Sustainability at the University of Greenwich Anne Poulson, Chief Operating Officer
My talk will cover: University of Greenwich in context Why sustainability is important to us How we re putting sustainability to work Our return on investment Our sustainability Challenges & Opportunities A leadership perspective
About us 20,646 UK students, 1,700 staff 204m annual turnover Diverse campuses in London & Kent Faculties: Business, Architecture, Computing & Humanities, Engineering & Science, Education & Health Making Greenwich Greater Strategic Vision 2017-22
What do we mean by sustainability? An excerpt from our sustainability policy: As a university we have a role in making further improvements in our own academic and operational spheres of influence. We should also enable our students to have skills and knowledge to make positive sustainable change. In order to achieve this the university will ensure that sustainability is applied as the driver that delivers our wider strategic goals, whilst enabling societies to flourish and to protect the natural systems upon which the institution ultimately depends...
Sustainability - essential to our work & future success Meeting values and expectations of staff and students Alignment of strategic corporate and sustainability agendas Legal compliance Cost reduction Reputation Sector policy requirements Income generation League position: Green League
Putting sustainability to work
Natural Resources Institute Mission: to discover, apply and share knowledge in support of global food security, sustainable development and poverty reduction. World renowned organisation Applying academic research to build resilience in less developed countries. Focus on pest resistant crops, plant & food nutrition Protection of food stuff: storage, transportation and sale, Helping farmers respond to environmental & social challenges
Stockwell Street 76m 15000m 2 BREEAM Excellent rated building achieved two innovation credits (2014).64 hectare brownfield inner city site within World Heritage Site 14 landscape roof areas Passive design 7 climate change adaptation measures implemented Award winning & designed with sustainability as a priority.
Stockwell Street Natural ventilation complimented by mechanical ventilation Solar hot water & water efficient systems Waste Management compactor Recycled materials/fsc certified No car parking & 100 + bicycle park spaces Minimal to no external lighting
Stockwell Street living roofs and walls
Greenwich Bees
Carbon 8 Systems Making Materials Carbon Positive The first company (UoG spinout) to use Accelerated Carbonation Technology (ACT), a treatment for industrial wastes & contaminated soils The products of their patented process are carbonnegative materials for the construction industry Eng and Sci Facultu working with global partners including, Heidelberg Cement, Shell, DEC, and ArcelorMittal, to develop ACT throughout Europe, North America & Asia
Avery Hill Edible Gardens Sustainable Food
Employability Sustainability Enabling Opportunities
Employability: Research, Innovation and Enterprise Platform Cooper Building : Existing
Employability: Research, Innovation and Enterprise Platform The vision is to transform the Cooper Building back to life as a key part of the redevelopment of the Greenwich campus. The Powerhouse provides entrepreneurs, innovators and research staff and businesses with a range of shared resources and work space including cutting edge facilities, expert mentoring, technical support and an inspiring place to collaborate and work. The building aspires to be: a space to inspire a space to connect a space to experience a space to create, develop and make a space to test a space to grow space to monitor activity space to monitor itself
The Powerhouse
Innovation at the University of Greenwich Sustainable Design: reversing the polarity Pollution Original Copper coal fired Powerstion
Our Return on Investment
Our Return on Investment: Awards & Certifications Reductions absolute energy use Reductions in water use Reductions in waste generation Almost zero waste to landfill
Return on Investment (cont): High recognition by staff of sustainability issues Development of a good news platform bringing together staff & students Creates natural opportunities for interdisciplinary academic work & cross departmental collaborations External funding for initiatives: 200K for Sustainability Hub, 20K for Community Edible Garden
Opportunities Harnessing students interested in ethical & sustainability issues & causes High level campaigns reinforcing importance & need to act on key issues Many costs are going up making resource efficiency essential Sustainability delivers across all university s work Initiatives such as the UN s Sustainable Development Goals are powerful levers Many leading employers are seeking sustainability literate students
Summing up You can t ignore sustainability so why not embrace it Sustainability connects with all areas of our work adding value everywhere Academic institutions are best placed to help design, build and enable a sustainable future for all Sustainability although being common sense is still challenging to deliver, it takes time, creativity & commitment
A leadership perspective Importance of integrating sustainability as an organisation blending students, staff and society It s all about relationship-building not compliance or turning the lights off Students are highly engaged and champion But beyond the evangelists, very difficult to align the academic agenda and stimulate the curriculum Changing government policy & support
A personal perspective Leadership is engaged with securing money and league table positions but less emotional attachment How engaged really is the leadership team, all of the time, including me, with 101 competing priorities? Managing in difficult financial and people times takes precedence You can t always get what you want
Thank You. University of Greenwich is a charity and company limited by guarantee, registered in England (reg. no. 986729). Registered office: Old Royal Naval college, Park Row, Greenwich, London SE10 9LS