Sustainability of the Environment
The BSTP is committed to sustainability in toxicological pathology and with the inclusion of the following paragraph in the constitution of the BSTP:
To acknowledge a duty of care, which extends to encompass the environment in which all humans and animals have a right to live and thrive. The BSTP is fully committed to sustainability of the environment and aims include the reduction of energy demands, the use of renewable resources and the use of recycled products wherever possible.
BSTP Sustainability - Dec 2024 (150.3 KiB, 57 hits)
The BSTP is actively engaging with the issue of Climate change and sustainability of our ecosystem.
As a society our carbon emissions generated are negligible. The BSTP has one annual face to face scientific meeting (ASM) incurring travel by delegates, the other continuing education meetings are virtual, and the society is not generating carbon emissions from other sources. Therefore, offsetting carbon emissions has focused on carbon generated from travel to the annual ASM.
To offset this carbon, the society has invested in four specific projects with the company Carbon Neutral Britain. 100 tonnes was offset in a one-off payment (£775 plus 20% VAT = £930), to cover the carbon emissions from travel to the society meeting for at least 5 years. The four specific projects supported are the Salkhit wind farm in Mongolia, Wind power in Karnataka India, Elazig solar farm in Turkey and household solar lighting in Zambia. All projects are audited and approved via the United Nations CER, Verra or Gold Standard mechanisms to ensure the tonnes of offset CO2e are accurate and verified by these third parties. They also provide secondary benefits including education, employment, clean water and a positive impact on local wildlife and ecology.
We have also partnered with the British Society of Veterinary Pathology (BSVP) - https://www.bsvp.org/introduction/
CARBON OFFSETTING PROJECTS
- Focus on travel by delegates to ASM
- Previously have been contributing small fee per month
- Off set actual amount of carbon generated
- Contribute to specific projects
- One off payment to cover 100 tonnes (minimum allowed)
- Between 17 and 22 tonnes generated per year from ASM travel
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Projects are audited and approved via the United Nations CER, Verra, or Gold Standard Mechanisms. As the three largest, and most regulated carbon offsetting standards in the world - this ensures the measurements, and tonnes of CO2e offset are accurate, and verified by these third parties.
NEWS UPDATES
Formaldehyde fixation may be the gold standard for preserving cells and tissues but alcohol-based fixation can deliver improved results in biomolecular techniques - with the benefit of safer, greener chemistry. Advances in tissue interrogation methods and the sustainability of manufacturing are setting the stage for a non-toxic fixative future. For more information visit - https://www.labconscious.com/green-lab-tips/2022/7/25/alcohol-based-tissue-fixation
The BSVP held a webinar hosted by Dr. Una Fitzgerald. Dr. Fitzgerald is leading a Green Lab initiative in the National University of Ireland, Galway. Here is a video of hers if you would like to have a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNUARgwhJSc
Life cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Gastrointestinal Biopsies in a Surgical Pathology Laboratory - 2021 article from Am J Clin Path
Labconscious is an open resource and blog for the life science community to reduce laboratory waste, use green chemistry, conserve water and save energy.
<< CLICK HERE >> to read more
Reducing the environmental impact of pathology laboratories while maintaining high standards is a balancing act that requires further exploration. In this article, we hear from the newly established BSVP Green Team and their work to improve sustainability in veterinary laboratories.
<< CLICK HERE >> to read more
Here below are the links on the sustainability topic:
https://www.pioneerresearch.co.uk/spill-kits/
References:
- Sinigaglia C. et al. A safer, urea-based in situ hybridization method improves detection of gene expression in diverse animal species (2017) Developmental Biology.
- Golczyk H. A simple non-toxic ethylene carbonate fluorescence in situ hybridization (EC-FISH) for simultaneous detection of repetitive DNA sequences and fluorescent bands in plants.(2019) Protoplasma.
- Kalinka A.et al. Comparison of ethylene carbonate and formamide as components of the hybridization mixture in FISH (2021) Genetics and Plant Breeding
Vet Sustain & Animal Care | Register FREE to watch: "Becoming Carbon Neutral – a guide to Why, How and When" - The Webinar Vet
VetSustain blog post now live!
Vet Sustain supports veterinary professionals to drive change towards a more sustainable future.
The world is facing a multitude of complex and pressing challenges. Climate change, biodiversity depletion and public health pandemics are presenting existential threats to human civilisation and the natural world. Together we can make a difference.
The current BVA president will use this year to champion sustainability in the vet profession -
https://www.bva.co.uk/news-and-blog/blog-article/how-to-be-a-sustainability-champion/
There is also now accreditation for "Investors in the Environment”. Many of the bigger practices have become accredited - you can call in a consultant from the Institute for Environmental Sustainability and Management (IEMS) to advise and see you through the process - maybe labs (CRO’s, etc) could be encouraged to do this. It does seem also to be very effective in saving money - thus a big incentive.
IEMS also run training courses and have information on saving energy, buildings, transport, travel etc., they also focus on veterinary practice, including the use of reagents, dealing with waste, water usage, sourcing sustainable suppliers etc.
For more information on IEMS visit - https://www.iemsme.com
