What is the Freezer Challenge?
The Freezer Challenge is a global competition for laboratories, designed to promote best practices in cold storage management. It harnesses the spirit of competition within and between laboratories to achieve greater energy efficiency, sample, integrity, sample access, risk prevention, and cost savings.
The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) and My Green Lab are partnering together for the sixth year in a row to run the 2022 International Laboratory Freezer Challenge! Freezer Challenge participants have already saved a cumulative 14.2 million kWh since 2017. That's enough to offset the carbon emissions associated with driving over 25 million miles in a passenger vehicle, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.
The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) and My Green Lab are partnering together for the sixth year in a row to run the 2022 International Laboratory Freezer Challenge! Freezer Challenge participants have already saved a cumulative 14.2 million kWh since 2017. That's enough to offset the carbon emissions associated with driving over 25 million miles in a passenger vehicle, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.
Quick Facts
Any laboratory in the world with cold storage units can participate!
It's a free program/competition!
Are you up for the challenge? If your lab uses ultra-ultra low temperature freezers (-150 °C), ultra-low temperature freezers (-70 °C to -80 °C), lab freezers (-40 °C to -20 °C), refrigerators, or cold rooms, you can earn points in the Freezer Challenge by taking any combination of actions listed below. In the majority of situations, earn 1 point for each action taken per cold storage unit.
You can learn more about the cold storage best practices included in the Freezer Challenge here. The best practices are grouped into four categories:
Awards are given to those labs and research organizations who have done the most to save energy and improve their sample storage.
It's a free program/competition!
Are you up for the challenge? If your lab uses ultra-ultra low temperature freezers (-150 °C), ultra-low temperature freezers (-70 °C to -80 °C), lab freezers (-40 °C to -20 °C), refrigerators, or cold rooms, you can earn points in the Freezer Challenge by taking any combination of actions listed below. In the majority of situations, earn 1 point for each action taken per cold storage unit.
You can learn more about the cold storage best practices included in the Freezer Challenge here. The best practices are grouped into four categories:
- Good Management Practices
- Temperature Tuning
- Retirements & Upgrades
- Cutting-Edge Practices
Awards are given to those labs and research organizations who have done the most to save energy and improve their sample storage.
Important Dates & Deadlines!
The 2022 Freezer Challenge will take place from January 1, 2022 to July 1, 2022 (six months). Freezer Challenge score sheets will be available beginning January 1st. All scoresheets are due by July 1, 2022.
The 2023 Freezer Challenge is scheduled to kick off in the October 2022-January 2023 timeframe. For the latest information, be sure to sign up for My Green Lab's monthly newsletter.
The 2023 Freezer Challenge is scheduled to kick off in the October 2022-January 2023 timeframe. For the latest information, be sure to sign up for My Green Lab's monthly newsletter.
Benefits to Participating
This challenge is designed to encourage laboratories to recognize the benefits of good cold storage management, such as:
- Removal of unneeded, unwanted, or non-viable samples from refrigeration units
- Reduced costs associated with maintaining refrigeration units.
- Improved researcher access to laboratory samples and reagents.
- Development of ongoing cold storage management practices that support energy efficiency and maximize space utility.
This promo video from 2017 (when this was the North American Laboratory Freezer Challenge) gives you an idea of what to expect! Like all YouTube content, the ads shown with this video are chosen by YouTube and do not reflect the opinions of the Freezer Challenge organizers.
