ENLIGHT Symposium: Green Labs & Sustainable research practices
Many universities are actively working on making their research practices more sustainable, each at their own pace and within their specific context. To offer opportunities to share experiences and gain inspiration from each other's progress, the ENLIGHT Green Labs symposium will be held on 8 and 9 April 8!
The first day consists of a closed morning program for ENLIGHT members, with two rounds of breakout sessions and a joint opening. The afternoon programme is open to all interested parties and will be officially opened by prof. dr. ir. Jacquelien Scherpen, rector magnificus of the University of Groningen. In the evening, there will be a dinner for ENLIGHT guests and symposium speakers.
On the second day, a plenary session will take place to discuss the previous day, followed by tours of the University of Groningen laboratories.
View the full programme at the bottom of the page. If you are unable to register via the registration link, please contact greenoffice@rug.nl.
Keynote speakers
Martin Farley is the founder of the lab accreditation framework LEAF and currently Deputy Director of Environmental Sustainability at UKRI (UK Research and Innovation). There, Martin is working on a new accreditation program: SPARKhub. He initiated sustainable science programs and laboratories in Edinburgh, King's College London, and UCL, and co-founded the UK Network for Sustainable Research.
Dr. Florijn Dekkers is Assistant Professor of Planetary Health at UMC Utrecht, Scientific Coordinator of Circular Hospitals, and educational innovator within the Planetary Health Integration Team (UMC Utrecht). Florijn is also co-founder of the multi-award-winning Green Labs NL Foundation, which accelerates the green transition of the scientific landscape in the Netherlands and beyond.
In addition, speakers from the University of Groningen will be Dr. Thomas Freese (Faculty of Science & Engineering) and Brian Wagner (Faculty of Behavioural & Social Sciences). And from the University Medical Center Groningen: Dr. Annemarie Leliveld and Renate Kat.
What is the ENLIGHT Green Labs Network?
Much is happening at ENLIGHT universities in the field of making laboratories more sustainable. However, previously, knowledge and best practices were not shared widely. To help share knowledge, the ENLIGHT Green Labs Network was established, led by the University of Groningen.
Programme
Day 1
8 April, House of Connections, Grote Markt 21, Groningen
Morning: for ENLIGHT guests
|
9:30 |
Opening | |
|
9:45 |
First break-out session |
Marco Lange - Pathways to Sustainable Laboratories: Insights from the 2026 Göttingen Conference and Shaping the Future of Green Labs Germany Alexandra Matei - Towards Recycling Laboratory Plastics at the Faculty of Science and Engineering |
|
10:45 |
Coffee break | |
|
11:00 |
Second break-out session |
Victor Theet, Gaétan Martin & Alexis Gonzalez - REDPLAST_UP Dr. Brian Setz - Out of sight, but not out of mind; the footprint of dry labs |
|
12:00 |
Lunch |
Afternoon: programme open for everyone
|
13:00 |
Official opening symposium |
Opening by the Rector of the University of Groningen, prof. dr. ir. Jacquelien Scherpen |
|
13:15 |
Keynote 1 |
Martin Farley - SPARKHub and the future of sustainable research |
|
14:00 |
Keynote 2 |
Dr. Florijn Dekkers - The planetary health scientist |
|
14:45 |
Coffee break | |
|
15:15 |
Plenary 1 |
Dr. Annemarie Leliveld-Kors & Renate Kat - Sustainability in Healthcare: From awareness to action! |
|
15:45 |
Plenary talk 2 |
Brian Wagner - Insights from Environmental Psychology: Behavioural Interventions for Sustainable Science |
|
16:15 |
Plenary talk 3 and closing remarks |
Dr. Thomas Freese - Green Lab Practices in the Netherlands: From Local Grassroots Initiatives to International Ambition |
|
16:45 |
Closing drinks |
Evening: for ENLIGHT guests
|
19:00 |
Social dinner ENLIGHT members |
Day 2
9 April, Energy Academy Europe, room 5159.0291, Nijenborgh 6, Groningen
ENLIGHT guests
|
09:30 |
Plenary discussion of the previous day |
|
10:30 |
Lab tours |
|
12:00 |
Lunch |
|
13:00 |
Afternoon free for travel |
“Scientists play a crucial role in raising awareness of the climate crisis and offering sustainable solutions. However, traditional research practices contribute to environmental harm through excessive energy use and waste production. Rapid climate action is needed across all sectors, and the scientific community must lead by example. Grassroots movements and Green Lab initiatives have emerged to reduce the environmental impact of research, with researchers and staff voluntarily developing sustainability guidelines, publishing studies, and maintaining accreditation frameworks.”
(From: The relevance of sustainable lab practices: RSC Sustainability, 2024, 2, 1300, Freese, Elzinga, Heinemann, Lerch, Feringa, 2024)