSC campus, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
The instructors will lead participants in demonstrations and hands-on activities to make unique, seasonal arrangements that are farm-fresh and elegant. In addition to basic floral design techniques, including hand-tied bouquets, centerpieces, corsages, and boutonnieres, this workshop will also cover organic growing and selection tips for those who want to grow their own flowers.
Cost of the workshop is $125 (all supplies included), or $95 for members of the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden. A discounted entry fee of $45 is available for beginning farmers (see contact information, below, to register at the discounted price). Space is limited to 20 participants and you'll take home your arrangements.
Pre-registration required. Pre-register online at http://flowers2015.bpt.me. For more information or to register at the beginning farmer entry fee, call (831) 459-3240, email casfs@ucsc.edu, or see http://casfs.ucsc.edu. Workshops are cosponsored by the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems and the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden.
The Alan Chadwick Garden is located between Merrill and Stevenson Colleges on the UC Santa Cruz campus, near the corner of Merrill College Road and McLaughlin Drive; free public parking is available in the Merrill College parking lot.
For directions, see http://casfs.ucsc.edu/about/directions.html
Join professional flower grower Zoe Hitchner of Healdsburg’s Front Porch Farm, and Sky DeMuro of UC Santa Cruz's Alan Chadwick Garden for a workshop on special event flowers.If you are a bride, groom, farmer-florist, or simply love playing with flowers, this workshop will delight and educate. The workshop will take place on Saturday, July 25 at the Chadwick Garden on the UCSC campus, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
The instructors will lead participants in demonstrations and hands-on activities to make unique, seasonal arrangements that are farm-fresh and elegant. In addition to basic floral design techniques, including hand-tied bouquets, centerpieces, corsages, and boutonnieres, this workshop will also cover organic growing and selection tips for those who want to grow their own flowers.
Cost of the workshop is $125 (all supplies included), or $95 for members of the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden. A discounted entry fee of $45 is available for beginning farmers (see contact information, below, to register at the discounted price). Space is limited to 20 participants and you'll take home your arrangements.
Pre-registration required. Pre-register online at http://flowers2015.bpt.me. For more information or to register at the beginning farmer entry fee, call (831) 459-3240, email casfs@ucsc.edu, or see http://casfs.ucsc.edu. Workshops are cosponsored by the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems and the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden.
The Alan Chadwick Garden is located between Merrill and Stevenson Colleges on the UC Santa Cruz campus, near the corner of Merrill College Road and McLaughlin Drive; free public parking is available in the Merrill College parking lot.
For directions, see http://casfs.ucsc.edu/about/directions.html
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
UCOP seeks an Associate Vice President of Energy & Sustainability
Associate Vice President of Energy & Sustainability
The University of California, Office of the President invites qualified candidates to apply for a newly created leadership opportunity: Associate Vice President- Energy & Sustainability. The University of California is the state’s premier public research university and one of its largest employers. Our campuses are routinely ranked among the best in the world. The Office of the President is the systemwide headquarters of the University of California, managing its fiscal and business operations, supporting the academic and research missions across its ten campuses, labs and five medical centers.
Reporting to the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, the successful individual serves as a visionary leader and executive-level ambassador who will continue and expand the University of California's leadership role in energy and sustainability. The AVP creates collaborative opportunities among UC campus and medical center representatives from capital programs, sustainability offices, real estate, planning, facilities services, transportation, procurement, finance and other constituencies, including representatives and experts among the University’s faculty and researchers, to engage in cross-functional planning, problem-solving and innovation.
Responsibilities include:
Qualifications for this role include:
Knowledge/Experience and Education:
For details on how to apply, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/owmjkzq and search for the position title above.
The University of California, Office of the President invites qualified candidates to apply for a newly created leadership opportunity: Associate Vice President- Energy & Sustainability. The University of California is the state’s premier public research university and one of its largest employers. Our campuses are routinely ranked among the best in the world. The Office of the President is the systemwide headquarters of the University of California, managing its fiscal and business operations, supporting the academic and research missions across its ten campuses, labs and five medical centers.
Reporting to the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, the successful individual serves as a visionary leader and executive-level ambassador who will continue and expand the University of California's leadership role in energy and sustainability. The AVP creates collaborative opportunities among UC campus and medical center representatives from capital programs, sustainability offices, real estate, planning, facilities services, transportation, procurement, finance and other constituencies, including representatives and experts among the University’s faculty and researchers, to engage in cross-functional planning, problem-solving and innovation.
