{"id":38198,"date":"2021-07-21T14:17:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T21:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/?p=38198"},"modified":"2025-08-04T17:36:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T00:36:47","slug":"the-power-of-community-why-spreading-the-word-about-sustainability-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/the-beaker-blog\/the-power-of-community-why-spreading-the-word-about-sustainability-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Community – Why Spreading the Word About Sustainability Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n \n

Introducing sustainability to the community responsible for the world\u2019s life-changing medical and technical innovations through transformative programs and education is our mission at My Green Lab, but working towards creating a culture of sustainability through science is truly a team effort. Everyone in the lab community \u2014 from scientists to the people who support or work with laboratories at organizations large and small \u2014 has the power to spread the word about why sustainability matters. And it turns out, when they do, great things happen.<\/p>\n

Sustainability begins with an awareness of the impact of our actions, and there is no better way to spread awareness than by harnessing the power of your community and sharing what you know to help achieve a greener world.<\/p>\n

Why Community Matters<\/span><\/p>\n

Why does community matter so much overall? \u201cIt is most important to share one\u2019s personal thoughts and actions on sustainability with others because we have the most impact and influence over our own community,\u201d says Christina Greever, My Green Lab\u2019s Sustainability Program Manager. \u201cOur hearts and minds can be more easily moved by those closest to us. This is why we shouldn\u2019t be shy about sharing our own lab sustainability goals \u2013 and successes \u2013 with others in our network. For someone who is on the fence about sustainability, hearing from a friend or colleague in their own community about the ease of making sustainable actions can make a huge difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

The old adage \u201cit takes a village\u201d is precise for a reason – when motivated by energetic and passionate individuals, a confident community forms, one that works towards, and achieves, collective goals. \u201cThe world is made up of people, not places,\u201d says Tim Dillon, European Product Manager at Mettler-Toledo Rainin, and a My Green Lab Ambassador. \u201cHarnessing the power of collective action for change is our superpower, the task we face now is to turn that superpower towards sustainable choices,\u201d he continues. \u201cPositive action starts with the individual decision to act, the knowledge to act wisely, and the fortitude to persist. This cycle is magnified by the power of community, and as a community grows, so does its power for good, as individuals within a community continue to learn and grow in their understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

The strength of a community also fosters accountability and creativity – important factors that can help drive action and build trust amongst colleagues. \u201cNot only does a well-organized community promote accountability, but it also enables the generation of new ideas and restores lost motivation that, on an individual level, is hardly possible. Creating and fostering shared experiences can be a powerful driver to promote sustainable science,\u201d says Namrata Jain, My Green Lab\u2019s Marketing Consultant.<\/p>\n

Using Your Voice<\/span><\/p>\n

While building strong communities is the foundation for successful execution of sustainable goals, it\u2019s important to communicate those goals effectively. Cintia Milagre, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Chemistry at University Estadual Paulista in Brazil and a My Green Lab Ambassador, elaborates: \u201cCommunity achieves together more than any one could achieve alone. However, from my experience, the utmost meaningful action is to engage all community members, from faculty, staff, students, directors to the cleaning agents, by explaining what and why the changes are happening. Talk to them, listen to their suggestions, and take them into account when appropriate. Everyone needs to understand the importance of greening actions truly. Do not just communicate them without explanation. That is the key to failure.”<\/p>\n

Greever continues by explaining that\u00a0how\u00a0you use your voice also matters. \u201cScientists don\u2019t always realize the power of their voices within the scientific sector \u2013 your purchasing decisions matter; where you choose to travel for conferences (or how) matters; your sustainable actions at the lab bench matter; what you discuss with suppliers and sales reps matters. Collectively, the voice of scientists could be enormous, and the lab sustainability movement has been working for years to bring those voices together into a loud chorus that will change how science is done.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to Build and Grow Community\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bringing voices together is a core tenet of My Green Lab\u2019s mission, and building community through programs like the My Green Lab Ambassador Program and Green Lab Certification helps establish a culture of sustainability within organizations and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think one of the really amazing things about our programs is how they can start from leadership at any level in an organization,\u201d says James Connelly, My Green Lab\u2019s CEO. \u201cOften, our relationship with a large multinational pharma company or university will start with interest from a single interested scientist. Then, once the project certifies, other people in the organization start to notice and we start a larger global project. That is really the power of community at work!\u201d<\/p>\n

Engaging in the power of community and connecting with like-minded individuals has never been easier. To begin your journey, connect with champions of sustainability through the My Green Lab\u00a0Ambassador Program<\/a>, or follow My Green Lab on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay connected.<\/p>\n\n <\/sc-rich-text>\n <\/sc-container>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38202,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"The Power of Community - Why Spreading the Word About Sustainability Matters","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"category":[114],"topics":[],"programs":[],"lab_types":[],"class_list":["post-38198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38198"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38203,"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38198\/revisions\/38203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category?post=38198"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=38198"},{"taxonomy":"programs","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/programs?post=38198"},{"taxonomy":"lab_types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lab_types?post=38198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}