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University College London (UCL) made a series of pledges last week to cut down on plastic waste, help mitigate climate change, and make its research and teaching facilities more environmentally sustainable, according to a press release issued on October 16. If all goes to plan, UCL will divest from fossil fuel–producing companies by the end of this year, have one and a half football pitches’ worth of green space on its campus within five years, and offer vegetarian options only through its catering and hospitality services by 2030.
Among the most tangible changes to affect UCL researchers is the phasing out of single-use plastics, which is to include lab plastic materials such as Petri dishes, pipette tips, and tissue culture plates.
“I think it’s the right thing to do,” says Nicole Kelesoglu, a former research technician and current editor of the sustainable lab practices blog Labconscious, ...
