Staining DNA gel
Invitrogen SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain is specifically formulated to be a less hazardous alternative to ethidium bromide that can use either blue light or UV excitation.
Using the Supply Center by Thermo Fisher Scientific
Get the supplies you need just in time while helping the environment. Having a Supply Center means you reduce packaging waste and transport miles through bulk deliveries.
Getting reagents out of the –20°C
Did you know some freezers use natural hydrocarbon instead of ozone-depleting refrigerants? Think of how much you use your –20°C and ask your lab to consider SNAP and ENERGY STAR cold-storage solutions like TSX Series refrigerators and freezers. Save money on energy consumption and save the environment at the same time.
Analyzing proteins
Did you know that you can run immunoassays with less plastic waste? It’s possible with greener products like Invitrogen ProQuantum immunoassays, which use up to 59% less plastic and 84% less packaging material than traditional ELISAs.
Cell culture
Not all cell culture media need cold storage: Gibco BenchStable media in DMEM, DMEM/F-12, MEM, and RPMI 1640 formulations can all be stored at room temperature. That means you save energy by not having to keep these media cold in the first place, as well as not needing to warm them up for actual use.
Want to be green but don’t know where to start? Begin with these easy, everyday moments— each step, no matter how small, paves the way to going green in a bigger way.
Start with these easy tips & tricks
Hit a trifecta of sustainability for qPCR: expend 26% less energy, use up to 54% less material, and generate 91% less waste by using Applied Biosystems QuantStudio 6 and 7 Pro Real-Time PCR Systems.
Running real-time PCR
Massive instruments like flow cytometers can generate up to 20 L of biological waste per run, whereas the Invitrogen Attune NxT Flow Cytometer generates only 2 L by requiring less sheath fluid per run. Ask your core facility manager to check out greener capital equipment when the time comes to upgrade.
Flow at the core facility
Look for the green leaf—we’ve made it easy for you to find products that are better for the environment. You can use the ACT Label to evaluate your choices.
Discovering greener products
When it comes to sustainable end-of-life, we have some programs already established to help you recycle the following:
• Consumables from the Invitrogen iBlot 2 system for western blotting
• Ion Torrent chips
• Applied Biosystems SeqStudio cartridges
Recycling programs
Think before you open that door! The less time you spend rummaging around the freezer, the less opportunity there will be for frost to build up and reduce energy efficiency (Thermo Scientific TSX Series Ultra-Low Freezers already use up to 42% less energy). Consider adjusting the temperature to –70°C to lower your energy usage. Also, make a list of where things are located and post it to the freezer door—the labmate whose vials got pushed into a back corner will thank you.
Getting samples out of the –80°C
Switch from hazardous solvents and reduce your use of plastics by 95% with greener products like Invitrogen Cells-to-C kits.
Extracting RNA
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