Siggins Lab

Siggins Lab
Siggins Lab

Researched and written by Pamela Madigan, student enrolled in the MSc in Sustainable Environments, and UL graduate in New Media & English.

 

Sustainability has been at the forefront of the Siggin’s lab headed by Dr Alma Siggins from the beginning. The lab is situated in the Arts and and Science building at the University of Galway. It is newly formed within the Sustainable World section made up of an interdisciplinary research group investigating novel biotechnology design. Sustainable World is a research and teaching focus within the Biological and Chemical Sciences school which aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals. There is a strong correlation between the lab’s research mission and how it operates. The Siggin’s lab shows the importance of building good practices into a lab at the outset. Alma saw the My Green Lab (MGL) programme as an opportunity to “start things right” and allow sustainable practices to become the norm from the beginning. The Research Ireland Sustainable Laboratory Certification Pilot Programme, launched in 2023, supported their certification (See Figure 1).

 

Figure 1: The Siggins lab MGL green level certification
Figure 1: The Siggins lab MGL green level certification
Figure 2: MGL label on recycling bin in the Siggin’s lab
Figure 2: MGL label on recycling bin in the Siggin’s lab

Many of the lab’s sustainability actions required little to no financial investment. Simple interventions such as additional recycling bins, clear labelling to switch off equipment and lights, and sharing freezers have been introduced in the lab. When upgrades are needed, such as replacing an aging incubator, energy efficiency is considered. Legacy chemicals inherited from a previous occupant were safely disposed of by the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences when the lab started, allowing the lab to begin with a streamlined, actively used chemical inventory. This also meant the lab started with a strong baseline.

Figure 3: MGL label on lab equipment
Figure 3: MGL label on lab equipment
Figure 4: Shut down reminder by the door
Figure 4: Shut down reminder by the door

Sustainability is a standing agenda item at weekly lab meetings, ensuring ongoing visibility and accountability. Undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students passing through the lab are exposed to sustainable research practices as standard, an experience Alma also reinforces through her teaching wherever possible. Alma’s advice for other labs starting their sustainability journey is to start with the people working in the lab day to day. Engage lab members early, use the My Green Lab survey as a guide rather than a checklist, and focus on what is achievable. Sustainability as Alma states does not have to be all or nothing. By starting small and building gradually, her lab demonstrates how meaningful change can be achieved, and sustained, when green practices become part of everyday lab life.