Responsibilities include:
- Collaborative Leadership: Leverage the robust and leading-edge programs and practices at campuses and medical centers. Convene operational experts, researchers and key stakeholders to further UC’s progress toward aggressive sustainability and energy goals
- Lead and Oversee UC’s Carbon Neutrality Strategy: Oversee the refinement and implementation of the strategy and milestones needed to achieve carbon neutrality goals established by UC leadership. Oversee development of potential funding strategies and sources to effect carbon mitigation. Oversee the development and execution of a long term renewable energy strategy. Oversee work to support campuses and medical centers with resources for planning deep energy efficiency programs, zero net energy building projects and other renewable energy efficiency efforts.
- Develop Energy Procurement & Hedging Strategy: Oversee the development and management of the procurement and hedging strategy for the University. Plan, budget, and manage commodity price risk mitigation procedures and metrics. Oversee commodity and UC equity position contract development, negotiation and execution.
- Sustainability Program: Provide oversight and support to UCOP’s Office of Sustainability, which collaboratively develops, coordinates, and supports campus sustainability efforts throughout the UC system across the full range of sustainability areas.
- Advocacy: In consultation with UC’s government relations leadership, represent UC’s interests and strategies with Federal and State government and regulatory agencies. Monitor regulatory actions and plans in greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction, carbon mitigation, water efficiency, waste management, and other areas of utility and sustainability services.
- People Management: Manage a team charged with implementing the University’s strategy and achieving the strategic goals.
Qualifications for this role include:
- Demonstrated understanding the interlocking roles that energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy infrastructure, energy utilities, sustainability, climate action, energy contracting and wholesale electricity markets play
- Demonstrated knowledge of a wide variety of sustainable practices and programs including renewable energy and other non-carbon sources of electricity. Knowledge of regulatory environment and risks facing UC as an Energy Service Provider
- Strong technical utility/ energy background regarding the use commodities markets and futures to hedge UC’s fuel and energy needs, including working knowledge of the regulatory agencies such as FERC, CAISO, CEC and CPUC
- Sound financial management expertise and oversight of matters including developing financing scenarios for energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy infrastructure and related infrastructure maintenance initiatives
- Ability to drive and implement energy and fuel acquisition strategies across the system
- Carbon compliance experience including: full understanding of CARB and carbon allowance and off-set markets, a pulse on future direction of applicable regulations and facilitation of campus carbon market positions
- Knowledge of real estate development, design, construction and facility operations, contracting related to design, construction, biogas development and operations, and strong negotiations skills Working knowledge of applicable laws, regulations and UC policies
Knowledge/Experience and Education:
- Bachelor’s Degree required; MBA or Master’s Degree preferred
- Engineering, Sciences, Business and/or Management desired
- Sustainability emphasis desired (i.e., sustainability-oriented degree programs)
- Past experience with natural gas procurement preferred
- 10+ years’ experience in energy
- 10+ years’ experience in sustainable practices/policies
- 5+ years in an energy sales and or commodity product structuring role desirable
- 5+ years’ people management and/or account management experience
For details on how to apply, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/owmjkzq and search for the position title above.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Presenting Mascharak Lab: UCSC’s first Platinum Certified Green Lab
By Lily Urmann- Green Labs Facilitator
When the Green Labs team conducted our walkthrough to certify Mascharak Lab, it would be an understatement to say that we were all impressed. The lab’s commitment to sustainability and conserving was outstanding. What was even more impressive, and rare among labs on our campus, was their teamwork and collective effort to recycle, save energy, and reduce waste in their lab. The Green Labs team is excited to announce that Mascharak Lab is UCSC’s first Platinum Certified lab- the highest award in our ranking system! I sat down with the Green Lab Zero Waste Coordinator Chris Kane to interview Indranil Chakraborty and Samantha Carrington from Mascharak lab to see how they work towards sustainability in their lab.
Chris: What is the primary focus of the work you do in your lab?
Indranil: Currently cancer is the most detrimental disease on earth. As per survey conducted by National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the year 2015, an estimated 1,658,370 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 589,430 people will die from this disease. Although chemotherapy is the most common treatment for this ailment, there are several types of cancer, which are resistant to such treatment. In addition this procedure also associated with various adverse side effects. It has been known for a while that carbon monoxide can induce pro-apoptotic effect (apoptosis is a process of programed cell death) towards hyper prolific cells like cancer cells. However, utilizing carbon monoxide as gaseous form in hospital settings is not very favorable. To utilize the therapeutic potential of this small molecule, in our lab we are designing some metal carbonyl complexes that release carbon monoxide upon light illumination. In that way we plan to deliver carbon monoxide in a more controllable and targeted fashion to eradicate cancer cells. In such pursuits we are designing such molecules where CO release can be triggered with the aid of visible light (as good a normal flash light). We are employing also some theoretical calculations to aid our design principles.
