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Enter Your Lab in the 2023 NIH Freezer Challenge!
Does your lab go above and beyond with your freezer management? Would your lab like to increase your freezer reliability? All NIH labs are invited to participate in the 2023 NIH Freezer Challenge. It is possible that your lab is already completing one or more of the initiatives from this year’s Challenge! In this case, you simply need to submit your actions. Participating in the Freezer Challenge is also a great way to learn about freezer management initiatives that could benefit your lab!
The 2023 NIH Freezer Challenge is underway as of January 1, 2023 and will run until May 1, 2023. The Freezer Challenge encourages NIH labs to improve their freezer management in an effort to increase freezer reliability and reduce energy consumption. This is done by completing one or more freezer management initiatives from a list of options. Simply register your lab with the sign-up form, complete your selected initiatives, then report the results to Jaroslav Sebek by May 1, 2023.
The initiatives available for labs to complete as a part of the Freezer Challenge range from sample management to freezer operation. The initiatives for the 2023 Freezer Challenge are:
- Discard samples that are no longer needed
- Change the temperature setting of ULT freezers to -70°C
- Maintain an electronic sample inventory
- Conduct a complete freezer defrost
- Barcode samples
- High density sample storage boxes
- Share freezer space with other labs
- Retire unnecessary freezers
- Store samples at appropriate temperatures
- Try/Adopt room-temperature sample storage
The NIH Freezer Challenge has shown great potential to reduce the energy consumption of freezers at the NIH. Last year’s Freezer Challenge (2022) featured the results from only 19 labs, yet the results produced an impressive energy savings. A few examples of the initiatives completed during last year’s Challenge include defrosting 82 freezers/refrigerators, changing 35 ULT freezers to operate at -70°C and using 143 freezers/refrigerators as shared cold storage space between labs. The results from the 2022 Freezer Challenge were discussed in more detail in the
July 2022 issue or you can find them on the
NEMS website. The 2022 Freezer Challenge initiatives combined to produce an annual energy savings of approximately $29,000 and an annual greenhouse gas reduction of 205 metric tons (CO2 equivalent). Join the 2023 NIH Freezer Challenge to increase your freezer reliability and reduce energy consumption!
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NEMS Training
Did you know? The Freezer Challenge can be completed using initiatives you are already doing! If your lab does any of the items listed above, submit your results to the 2023 Challenge. To learn more about energy conservation at the NIH, please visit the NEMS Training webpage to view a short (20 minute) NIH environmental awareness training video.
The NIH Green Zone Newsletter is a publication intended to inform NIH staff about the Division of Environmental Protection and NIH Green Teams projects and initiatives. The text contained in this newsletter is not copyrighted and can be reprinted without permission. If you use portions of this newsletter in your own publication, we ask that you please credit the source. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Thank you.
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National Institutes of Health | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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