The Sustainability of Science

When conducting experiments in the lab, Stella Chroni is often stunned by just how much plastic, water, and energy she and her colleagues use. “So many pipette tips are thrown away after a single use, and so much energy is wasted in day-to-day lab work,” explains the master's student of molecular and cellular biology at LMU. Determined to make a change, Chroni now leads the Green Office on Martinsried Campus, helping labs adopt more sustainable practices. “I wanted to help raise awareness and improve things – starting with my own habits.”

Originally from Greece, Stella Chroni came to Germany for an Erasmus internship in Heidelberg and later returned to pursue her master’s degree at LMU. Since September 2024, she has been leading the Green Office, a joint initiative by the university’s Safety, Health and Sustainability Unit, the Faculty of Biology, and the Biomedical Center (BMC). It serves as a hub for sustainability and climate protection on the Martinsried campus. “We collect and share practical lab sustainability tips, support labs, and work closely with students, staff, researchers, and other university green initiatives,” Chroni explains.

Avoiding waste – from pipettes to energy

The Green Office’s main project is coordinating a lab certification programme called “My Green Lab Certification programme”. Developed by a US-based non-profit organisation, the programme helps research labs reduce their environmental footprint by improving plastic use, energy efficiency, water consumption, purchasing habits and more. So far, 15 labs and divisions at the Biocenter and BMC have taken part – still just a fraction of the many labs on campus. Raising awareness among researchers is a key step to increase this fraction: “The more people know about it, the more likely they are to join,” Chroni notes.

Some of the changes labs make might seem small but have a big impact. Ultra-low freezers, for instance, typically run at -80°C. “Raising the temperature by just ten degrees to -70°C can significantly cut energy use without compromising the stored samples,” Chroni says. Meanwhile, cell culture hoods – the sterile air-flow cabinets used for this purpose – also consume a surprising amount of electricity. “They consume as much as three households of energy per day,” she says. “Very often, they are left running when not in use, wasting energy.” Autoclaves, the heavy-duty machines used to sterilise lab equipment, also contribute to high energy and water consumption.

Another major concern is plastic waste. “Biology labs, especially in molecular biology, rely heavily on disposable plastic items like pipette tips and micro tubes,” Stella Chroni explains. “We use very small amounts of substances, so we need very small sample tubes that are often only used once.” Chemistry labs, on the other hand, often work with larger volumes of liquids and chemicals, she says. “This allows them to use more reusable glassware like beakers and flasks, rather than the single-use plastic tubes required for sterile work in biology labs, resulting in a lower plastic footprint. Additionally, laboratories that work with cell cultures demand extra sterile materials, which are typically single-use.”

Reducing plastic in the lab

Still, the biology labs are making changes. “Some refill pipette tip boxes instead of ordering new ones,” Stella Chroni explains. “And there's a growing discussion about whether some tips could be washed and reused, though that raises safety and contamination concerns.” Recycling practices have also been improving. “More labs now separate regular paper and plastic waste, as well as gloves and tissues and take part in return programmes for certain types of plastics, like PET bottles.

One important partner for the Green Office is the internal “Green Lab Initiative” at the BMC, a self-organised group of researchers – ranging from PhD students to principal investigators – who meet regularly to discuss and improve sustainable practices in their labs. “It’s really helpful to have that kind of grassroots engagement,” says Chroni. “It creates a space where people across different roles can share ideas and solutions.”

Coordinating the Green Office fits well with Stella Chroni’s own lifestyle and values. “Personally, I have started reducing the meat I eat and usually walk to campus. I also try to think before I buy things, avoid throwing things away if I can find another use for them, and of course, recycle.” But in the lab, sticking to environmentally friendly habits can be more challenging than in her student household. “During experiments, scientists already have to follow strict safety protocols – adding environmental considerations on top of this can feel overwhelming,” she says. “But that’s why institutional support and clear guidance are so important.”

Balancing Sustainability and Practicality

More and more research funders are now making sustainability a formal requirement. “Both the EU and the DFG, for example, increasingly ask applicants to address environmental aspects in their grant proposals,” Chroni says. “This shows that sustainability is no longer just a personal concern – it’s becoming a structural expectation in the scientific community.” Meanwhile, in some of LMU’s inner-city buildings, sustainability efforts can come into conflict with preservation requirements, Chroni notes. “Many of the university’s historic buildings are beautiful but difficult to renovate in an energy-efficient way. There’s a bit of a clash between protecting cultural heritage and modern sustainability goals.”

Enlarge

Sustainability challenges in lab-based sciences differ greatly from those in the humanities, where waste and energy use are lower. “Fields like history, philosophy, and literature primarily rely on books, archives, and digital resources rather than energy-intensive lab equipment and single-use materials.” Here, sustainability efforts focus on reducing paper use through digitalisation, expanding online libraries, and minimising travel for conferences.

In the future, Stella Chroni hopes the Green Office can grow – both in staff and visibility. But she'd also like to see similar offices in other departments, more events for students, and closer collaboration with green offices at other universities. “One idea that’s already floating around is a joint sustainability fair.” She recently launched an Instagram account to raise awareness among students and staff at LMU, sharing insights on sustainable lab work. In colourful illustrations she shows how centrifuges, hotplate machines, and other bench-top lab equipment use energy when left on standby.

Meals with carbon footprint labels

On Instagram, she also shares practical tips for everyday choices, like using reusable coffee cups, printing less, or, for example, choosing vegetarian meals at the university cafeteria. “It’s helpful that the student canteens around Munich started labelling food items with their estimated carbon and water footprint,” she says. Dishes with a particularly low environmental impact are marked as “KlimaTeller” (“ClimateDish”).

For Stella Chroni, the Green Office is more than just a student job. It has given her not only a sense of purpose but also a possible future path. “I've learned a lot about planning, coordinating, and communicating. While I love the scientific work in the lab, I could also see myself as a sustainability manager in the future,” she says. “It’s about becoming more mindful, step by step – you just have to start somewhere.”

LMU supports the establishment of Green Offices at other locations. Further information is available at the Sustainability Office.