But let’s be honest, if there are recordings, who really takes 90+ minutes on two consecutive days to watch online talks?
You, I hope. At least after I show you my special plans for our summit this year!
This will not be a normal Zoom event - plenty of knowledge and entertainment is what I aim for. Let me explain:
Today's Lesson: Your Green Lab Event
Accompanying you on the journey to sustainable labs
Number Of The Day
Over the past year, we had the pleasure of welcoming participants and partners from 6 continents: Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. (Okay, we still struggle with Antarctica…) but nobody had to travel a single kilometer! Other events easily reach >200 million kilometers... And due to our inclusivity, we help you whether you are in academia or industry, junior or senior, or from a well-funded or resource-limited lab – especially if you join live:
6
Convincing Leadership To Quantify
To my mind, there’s just one major reason to join an online event live: immersion.
I’ve attended a few online events that truly captivated me - especially one from the Content Marketing Institute.
The event was hosted on a platform where the hosts provided several additional resources to create a more immersive experience. However, in my opinion, the content alone was more than enough. They talked about how great ads tell a story - and as you can see in the NIKE ad or the Mother’s Day video on the right in the talk panel, they did a wonderful job. And please watch this ad – I never saw an ad getting 7.2 Million clicks on YouTube!
They talked about emotions and storytelling in ads - for companies and nonprofits.
Due to the stories they showed, I was immersed. And it wasn’t just another webinar where someone talks and you passively listen.
Unfortunately, it is rare these days that you will find such an event.
But if the organizers manage the challenge, being there live is far more educational and engaging for all participants.
That’s the kind of experience I want to create for you.
The Challenge
But I’ll admit, I’m taking somewhat of a risk here. And this risk is different from those I normally take.
Click to enlarge. Maybe some of you remember these graphs—they show the carbon footprint of recycling plastics, assuming we downcycled either 1 kg or 100 kg in a single instance. It was a very controversial piece. I still remember the sweaty weekend my colleague and I spent putting the data together, debating for hours. It may have cost us some sponsors, but we believe that sustainability requires transparency and brutal honesty. Read the lesson here.
This risk is that if I fail it will seem ridiculous :D The issue with live is that you have to perform on the spot.
But I believe taking this leap will make the event more engaging and more educational for you.
And if I fail - well, at least you’ll leave with a story to tell your colleagues and share a laugh…
However, let me share my “special” game plan over the 90 minutes we’ll share live on October 15 and 16.
Of course, you will see how to save up to 65% of plastic waste in sterile environments, 50% of time, reagents, and energ - plus how to convince colleagues and identify greenwashing. But I also plan for:
A) Interactive Dialogue Sessions
Not a talk, not a dialogue - imagine both had a baby. In selected sessions I will discuss the slides with our speaker.
We had great experiences last year as this format is more engaging, and you get two perspectives from two specialists instead of one!
A big shout-out to the participating and sponsoring non-profits, initiatives, and companies—they all contribute to sustainability. Too often we forget that, unless we say thank you, they could just as easily play the same spiel as other companies that dodge sustainability efforts.
Given the amazing specialists we are allowed to welcome, this will make for great discussions.
B) Little Time – Lots of Value
Let’s face it: sitting in front of a screen can feel tedious. Therefore, we limited each section to 30 minutes.
Also, I have personally met with each speaker multiple times myself.
On top of that, I am preparing extra resources for every session.
During each session, I will share a variety of resources, such as Excel templates to measure your lab’s footprint, tools to estimate energy consumption, and case studies, so you can immediately put into action what you’ve just learned.
Over the last 5 years I collected templates, tools, and action-ready materials for you. In essence, the talks are there to inspire you, and on top of that I will provide you with the toolkit to take action.
C) A New Q&A Style
Asking questions live often feels weird, and I want to make it easy for everyone.
Beyond the normal zoom Q&A panel, I will offer you the chance to send us your questions by email or WhatsApp.
And since that might lead to dozens of them pouring in, I’ll stick around after the official session until every single question is answered—whether by me or the speaker.
And finally, you will have me as a moderator – for better or worse :D
Applying The Knowledge
If you are organizing events, I found this checklist and a carbon calculator for you (take it with a grain of salt).
However, for our event as you are part of this series, I will send you your ticket for free.
> And partially, that is an issue - because if we pay for something, we are more likely to engage, learn, and take action.
I don’t know why, but just setting this reminder in our calendar and showing up makes one engage with the topic. Thus, make sure you get the most out of our event and mark the 15th & 16th of October:
5 PM–7 PM Berlin Time / 11 AM–1 PM New York Time – if you live in a different time zone, use this translator tool, I found it really helpful.
I really wish I will see you live – partially because it is an appreciation of the speakers, partially because it makes it easier for you to make your lab greener.
Upcoming Lesson:
New Innovations
How We Feel Today
References
Klöwer, M., et al., 2020. An analysis of ways to decarbonize conference travel after COVID-19. Nature, 583(7816), 356–359. doi:10.1038/d41586-020-02057-2.
Wortzel, J.R., et al., 2021. Estimation of the carbon footprint associated with attendees of the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. JAMA Netw Open, 4(1), e2035641. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.35641.
If you have a wish or a question, feel free to reply to this Email. Otherwise, wish you a beautiful week! See you again on the 25th : )
Edited by Patrick Penndorf Connection@ReAdvance.com Lutherstraße 159, 07743, Jena, Thuringia, Germany Data Protection & Impressum If you think we do a bad job: Unsubscribe
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