NOVA GREEN LABS

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NOVA wet labs

2024

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Teachers, staff and students involved in wet lab practices

2024

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Hazardous waste produced in labs and sent to treatment facilities

2023

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Team members leading the My Green Lab certification process

2024

Greening our Labs

NOVA Green Labs is a working group at NOVA established in 2022 that comprises 11 members from FCT, NMS, IHMT and ITQB- NOVA´s Schools equipped with wet Labs. These include a wide variety of laboratories, from life sciences and health labs to chemistry, biology, environment, materials and restoration labs. Maintaining the specific conditions needed to safeguard both materials integrity and human health means that laboratory activities require high energy consumption. Moreover, these labs operate with countless substances (some of which might be toxic or pathogenic), requiring specific treatment systems.

The group´s mission is to revolutionize laboratory practices. Drawing from their experience working in labs across NOVA, the team identifies and monitors key sources of impact, collaboratively assessing opportunities to reduce the consumption of water and energy and waste production, including toxic waste. To validate and acelerate this sustainability journey, six labs are currently in a certification process by My Green Lab.

NOVA Green Labs team is responsible for:

  • Promoting circularity in resource use whilst minimizing negative environmental and occupational health impacts in each lab;
  • Engaging with students and researchers to improve continuously sustainability standards in equipment use and practices;
  • Implementing a certification process, covering a wide variety of topics such as recycling and waste reduction, resource management, procurement and water.

Meet the team

Alexandra Gonçalves

NOVA FCT

Lab manager at CENIMAT (materials research unit)

Andreia Ruivo

NOVA FCT

Assistant Researcher at VICARTE (Glass and Ceramics for the Arts research unit)

Eduardo Mateus

NOVA FCT

Researcher and integrated member of CENSE (Center for Research in Environment and Sustainability)

Inês Coutinho

NOVA FCT

Assistant Professor in the Conservation and Restoration Department

Luisa Pinto Ferreira

NOVA FCT

Associate Professor of the Chemistry Department at NOVA FCT

Rita Almeida

NOVA FCT

Assistant Professor and Head of Lab of Molecular Microbiology of Bacterial Pathogens

Ana Faria

NMS

Associate Professor in the areas of Nutrition and Metabolism

Catarina Martins

NMS

Assistant Professor of Immunology

Manuela Correia

NMS

Coordinator of the Laboratory Management Center

Pedro Cravo

NOVA IHMT

Associate Professor and Researcher at CMDT (Malaria and other Tropical Diseases Center)

Carina Valente

ITQB NOVA

PhD Researcher at the Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology of Human Pathogens