--- title: "How to Win the 2022 Freezer Challenge: A Not-So-Secret Playbook from Elemental Machines" description: How To Win the Freezer Challenge - A Not-So-Secret Playbook from Elemental Machines image: https://info.elementalmachines.com/hubfs/freezer-challenge.png --- [Skip to content](https://info.elementalmachines.com/blog/how-to-win-the-freezer-challenge-a-not-so-secret-playbook-from-elemental-machines#main-content) [![logo-em-black](https://info.elementalmachines.com/hubfs/logo-em-black.svg "logo-em-black")](https://elementalmachines.com/) [Back to Home](https://elementalmachines.com/) [Login](https://dashboard.elementalmachines.io/sign_in) # How to Win the 2022 Freezer Challenge: A Not-So-Secret Playbook from Elemental Machines ![How to Win the 2022 Freezer Challenge: A Not-So-Secret Playbook from Elemental Machines](https://info.elementalmachines.com/hubfs/freezer-challenge.png) February 2, 2022 By [Ali Kendall](https://info.elementalmachines.com/blog/author/ali-kendall) Now in its sixth year, the Freezer Challenge is a six-month sprint designed to incentivize LabOps managers to tend to oft-overlooked housekeeping duties that affect energy consumption and environmental sustainability. This year, Elemental Machines is proud to sponsor the competition in collaboration with My Green Lab and I2SL. But let’s cut to the chase. If you’re here, you want to win. Good news: we found the scorecard, and we’re about to spill the beans.   **Defrost and dust your refrigerators.** Defrosting refrigerators and freezers is one of those tasks that’s easy to procrastinate as other duties take priority. The same goes for removing dust from refrigerator intakes or coils.    **Take stock of what you have and what you no longer need.** Create new sample inventories or update existing inventories of all cold storage. Clean out refrigerators to remove unneeded contents and samples. Every sample counts, both environmentally and competitively.   **Replace standard freezer boxes with high density format boxes.** Every full freezer box you replace will save energy and earn challenge credit.   **Move eligible samples to a warmer climate.** Not all samples need a frigid habitat. *Every sample* you either move to a warmer context, or those contained in freezers or refrigerators you modify, will earn points.   **Upgrade cold storage units to higher efficiency models.** Take note of the differential in energy usage, as it will come into play on the scoresheet.   **Sharing is caring (and fruitful).** Every research group that shares cold storage space is a win.   **Keep track of inventory.** Barcoding inventory is an efficient way of keeping track of samples (and eliminating superfluous storage of abandoned contents.) Every fridge full of barcoded inventory will boost your score.   **Give room temp a try.** Room temperature may not work in the end. But giving it a try is the only way to find out (or be rewarded.) Well plates, tubes, reagents, and kits all earn credit.   **Think outside the box for extra credit.** The criteria for winning the Freezer Challenge are mostly well-defined. But there’s a caveat: at the end of the score sheet, you’ll be presented with an opportunity to exceed expectations. What sustainable upgrade or modification can you make that others may not have considered? Concoct it, enact it, and record it. Your innovation could very well be the difference between mere participation and success.   **Don’t miss the deadline.** Now that you have your marching orders, get to work! Once you [register](https://www.freezerchallenge.org/register.html), you will be filling out a scoresheet, tracking your efforts as you go along, & just be sure to turn it in before the clock strikes twelve on July 1st. Whether you’re crowned Freezer Challenge champion or not, your sustainable actions will make a positive impact on the planet. That’s a win without question. 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Sign up now ## Related Articles ### [My Green Lab: "Let's Talk Freezers" - May 26, 2021](https://info.elementalmachines.com/blog/may-26th-my-green-lab-lets-talk-freezers) Elemental Machines is proud to sponsor & participate in a My Green Lab online discussion on May... ### [SLAS2022 International Conference & Exhibition: February 5-9](https://info.elementalmachines.com/blog/slas-2022-international-conference-exhibition) It’s official, Elemental Machines is the Gold Level Exhibitor of [#SLAS2022](https://www.eventscribe.net/2022/SLAS2022/) in Boston, February 5-9.... ### [Elemental Calendar ~ Lab Manager Product in Action](https://info.elementalmachines.com/blog/elemental-calendar-lab-manager-product-in-action) The only lab equipment reservation software built for LabsOps to reserve assets, assign users, and... ## Search our content Search ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Ali Kendall", "url" : "https://info.elementalmachines.com/blog/author/ali-kendall" }, "dateModified" : "2022-02-02T15:34:03.911Z", "datePublished" : "2022-02-02T13:45:00.000Z", "headline" : "How to Win the 2022 Freezer Challenge: A Not-So-Secret Playbook from Elemental Machines", "image" : [ "https://info.elementalmachines.com/hubfs/freezer-challenge.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://info.elementalmachines.com/blog/how-to-win-the-freezer-challenge-a-not-so-secret-playbook-from-elemental-machines", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://info.elementalmachines.com/hubfs/EMLogo_Horizontal_Blue@2x-3.png" }, "name" : "Elemental Machines" } } ```