Samantha: The goal overall in this project is to bring fiber optic therapy to also help as an addition to chemotherapy. CO not only induces apoptosis in cancer cells, it actually also helps to sensitize cancer cells towards chemotherapeutics about 1,000 times. With our experience in synthesis, we are able to bring the theoretical chemistry together with the synthesis and photophysical chemistry to make these complexes very visible light active.
Chris: How did your lab hear about the Green Labs Program?
Samantha: We heard about it at the LSR meeting. They had a slide for Green Labs, and there were people representing Green Labs from Environmental Health and Safety.
Chris: What prompted you to pursue certification?
Samantha: A long time ago we were having problems with our lights because the whole light system in PSB was redone in an effort to be more “green”. It was actually really funny because they put in new light sensors in our lab; we are a photoactive lab, so our chemicals release or decompose upon illumination. These lights would go on and off by themselves, and affect the experiments. We spoke constantly with the really great electricians and people putting all the lighting to try to fix the problems, and then finally the main engineer on the project, and she said “We had no idea that people were so green!”. The reason the lighting system was changing was so that sensors were able to turn off the lights people had forgotten about and our goal was to just keep the lights off all the time.
Indranil: That’s when we reviewed the system, and deactivated the entire automated lights. Samantha: This was actually the first time anyone had ever brought up our carbon footprint and energy consumption into light because no one else works with the lights off. We started thinking about it and how we run our lab and it seems pretty efficient compared to other labs.
Chris: And I would imagine that to pursue the actual certification it sounded like the slide that offered funding incentives for labs was a motivator? Samantha: Yes, we were so excited! Lily: And once we purchase the new energy-efficient equipment for your lab, we will be able to monitor and record the savings, then re-apply for a larger grant next year and continue growing the Green Labs program to get more labs involved.
Chris: How do you communicate sustainable practices within your lab, to existing and incoming lab members? Samantha: It’s more about how we practice doing things in our lab- we would like to recycle, and in general we like to do things that make sense overall. It all fell in line with being green and sustainable. So it would be weird for half the lab to be doing one thing and for one person to be taking out recycled paper and throwing it in the trash! Indranil: When the incoming graduate students see Sam doing these things, they follow her lead and assume this is how the lab runs. Since Sam was our LSR, she’s good at giving a general overview about how to be safe and sustainable.
Chris: Are there any other sustainable practices that you plan to implement into lab for the future? Sometimes this can be hard for labs if it’s seen as a barrier to get their work done, but there's always room to improve. Samantha: A long time ago, we had a printer that printed double-sided, but it used too much ink (which was expensive). So we were trying to use less ink, and we buy the recycled paper- but when we got a new printer, it only printed one-sided. Although it’s now efficient in ink, there are always downsides. Now our goal is finding “the one” that will be good with ink AND print double-sided! This is especially important as we are trying to get everyone on the electronic inventory system, but still have to print it out- which is a lot of pages, since we are one of the largest synthetic labs on campus. We are just trying to get everything more electronic both to save paper and make our system more efficient.
Lily: How do you encourage members of the lab to be sustainable and use sustainable practices? It sounds like it comes mostly from wanting to be safe, but what advice would you give to other labs to be more sustainable? Samantha: There are both office supplies and reagents that are made for the practice of sustainability- for example, we return the empty printer cartridge for refills. There’s recycled paper that is just as cheap as regular paper and buying from certain suppliers which are known to be more sustainable than others. Often times the reagents are the same price, and the difference is how they affect the environment. These are definitely small things, but they all add up and have an impact.
Chris: I think many people have a misconception that sustainability is all about “green”, but it’s also about making sure the lab can get it’s work done safely and at an economically feasible cost.
If your lab is interesting in getting certified, please email lurmann [at] ucsc [dot] edu and check out the Green Labs Website.
When the Green Labs team conducted our walkthrough to certify Mascharak Lab, it would be an understatement to say that we were all impressed. The lab’s commitment to sustainability and conserving was outstanding. What was even more impressive, and rare among labs on our campus, was their teamwork and collective effort to recycle, save energy, and reduce waste in their lab. The Green Labs team is excited to announce that Mascharak Lab is UCSC’s first Platinum Certified lab- the highest award in our ranking system! I sat down with the Green Lab Zero Waste Coordinator Chris Kane to interview Indranil Chakraborty and Samantha Carrington from Mascharak lab to see how they work towards sustainability in their lab.
Chris: What is the primary focus of the work you do in your lab?
