Life science research institutes such as IMBA require energy, produce waste, and lead to CO2 emissions. To minimize these environmental pressures, the Environmental Protection Committee at the Vienna BioCenter institutes IMBA, IMP, GMI, and VBCF has taken several measures.
By informing employees and students and by testing sustainable research solutions, the institute aims to make research as environmentally friendly as possible and to motivate all employees to become more energy efficient, reduce waste, and cut emissions associated with transport.
Below you find a summary of initiatives to improve research sustainability on campus.
Vienna BioCenter Climate Lecture Series
In this lecture series, international speakers from universities, research institutes, and companies share their knowledge on best practices to save energy, reduce waste, and other aspects of sustainability in the lab. The lectures cover diverse aspects of climate change and can benefit any research institution.
The lectures are announced via the Vienna BioCenter calendar and past lectures are freely available on YouTube.
General awareness
Protecting the environment requires the coordinated, consistent action of all members of our institute. To ensure compliance and awareness of our sustainability initiatives, IMBA has implemented various practices:
Making environmental protection part of the onboarding process for all new employees.
Creating a Sustainability Ticket (EHS Ticket system) to collect ideas and feedback.
Increasing employee awareness through various channels (climate lecture series, news blog, email, and more).
Encouraging the use of stairs instead of lifts.
Environment-friendly food and social events
The cafeteria at the Vienna BioCenter feeds more than 700 people on regular weekdays. In addition, many on-campus events are well-attended. IMBA aims to reduce the impact of these activities by:
Reducing meat and fish consumption in the cafeteria so that 13 out of 15 meals every week are meat-free.
Sourcing locally produced food products.
Using glass bottles for drinks at social events.
Encouraging the use of reusable cups, water bottles and utensils.
Using green energy
Research can be a very energy-consuming endeavor. IMBA is committed to reducing its energy expenditure and CO2 emissions through various initiatives:
Using 100 percent renewable electricity, including installing a photovoltaic system in the building.
Using gas-free systems for heating.
Optimizing climate control in the building.
Switching to LED lights and installing movement-activated sensors to reduce energy consumption.
Ensuring laboratory and office equipment is turned off when not in use, fume-hood sashes are kept closed, and cold-room access is minimized.
Turning off office electronics after use.
Freezer management
Ultra-low temperature freezers consume large amounts of electricity. To reduce the total energy used, all labs at IMBA have increased the temperature of their freezers from -80 degrees to -70 degrees, and now purchase ultra energy-efficient freezers only. All labs display guidelines detailing best practices to improve freezer maintenance and ensure efficient storage.
Reduction of consumables and waste.
Laboratory work at IMBA incorporates established practices for reducing consumables and waste, when suitable. Practices include:
Selecting lab supplies and equipment with ACT Ecolabel certification.
Implementing a new recycling system extending over several Vienna BioCenter institutes for separation of plastic, paper, metal, glass, and residual waste.
Switching to a bulk-ordering system with once-a-week deliveries to reduce packaging waste and delivery footprints.
Substituting hazardous chemicals with less toxic options.
Handling chemical waste according to institutional procedures.
Supporting proper waste separation through the Vienna BioCenter’s recycling system.
Reducing printing to a minimum and using only recycled paper.
Shared resources and sustainable procurement
IMBA’s shared-resource model reduces redundant equipment purchases and promotes efficient use of instruments. Practices include:
Sharing equipment, devices, reagent stocks, and other resources among research groups.
Refurbishing or repairing equipment when possible.
Replacing equipment with energy-efficient and resource-conscious options when necessary.
Ensuring appropriate end-of-life recycling of outdated or broken equipment.
Data and digital practices
Storing and using large amounts of digital data has an underappreciated energy cost. IMBA is working on improving our data storage and digital practices to reduce our environmental impact, through a series of initiatives:
Optimizing email practices to reduce size and number of emails sent and stored.
Monitoring computational resource use (such as CPU/GPU hours, energy consumption, estimated CO₂ emissions) and operating computing resources efficiently.
Making informed choices of software and method.
Using available HPC, Green-IT, and performance-engineering training opportunities.
Considering sustainability certifications, such as GreenDiSC, where applicable.
Should modelling or simulation be required, planning focuses on efficient, hypothesis-driven design, appropriate model depth and resolution, and reusing existing datasets to avoid unnecessary computational load.
Travel reduction and sustainable conferencing
Scientists regularly attend international conferences and meetings. IMBA aims to minimize the resulting travel footprint. IMBA has Green Conference guidelines to inform both travelling scientists and conference organizers on best practices to limit the environmental impact of these events. All IMBA-organized events are certified by the Austrian Ecolabel for Green Meetings and Green Events.
Scientists at IMBA are also encouraged to use environmentally friendly means of transport, including public transport, walking, and cycling, to come to work.
Bicycle initiative
Vienna offers a dense network of bicycle lanes in constant development. The bicycle initiative at the Vienna BioCenter encourages workers to cycle to work and leave their cars at home. The initiative organizes sponsored bicycle check-ups to keep cyclists safe and their rides healthy.
IMBA contributed to this initiative by replacing car parking spaces with additional bicycle parking spots.