Case Study 4: Sustainability at UCL: our progress

Core UCL values, as expressed in UCL 2034, include environmental sustainability and ethically acceptable standards of conduct and we know these values resonate strongly with UCL staff.  One of the key enablers for the strategy is ‘Maintaining a sustainable estate to meet our aspirations.’

Issues relating to UCL’s values and goals have a strong impact in terms of staff engagement. In 2013 the greatest uncertainty across this theme was in respect to UCL’s commitment to working in an environmentally sustainable way. Much has happened in the last two years and this case study highlights the significant progress we have made in this area.

With hundreds of buildings, a huge range of research projects and more students every year, creating a more sustainable university really will take all of us. And UCL is already driving forward a large number of sustainable building projects, supporting community participation and conducting a wide range of pioneering academic sustainability projects. We still have a way to go, but we hope you’ll agree that UCL is really making progress in becoming a cleaner, greener, more pleasant place to work and study.

Our progress in numbers

• 47 staff teams took part in the UCL Green Impact programme in 2014-15, completing over 1,500 actions to improve the environmental impacts of their departments and divisions. 
• 62% of UCL waste from UCL’s campus was recycled, with no waste going to landfill.
• UCL jumped from 61st to 29th place out of 151 universities in the People and Planet University League, an independent ranking of UK universities on their environmental and ethical performance. 
• UCL staff have saved over £300,000 and 141,904 kgs of CO2 since Warpit was established to share equipment and resources across departments.

How UCL is improving its environmental impact:

Creating a more sustainable campus
Last year, UCL undertook its highest-ever number of building projects shaped by stringent sustainability criteria, ensuring elements like FSC timber, low-energy lighting, recycled furniture and over 99% of construction waste diverted from landfill are at the core of how projects are designed and built.

Supporting our community in taking action
47 departmental teams took part in the UCL Green Impact programme this year, taking over 1,500 actions to improve the environmental performance of their departments and divisions. And simple activities like the Christmas Switch Off helped to save over 509,593 kWh of energy over the winter break; a reduction of 20% in UCL's usual electricity use.

Furthering UCL's academic aims
UCL’s Global Citizenship Programme continues to engage a large number of students with the complexities of the global sustainability agenda. And alongside this, the Sustainability Team have continued to develop their approach to the Living Lab, supporting research which improves the impact of university operations while providing high quality academic insights.

Creating a wider impact
A diverse range of inspiring volunteering, partnerships and public engagement also took place, helping to widen the influence of UCL’s teaching and research. Projects like UCell, a group of doctoral researchers using their micro hydrogen generator to bring this pioneering technology to new audiences. And through the Sustainability Team’s work with a range of partners, UCL is developing a new sector-leading tool to drive more sustainable construction projects across Higher Education.

Find out more about sustainability at UCL on the Green UCL website or by reading UCL’s most recent Sustainability Annual Report.  You can also follow the Sustainability Team on Twitter and like them on Facebook.