Indranil: Currently cancer is the most detrimental disease on earth. As per survey conducted by National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the year 2015, an estimated 1,658,370 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 589,430 people will die from this disease. Although chemotherapy is the most common treatment for this ailment, there are several types of cancer, which are resistant to such treatment. In addition this procedure also associated with various adverse side effects. It has been known for a while that carbon monoxide can induce pro-apoptotic effect (apoptosis is a process of programed cell death) towards hyper prolific cells like cancer cells. However, utilizing carbon monoxide as gaseous form in hospital settings is not very favorable. To utilize the therapeutic potential of this small molecule, in our lab we are designing some metal carbonyl complexes that release carbon monoxide upon light illumination. In that way we plan to deliver carbon monoxide in a more controllable and targeted fashion to eradicate cancer cells. In such pursuits we are designing such molecules where CO release can be triggered with the aid of visible light (as good a normal flash light). We are employing also some theoretical calculations to aid our design principles.
Samantha: The goal overall in this project is to bring fiber optic therapy to also help as an addition to chemotherapy. CO not only induces apoptosis in cancer cells, it actually also helps to sensitize cancer cells towards chemotherapeutics about 1,000 times. With our experience in synthesis, we are able to bring the theoretical chemistry together with the synthesis and photophysical chemistry to make these complexes very visible light active.
Chris: How did your lab hear about the Green Labs Program?
Samantha: We heard about it at the LSR meeting. They had a slide for Green Labs, and there were people representing Green Labs from Environmental Health and Safety.
Chris: What prompted you to pursue certification?
Samantha: A long time ago we were having problems with our lights because the whole light system in PSB was redone in an effort to be more “green”. It was actually really funny because they put in new light sensors in our lab; we are a photoactive lab, so our chemicals release or decompose upon illumination. These lights would go on and off by themselves, and affect the experiments. We spoke constantly with the really great electricians and people putting all the lighting to try to fix the problems, and then finally the main engineer on the project, and she said “We had no idea that people were so green!”. The reason the lighting system was changing was so that sensors were able to turn off the lights people had forgotten about and our goal was to just keep the lights off all the time.
Indranil: That’s when we reviewed the system, and deactivated the entire automated lights. Samantha: This was actually the first time anyone had ever brought up our carbon footprint and energy consumption into light because no one else works with the lights off. We started thinking about it and how we run our lab and it seems pretty efficient compared to other labs.
Chris: And I would imagine that to pursue the actual certification it sounded like the slide that offered funding incentives for labs was a motivator? Samantha: Yes, we were so excited! Lily: And once we purchase the new energy-efficient equipment for your lab, we will be able to monitor and record the savings, then re-apply for a larger grant next year and continue growing the Green Labs program to get more labs involved.
Chris: How do you communicate sustainable practices within your lab, to existing and incoming lab members? Samantha: It’s more about how we practice doing things in our lab- we would like to recycle, and in general we like to do things that make sense overall. It all fell in line with being green and sustainable. So it would be weird for half the lab to be doing one thing and for one person to be taking out recycled paper and throwing it in the trash! Indranil: When the incoming graduate students see Sam doing these things, they follow her lead and assume this is how the lab runs. Since Sam was our LSR, she’s good at giving a general overview about how to be safe and sustainable.
Chris: Are there any other sustainable practices that you plan to implement into lab for the future? Sometimes this can be hard for labs if it’s seen as a barrier to get their work done, but there's always room to improve. Samantha: A long time ago, we had a printer that printed double-sided, but it used too much ink (which was expensive). So we were trying to use less ink, and we buy the recycled paper- but when we got a new printer, it only printed one-sided. Although it’s now efficient in ink, there are always downsides. Now our goal is finding “the one” that will be good with ink AND print double-sided! This is especially important as we are trying to get everyone on the electronic inventory system, but still have to print it out- which is a lot of pages, since we are one of the largest synthetic labs on campus. We are just trying to get everything more electronic both to save paper and make our system more efficient.
Lily: How do you encourage members of the lab to be sustainable and use sustainable practices? It sounds like it comes mostly from wanting to be safe, but what advice would you give to other labs to be more sustainable? Samantha: There are both office supplies and reagents that are made for the practice of sustainability- for example, we return the empty printer cartridge for refills. There’s recycled paper that is just as cheap as regular paper and buying from certain suppliers which are known to be more sustainable than others. Often times the reagents are the same price, and the difference is how they affect the environment. These are definitely small things, but they all add up and have an impact.
Chris: I think many people have a misconception that sustainability is all about “green”, but it’s also about making sure the lab can get it’s work done safely and at an economically feasible cost.
If your lab is interesting in getting certified, please email lurmann [at] ucsc [dot] edu and check out the Green Labs Website.
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