Shocked about the “new normal”? Go for a happy culture change. A blog by Estel Collado Camps

A month ago we launched the Radboud Freezer Challenge. Inspired by My Green Lab, we were hoping to stimulate our colleagues to reduce freezer electricity consumption up to a 30% (!) by introducing just a few simple changes. We were positive, and others were too. But we still stumbled upon eyebrow lifts, “what can you win” and, of course: we don’t have time for it.

It takes time to change a culture, they say. Well, my point is exactly that. Do we, anno 2020, still believe it takes time? We are just in the middle of the most sudden, gigantic and distressing culture change we’ve ever seen. We’ve made drastic changes in just a few hours or days. If you don’t have time to take care of your freezer… Do you ever wonder how we’ve all been finding time for daily updates on the corona numbers? Or the never ending discussions on rules and regulations, and biweekly press conferences where, mind you, 50% of what was said we already knew? Being completely unprepared, we’ve let go of so much. We stopped hugging our beloved ones, travelling, going to the gym, working side by side, having Friday beers. This is what we can do when our system is pushed to the limits.

Imagine how pleasant it would be to make changes before the limit hits us. Let this sink in. Making our labs more sustainable is by far less depressing than taking corona measures. For a little “culture change” we get better perspectives in lab space, time, collaboration, money and -surprise- public health, in the long run. Sustainability is not only recycling paper at work. It’s also logistics, FAIR data, equality. And the benefits of it all will stay with us. No vaccine needed!

Of course, there is so much to do. But you need to start somewhere, so I thought of some tips to smoothly get you going.

Bring your reusable, sealable cup to work. If you’re the only one who touches it, why would this be less safe than paper cups?

Turn off the lights. Really. I wrote it on my blog this spring and I’ll say it again: every evening and weekend all the lights stay on! We can do it. Make it a personal challenge, a game, an excuse to fill the candy jar.

Think about your use of running water. And notice all the procedures where you can use a glass beaker instead of a falcon tube, or where you can pour instead of pipetting 25mL. Note: Don’t pour harsh acids. Start with PBS until you get better at it.

Join the Freezer Challenge, which only takes an e-mail to: thijmen.sietsma@ru.nl. There’s information on the intranet, and an interview-based document that Teun Bousema put together. Have a look! They are short, friendly reads.

This is a good start, so half of the work, right? And if you’re not up to small symbolisms, then come pitch your ideas for the Radboud Green Lab Initiative. Drop me an e-mail.

So, dear colleagues, remember: COVID-19 brought us months of experience in rapid adaptation, and in giving up our comfortable routines for the “greater good”. Why not transform this acquired new skill into something positive? Let’s go sustainable! It should be a walk in the park.