We were interviewed for the UIowa Department of Internal Medicine Making The Rounds, newsletter! Read the whole article here: “1 and 2 in the blue”: promoting sustainability in the workplace – Making the Rounds

In April 2024, Emma Stapleton Thornell, PhD, research assistant professor in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, held what would become known as the first meeting of the Biomedical Sustainability Initiative for the pulmonary research labs in the Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building (PBDB). Their initial focus? How to reduce the carbon footprint produced by their research.

Launched ostensibly in observation of Earth Day, this group of environmentally minded scientists had already started organically gathering around the idea. Some demonstrated interest in the subject following Stapleton Thornell’s presentation on sustainability to the group six months prior; others were motivated to action when approximately 100 trees on the medical campus were removed during spring break in preparation to install an extension of Newton Road through the UI Health Care university campus.

“Earth Day this year coincided with our second floor-wide lab meeting presentation, about six months after the first,” Stapleton explained. “After this floor-wide meeting, a handful of people gathered to talk about different things we struggled with for lab sustainability. We organically formed, and now we’re up to over 10 people.”

This volunteer committee is led by Stapleton Thornell and made up of faculty, staff, and students. It is also supported by established investigators like.....