By raising awareness of sustainability, we hope to change attitudes and encourage more people in chemical science to reduce the impact of their work. This blog is one way of getting our message out, but we also present at internal staff meetings to try and improve working practices here, and use student ambassadors to get the word out to the wider student body.
Masters-level courses and PhD induction are a particular focus area, where we are building up a set of workshop exercises and discussion forums that currently form an add-on to safety training. This is not only about informing students who work in research labs, but also empowering them to actually change behaviour and make a difference.
We are also introducing a solvent-recycling programme and waterless condensers into undergraduate teaching labs. This should help future chemists to see being as sustainable as possible as standard practice; more broadly, it should be part of a wider movement to create more environmentally conscious graduates.