BSVP Green Labs Competition

Has your lab taken steps to reduce its carbon footprint, cut down on waste, or give back to nature? Or would you like it to, but need some motivation?

BSVP is hosting a competition to encourage pathology labs to adopt green working practices, to share ideas and innovations and provide inspiration as to how pathology labs can become more sustainable.

Who can enter?

The competition is open to any member of the BSVP. A BSVP member can enter as individual or as a representative of a workplace team, but the entry must relate to a pathology workplace located in the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland, and the application must be approved by the organisation as a whole.

What is the deadline?

30th April 2027

How does it work?

The project can be one that has been carried out in the prior 12 months (from April 2024), a project that is currently being undertaken, or a project that is started and completed prior to the competition deadline. Completed forms should be submitted to bsvpgreenteam@gmail.com.

What kind of project is eligible to enter?

Any project that contributes to workplace sustainability. The project does not have to be focused on the laboratory itself, and other initiatives (e.g. establishing a wildlife-friendly garden, a scheme to encourage employees to travel sustainably to work etc) are eligible. However, projects that focus on laboratory activities are welcomed (e.g. cutting down on disposable plastic waste, trialling formalin alternatives or recycling, etc). Special consideration will be given to projects fostering education or behaviour change beyond the immediate laboratory community and to those displaying action and awareness of the carbon cost of laboratory activities (carbon literacy).

Who will be judging?

To be announced

What is the prize?

A grand prize of £500 is available to the winning organisation and two prizes of £250 will be awarded to the runners-up. On one condition: The prize money is to be invested back into the sustainability project.

The winning projects will be presented at the 2027 BSVP Autumn meeting.

Details of the winning projects will be included on the Sustainability section of the BSVP website.

For information on how laboratories can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions visit

https://www.labconscious.com/blog/2023/1/18/how-laboratories-can-reduce-their-greenhouse-gas-emissions

And for further inspiration see:

Irish Green Labs https://irishgreenlabs.org/

Astra Zeneca https://www.astrazeneca.com/what-science-can-do/topics/sustainability/how-rd-is-helping-drive-a-greener-future.html

Please submit any questions to: bsvpgreenteam@gmail.com

Entry Form


  BSVP_GLC_entryform27.docx (11.3 KiB, 53 hits)


  BSVP_GLC_entryform27.pdf (30.3 KiB, 42 hits)

In 2023 The British Society of Veterinary Pathologists (BSVP) held our inaugural Green Lab Competition. We hoped to encourage and celebrate veterinary pathology laboratories undertaking sustainability initiatives. By showcasing these projects we could share ideas and provide inspiration as to how pathology labs can become more sustainable.

Entrants were encouraged to submit a project that contributed to workplace sustainability. Whilst projects that focused on laboratory specific materials or procedures were welcomed the competition was not limited to these areas as the aim was to encourage labs to see the broad scope of sustainability in our society.

There were two high quality entries, and it was a difficult choice for the judging panel of Anthony Chadwick, founder of the WebinarVet, Jade Urquhart-Gilmore of VetSustain and Laura Setyo of the BSVP Committee.

First prize was awarded to ‘NationWide Laboratories Water Awareness Initiative’ conducted by Sandra Dawson, Alison Lee, Alina Zheleznyakova and Alan Garnett. This project targeted the theme of saving water and raising awareness of the importance of water and water saving. The team researched water use throughout the laboratory, infrastructure was checked for leaks and potential targets for water saving measures identified.

Introducing their project the Nationwide team wrote:

‘Water is an essential resource and is used in large amounts within our lab. Tap water it is used for cleaning equipment, handwashing and as part of various diagnostic procedures. It is also used in the kitchen (drinking, making tea/coffee, washing dishes etc) and in the bathrooms (handwashing, flushing toilets). …We believe this essential resource should be used with care and efforts made to minimise waste.’

The team’s analysis identified areas where water could potentially be saved but also found substantial obstacles to implementation including building design and water pressure. Despite this changes were made where possible (e.g. water displacement bags fitted to lavatory cisterns). From the information gleaned by their project the team highlighted areas for investment in the lab.

‘While this would be beyond the scope of the prize money, we also hope to eventually: Install dual flush (newer water-saving) toilets to replace the older models with level hands Install modern taps in all sinks with built-in aerators specialised for low-pressure water systems and install “self closing taps” (taps that cut out automatically) in the bathrooms.’

Acknowledging the importance of behaviour as an obstacle to implementing many changes related to sustainability in the workplace, the team undertook a programme to raise awareness of the importance of water – publishing articles in the monthly internal newsletter, including an entire newsletter dedicated to this issue for World Water Day on the 22nd March 2023, and fundraising for the water and sanitation charity Toilet Twinning https://www.toilettwinning.org).

