an environmentally sustainable university

An Environmentally Sustainable University


An impact has a strong affect on something, it can be positive or negative affect.

Our environment is the conditions that surround us and for this presentation we can say:

Environmental sustainability is best described as managing our impacts on the environment and leaving it in a suitable condition for future generations

Be realistic

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………………………do not rule anyone out as an aid to environmental sustainability, we all have an impact at work which can affect the environment, we can all make more informed choices

Environmental impacts are inevitable

Travel to work

Work

Travel for work

Generate waste

Travel to home

But some of them

• Can be reduced to a level as low as possible

Our environmental impacts

Where our impacts originate fromProcurementEnergyTravelWasteWater

Carbon dioxide emissions

• All of these areas can be best summarised as an impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions which accelerate climate change


• If we are to minimise affects on the environment and be a environmentally sustainable university we have to consider each area in turn and make the right choices for the environment, whilst training and making all staff and students aware of both their work and home life approaches to the environment

Energy

• HEFCE - A sector-level target in line with the Climate Change Act of 34% reduction by 2020 and 80% reduction by 2050 against a 1990 baseline.

• Reality for Northumbria due to expansion of the estate is 55% CO2 emissions reduction on 2009/2010 baseline or 10,850 tonnes by 2020

• Future capital funding will be focussed on how well we achieve this


• Recognised staff engagement – part of Green Impact

• Mirror health and safety management model HSG 65


• We have to embed environmental sustainability into out activities and be prepared to take this further to make it an everyday choice

‘Take only what you require’ ‘Make do and mend’


• 35 universities and colleges took part in 2010/11• 621 teams- 35,467 staff, • 3,985 people directly involved in a Green Impact

committee• 19,620 greening actions were completed! • 495 student and staff auditors trained


Figure 2: Green Impact score distributed by workbook theme (bronze, silver and gold combined)

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Biodiversityand

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Electricity GreeningTeams,

Action Plans,Comms

Heating Procurement RecyclingWaste

ReducingWaste

ReusingWaste

Travel Wastelegislation

Water WiderComms

Academic Office

University Average

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Can this be sustained?

A plan to reduce carbon

• £7.5 million to reach a 32.5% reduction in CO2 emissions based on 2005 baseline year by 2020 (from energy)

• In other words to be 32.5% lower than what we were in 2005, which is a 55% cut on last year’s emissions by 2020 (from energy)

Carbon Management

• Very important to realise that the plan will continually change to show all carbon emissions and we have prepared the way for this to happen by measuring scope 3 emissions

Carbon Management

• What are scope 3 emissions?• All other indirect emissions so carbon

associated with goods we buy, their production and transportation in other words our full boundary carbon footprint

Carbon Management

• Some examples include:• Staff driving own cars for work

371,452 kms• Hire cars and taxis 408,694 kms• Rail 1,961,556 kms• Air 13,440,000 kms• Procurement £73,000,000

(construction high cost)

Carbon Management

• How does this all breakdown?• Electricity 15,393 tonnes CO2

• Gas 7,149 tonnes CO2

• Business Travel 2,654 tonnes CO2

• Commuting 22,710 tonnes CO2

• Procurement 49,179 tonnes CO2

Carbon Management

• We have to set a reduction target for scope 3 emissions by December 2013

• To be an environmentally sustainable university we must measure and then manage

• Every choice you make at work can have an environmental benefit, we need to better understand what we are buying and train our staff

Here’s an impact on our environment

Here’s a more true picture

Progress

• Voltage Optimisation • This initiative predicted CO2 reductions of 1,150

tonnes. Of the 10 unit installations 2 are fully operational and the remaining 8 units are being re-commissioned to ensure they are working to full functionality.

• Glenamara Halls unit 13.9% reduction in energy annual comparison

• Coach Lane Campus unit 10.9% reduction in energy annual comparison

• Predicted annual CO2 reductions from current units

117 tonnes, from all units 1,105 tonnes by 2015

Progress

• Carbon Savings CHP unit in Sport Central to date

429 tonnes

• Generates electricity by burning gas and the heat generated during this process heats the swimming pool

Progress

• Electrical sub metering is 60% complete, 100% completion by 2012/13 academic year

• Reduction of onsite server and storage to reduce consumption throughout 2011/12

• Automatic switching of users to a selected server to allow shut down of further servers to reduce consumption throughout 2011/12

• Switched laptop procurement to a carbon neutral scheme in 2011

• Implementation of remote auto shutdown of left on staff PCs 2011

• Instigated the procurement of LED screens over LCD to reduce energy consumption in 2011/12

Progress

• Single occupancy car use 39.9%• Now it is 31.7%• Cycling 2.9%• Now it is 5.8%, near to 8%• Recycling was offered for paper only

in three buildings• Now plastic, metal, paper and

cardboard can be recycled from all buildings


• Produce an environmental impact assessment questionnaire for suppliers to complete, further than the PQQ’s.

• We can show our suppliers how serious we are about becoming a sustainable university.

• Procure less and more sustainably potential is very high to cut a significant level of carbon emissions


• We must reduce lifecycle impacts of our operations, from paperclips to potatoes from cooking to communicating

• These are the steps on the road to a sustainable university, including this font

Carbon Management

Years 2005 to 2015

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CO2 from baseline to end of phase 1


Carbon Management

• Commencing September 2011 to July 2015• Boiler replacement• Lighting recomissioning• VSD on all pumps without them• Reduce chiller use• Small scale CHP units• Increase occupancy detection for AHU• BMS improvements

Carbon Management

• Staff and student engagement local carbon management >1,000 tonnes CO2 reductions

• Green Impact and local Sustainability Management Groups play a key role in this

• We have established 9 groups and have 29 staff working on Green Impact

Carbon Management

• Phase 2 commences • Thinking big:• Tri-generation and biomass CHP

systems possibly through city-wide district heating.

Carbon Management

• Tri-generation works by creating heat, cooling and power without the usual losses associated with typical energy generation, they can supply multiple businesses in a district system, possible the Civic Centre and the University.

• To make the very large carbon tonne reductions we need to eliminate the usual losses of traditional power, it has to be more than using less energy from the grid, particularly given expansion. Major undertaking with many constraints

Carbon Management

• Replace all lighting• Double glaze all buildings• PV on all suitable buildings• Heat reclaim on waste heat• 5,000 tonnes (from energy)

Carbon Management

Years 2005 to

2020

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• A sustainable university teaches sustainability

• Almost all Schools engage to some degree sustainability for teaching, what we need is education for sustainable development across all possible courses


• It is challenging• It needs everybody to play a part• It takes time• It is underway• It is very worthwhile In the coming years environmental

sustainability is going to become increasingly under the spotlight, a University that does not reduce its carbon will stand out from the (currently small) crowd that does


• MUST minimise carbon emissions• Look at genuine offsets for our

carbon emissions• Avoid any waste, in all senses of the

word• Reduce lifecycle impacts of our

operations• Train and support staff and students• Extend to all areas of life

an environmentally sustainable university

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