21 October 2021

Emissions from travelling are a significant component of an event’s footprint. There are multiple factors that influence the total number of these emissions such as location, number of attendees, weather, individual behaviours, and others. Two of the most commonly used transportation modes for event attendees are the aeroplane and the train. Of course, the use of the one does not exclude the use of the other for the same trip.

9 August 2021

Dr Richard Skaer dedicated much of his career to the success of The Company of Biologists. It is with great sadness that we learned of his passing on 5 June 2021.

15 July 2021

Written by Mihaly Badonyi

In late April, I embarked on a 3-month data analyst position at The Company of Biologists as part of the Professional Internships for PhD Students (PIPS) initiative within my doctoral training programme aimed at exposing students to opportunities in which they can apply their skills.

3 June 2021

The impact of food waste is not only financial but also includes the energy, fuel and water used to grow food that may not be used. When food waste is sent to landfill it further contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. A research conducted throughout the foodservice industry uncovered that¹:

25 May 2021

Hear from the organisers of the Creative Science Writing Workshop taking place in June 2022 about how the Workshop will work, what is involved and also some tips on how best to approach your application.

13 October 2021

We are looking forward to starting a discussion on hybrid events and the related new technologies. In this post, Alastair Downie, Head of IT at the Gurdon Institute and Director at The Company of Biologists shares his thoughts.

Successful applicants for one of our Meeting Grants are asked to submit a short report about the event after it has taken place. We always enjoy reading the reports as we can find out about all the incredible science taking place thanks to our financial support.

24 June 2021

When considering all the elements of an in-person event, from catering to material waste and from travelling to accommodation, the greenhouse gas emissions add up quickly. A 2019 report from Hope Solutions showed that the UK events industry emits 1.2bn kg of CO₂e every year. It is clear that an in-person event has a significant environmental impact.

26 May 2021

Lab closures, project delays, funding concerns and restricted travel – 2020 as a scientist was a tough one. Thankfully, labs are back open and delayed projects are picking up once again. Travel restrictions are still in place however, meaning that in-person events are still a way off.

6 May 2021

As we discussed in one of our previous blogs, Which areas contribute the most to an event’s footprint?, the main areas that contribute to an in-person event’s footprint are travel, food, materials and waste. This was estimated to be over 170 kilograms of CO₂ emissions per day for an average conference attendee. A similar online conference would have a significantly smaller carbon footprint, but not zero.