The enthusiasm and scope of the NationWide project impressed the judges:-

‘ this project showed team involvement, understanding of the possible limitations and consideration for changing team behaviour. We appreciated that they had challenged not only their own water usage but worked to deliver better sanitation and clean water in developing countries. This showed an appreciation of the bigger picture and fed into the UN sustainable development goal: clean water and sanitation.’

Second prize was awarded to Dr. Rachel Garty and Catharine Hinks from the Royal Veterinary College for their project ’Replacing plastic cassette lids with metal alternatives for histology processing’ . The replacement of single use, disposable plastic histology cassette lids with a metal alternative, aimed to reduce plastic waste in the lab. This project involved research into alternatives, and good teamwork to manage laboratory team engagement. The team leaders’ commented:-

‘So far the project has been a success, the plastic waste has been reduced, cleaning of the lids has been implemented into the daily routine of the histology lab, and staff have been excited to try to reduce our environmental impact’.

BSVP President, Dr. Kate Hughes, said:

‘Improving sustainability and exploring and embracing more environmentally friendly working protocols is something that all pathology teams need to consider. By holding this competition, the BSVP aims are two-fold. Firstly, we want to celebrate our colleagues who are confronting the challenges and innovating now, and secondly we would like to encourage and foster conversations regarding sustainability, so that pathologists, and laboratory professionals can learn from each other, share ideas, and celebrate each other’s successes.’

The BSVP Green Team would like to thank both teams for their entries, their enthusiasm and for doing their bit in the workplace to promote sustainability. We thank our wonderful judging panel for their careful consideration of the entries and their valuable comments. We also give a big thank you to BSVP President Kate Hughes and the BSVP Committee for their ongoing support for sustainability in veterinary pathology.

We are very pleased to announce the winner of the  BSVP Green Lab Competition for 2024-2025. The  BSVP Green Labs competition aims to encourage and celebrate laboratories undertaking sustainability initiatives.

The  judging panel  for 2025 was:-

Anthony Chadwick of the WebinarVet,

Laura Gelder-Robertson of VetSustain

Ana Gomez-Vitores of the BSVP Committee.

For this year’s competition there were two high quality entrants.

It is with very great pleasure we announce the winner to be :-

 

🏆 Winner: Chemical recycling at the University College Dublin School of Veterinary Medicine: A Preliminary Cost-Benefit Analysis

Team Lead: Alison Lee

This project aimed to analyse the economic cost of formalin and solvent purchase and disposal, to investigate options for reuse/recycling of formalin and solvents, to perform a cost-benefit analysis of implementing these solutions and to discuss the feasibility of implementing formalin and solvent recycling with stakeholders.

Currently, used chemicals from the UCD lab are shipped off-site for processing and disposal, sometimes internationally. The team assessed the viability of implementing on-site chemical recycling systems (using fractional distillation or filtration) by contacting suppliers, gathering quotes, and calculating potential savings. Their findings were presented to pathologists, technicians and staff involved in budgeting and procurement, sparking conversations about chemical waste management from the perspective of all stakeholders.

What impressed the judges most was the project’s robust, business-minded approach. By building a strong financial case for recycling, the team proved that sustainability and cost-efficiency can go hand in hand. As one judge put it: “This is a great example of practical, real-world sustainability in action.”

In conclusion Alison Lee wrote:-

I feel that this project was overall successful. My team and I now have a better understanding of the current fate of these chemicals in our lab, the financial cost of purchase and disposal, and the options for recycling. We also better understand the considerations if we decide to move forward with the purchase a recycling system. This project also heightened our awareness of these chemicals and we have discussed how to reduce the use of formalin in the postmortem room.

🥈 Runner-up: Lighting replacement – Fluorescents to LED at Veterinary Pathology Group (VPG)

Team Lead: Elizabeth Alloway

Sometimes, simple changes make a big difference. The team at VPG chose to tackle the energy inefficiency of traditional fluorescent lighting by replacing it with modern LED alternatives. This switch reduces electricity use and hazardous waste materials (as chemicals such as mercury are present in fluorescent lights), and creates a more pleasant working environment for staff.

Despite budget constraints, the team cleverly integrated the lighting upgrade into the lab’s relocation plans: hence their project shows how sustainability can be part of the planning process, and not simply an afterthought. Additionally, the lab hopes to build on its work by adding motion sensors and automatic dimmers in the future to maximise energy savings.

Judges praised the initiative’s clear focus and tangible benefits, stating that “this project is a good example of practical, workplace-focused sustainability”.

Both projects show that sustainability in veterinary labs is achievable, although careful planning and consultation with all stakeholders is imperative, as well as consideration of the financial impact of proposed changes. However, whether through chemical recycling strategies or everyday improvements like LED lighting, these teams are proving that thoughtful, evidence-based action can drive real change.