Bioscientists at Glasgow Caledonian University have donated more than £3,000 worth of photography film and developing fluids no longer needed in their labs to a community gallery in the city.
As one of Scotland’s leading sustainability universities and the University for the Common Good, staff in the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences have recycled their lab waste to help out the local community.
Thirty litres of fixing and developing chemicals, and 29 boxes of photographic paper, once used to separate and identify proteins in the bio labs, are now being used in a community teaching darkroom at Street Level Photoworks in the Trongate.
Tiu Makkonen, Street Level’s Facility Assistant (Culture Collective), said: “This sizeable donation of black and white darkroom paper and chemistry to Street Level Photoworks comes at a great time as we are currently delivering a busy programme of creative photography projects to a broad range of community groups and individuals through the Culture Collective initiative – a network of 26 participatory arts projects across Scotland, shaped by local communities alongside artists and creative organisations and funded by Creative Scotland.
“Street Level is one of only two photography centres in Scotland, with analogue and digital production facilities available to a broad range of people through membership, courses and community activities.
“A donation such as this means we can share the joy of analogue photography more widely to the communities we welcome through our doors. The paper has already been used in a darkroom workshop delivered for the older LGBT+ community and a group of recent photography graduates on our (im)PACT bursary: a supported programme for people who studied through the pandemic and missed out on in-person training and access to analogue techniques and equipment. It is being well used and very enjoyed!”
Chris Greenaway, a Technical Assistant in the School of Health and Life Sciences’ science labs, who was behind the idea, said it was thanks to team work that the lab waste, which was tagged for destruction, had gone to a good cause.
“In our labs we are very mindful of reducing waste and sustainability. The items were in the inventory for being disposed of and it occurred to me that I have a friend Tiu, who works for Street Level, a gallery that does very good work with people from different socio-economic backgrounds, young and old people, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. It all made sense so I got in touch with her and she was delighted with the donation,” said Chris.
Dr David Welsh, Research Centre for Health (ReaCH) Molecular Mechanisms of Long-Term Conditions Research Group Lead, added: “I am absolutely delighted that laboratory consumables which can no longer be used in the department are going to a very worthy cause. It’s a fantastic initiative led by our technician Chris, and it’s great to see that our Common Good mission is at the forefront of our staff’s thoughts.
“These consumables would have been used to identify biological proteins of interest in a process called Western Blotting. As technologies change, we have now moved to a system that does not require the use of photographic film or the associated developing fluids, so they have become surplus to requirements. It is good to know that these expensive items will not be going to waste but will be used to serve others in the community.”
Head of the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences Professor Linda Scobie said: “Our Department is leading the way in terms of sustainability and we will continue to ensure that any items we can recycle or share with the wider community are made available. This is a team effort and leads to a reduction in waste and a positive effect on the environment.”
Be First to Comment