Sustainability

In the face of the climate crisis, our commitment to sustainability remains core to our activities addressing the complex global challenges of sustainability transition.

We're part of a faculty committed to reducing further climate change, and a university aiming to inspire sustainability action on an international scale.

Our sustainable impact is shown in our world-leading research with innovative and novel methodologies, in how we are educating the sustainability leaders of tomorrow, and in how we run our four institutes.

Operations

To promote environmental awareness and minimise our environmental impact at an institutional level, we have several Green Champions across BSEER leading a network of staff and students who work together to review practices, develop policies, promote best practice, and stage events and competitions.

In 2020 our 'Green Champions' won a Gold Award in the Sustainable UCL Green Impact scheme.

  • We run on a sustainable business model balancing teaching and research, partnerships and international collaborations across our institutes.
  • We’re making our events and meetings more sustainable with 100% vegetarian catering, no disposable cups or cutlery and sustainable printed materials.
  • We’re reducing our carbon footprint with initiatives encouraging sustainable modes of travel, reducing unnecessary travel and contributing to carbon offsetting projects.
  • We’re engaging staff in sustainable activities in conjunction with Sustainable UCL and UCL Workplace Wellbeing initiatives.

Heritage Science Laboratory

In 2020 our Heritage Science Lab won a Gold Sustainable Labs Award recognising sustainable practices that allow research to be conducted in a resource efficient and sustainable way.

The new Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) template set up by Sustainable UCL allowed us to quantify our carbon savings and see a further reduction in the carbon footprint of our labs.

Research

Our research is helping to deliver the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals on cities, climate change, energy, food, heritage, industry, infrastructures, natural resources and water, as well as the UK Industrial Strategy.

Find out more about the sustainability research across our four institutes:

  • We're contributing to The Lancet Countdown, an international research collaboration published annually from 2016 - 2030, dedicated to tracking the world's response to climate change and the health benefits that emerge from this transition.
  • We're part of UCL's Circular Economy Lab, a cross-faculty, cross-discipline initiative sharing expertise to improve the design of buildings and products, their re-use and recycling, and the return of their constituent materials back to the economy.
  • We developed the UK TIMES model, which underpins government plans to transition the UK to a low-carbon future.
  • Our research is shaping the shipping industry's global transition to net-zero carbon emissions.
  • We're part of The Plastic Waste Hub, a multidisciplinary team of researchers taking a design-led approach to the issue of plastic waste.
  • We’ve helped demonstrate the link between planetary health and human health in our research on Health, Wellbeing & Sustainability.
  • Our NOAH'S ARK Project created a culture change in how heritage professionals nationally and internationally approach adaptation to climate change for historic properties.

Teaching

We're training the future leaders in the field of sustainability, and in line with UCL's sustainability strategy (Change Possible: The Strategy for a Sustainable UCL 2019 - 2024) we've created programmes that give UCL students the opportunity to study and be involved in sustainability.

Discover postgraduate research and study opportunities at:

UCL's Sustainablility Commitments for 2024

White text on a vibrant yellow and blue background that reads: Change possible, the strategy for a sustainable UCL 2019-2024

  1. Every student will have the opportunity to study and be involved in sustainability.
  2. We will increase our sustainability research, with increased focus on the Sustainable Development Goals.
  3. Our buildings will be net zero carbon, and by 2030 our institution will be net zero carbon.
  4. Be a single-use-plastic free campus.
  5. Reduce waste per person by 20%.
  6. Create 10,000m2 of more biodiverse green space on campus.

Find out more about UCL's sustainability strategy.

The Bartlett's Commitment to Change

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Climate change is the first building block of The Bartlett's Commitment to Change. Find out more and get involved.

UCL Green Impact

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Find out more about Green Impact at UCL.

Powered by Plants

Powered by Plants logo - an illustration of the UCL portico with a carrot, asparagus spear, corn cob and knife and fork replacing the columns

BSEER is proud to offer 100% vegetarian catering across our meetings and events. If every UCL department became 'Powered by Plants', our food emissions would be reduced by 40%, saving ~5,000 tonnes CO2 p/a, equivalent to taking 1,000 cars off the road.

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