From surplus to success: how our Swap Shop event helped spark sustainable thinking across our labs
BCH Green Labs Swap Shop: Turning Surplus into Sustainability
On April 15, 2025, BCH Green Labs hosted our first-ever Lab Equipment "Swap Shop" event—and by every measure, it was a major success!
Thanks to the incredible participation of our research community, we diverted over a cubic yard of usable lab supplies and small equipment from the landfill. Items that once sat unused in storage rooms or were destined for disposal found new homes in labs that needed them. It was a win for sustainability, a win for resource sharing, and a great example of what happens when we think differently about "waste."
Why It Matters
Every lab item diverted from the landfill helps us reduce our environmental footprint. Manufacturing and disposing of lab equipment consumes resources, energy, and generates greenhouse gas emissions. By reusing functional supplies, we not only reduce waste but also lower the demand for new materials—directly supporting Boston Children’s Hospital’s broader sustainability and climate action goals.
Reducing landfill waste aligns with our mission to provide healthier futures for children everywhere. A healthier planet directly impacts public health, and events like the Swap Shop demonstrate how even small actions in our day-to-day lab operations can contribute to a much bigger picture.
Driving Culture Change, One Swap at a Time
Beyond the tangible results, the Swap Shop signals something even more important: a shift in culture.
Sustainability isn’t just a side project at BCH—it’s becoming an everyday mindset. Events like this show that researchers are embracing new habits, thinking differently about resources, and seeing sustainability as part of how we do science. By embedding reuse and responsible resource management into our lab culture, we continue to drive long-term change toward a greener, healthier institution.
Looking Ahead
The success of the Swap Shop is just the beginning. As we move forward, BCH Green Labs is committed to offering more opportunities to rethink, reuse, and reduce across all of our research operations. Together, we are proving that sustainable thinking can be innovative, practical, and essential—and that by working together, small steps add up to a meaningful impact.
Thank you to everyone who participated, donated, and helped make our first Swap Shop such a success. Stay tuned for future events, and keep up the amazing work driving sustainability forward, one smart choice at a time!