© Anna Körte

Sustainability

MPI-CBG > About Us > Our Values > Sustainability

Sustainability is important to us. To make research a little greener and the institute more sustainable, members of the MPI-CBG founded a sustainability group in 2019. Five focus groups are working on sustainability strategies in the areas of Lab, Office and Waste Management, Building and Energy Management, Canteen, Caféteria and Food, Travel and Mobility and PR, Networking and Reporting.

The sustainability group of the MPI-CBG is part of the Max Planck Sustainability Network, a grass-root initiative within the Max Planck Society. The long-term vision of the network is to contribute to an environmentally friendly Max Planck Society through less recourse-intensive scientific and day-to-day practice.

The Building & Energy Management group initiated the hanging of bird houses and an insect hotel by the institute with the goal of protecting the fauna and flora in the Dresden area and raise awareness to the decline and endangerment of insects and bird populations.
In 2014, a local beekeeper installed two bee hives on the MPI-CBG roof. The bees are collecting pollen from parks and meadows close by.
The Lab, Office & Waste Management group looks into improving the current waste management and provides recommendations for waste related issues. For waste separation we are currently testing new dedicated bins with the final goal to install them on each floor of the institute.
The Building & Energy Management group initiated the replacement of the neon lights for LED lights, which will happen progressively.
In order to reduce the amount of plastic waste, such as the number of plastic bins bags, we introduced a “STOP” sign for bins to let the cleaning staff know when to collect the trash and when not, thus reducing the frequency of emptying. We have about 60 lab areas with about 120 bins. Our estimation is to save around 10,000 plastic bags per year with the STOP sign.
The Canteen, Cafeteria & Food group initiated a central water dispenser and reusable cups for events and every day-use with the institute logo in order to save single-use cups.
The Travel & Mobility group looks into all kind of aspects for more sustainable travel and mobility for staff. The group also provides recommendations for sustainable holidays and travel related CO2-compensation. The MPI-CBG participates every year in the Dresden-wide initiative of Stadtradeln, a community event which promotes cycling as the climate friendly way of transportation.
The PR, Networking & Reporting group informs and showcases the activities developed by the MPI-CBG Sustainability. In addition, the group is collecting and sharing ideas about sustainable practices as well as establishing collaborative networks and join efforts with other institutes and initiatives. This cover was created by a member of the group for an internal institute newsletter.