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Making a (Green) Impact

20 December 2017

As Earth scientists, we are aware of the burden that modern society places on the environment, but as a community, we have perhaps ignored the impact of our department in recent years – not anymore! We are joining the“…UCL-wide environmental competition and accreditation scheme that allows departments and divisions across the university to improve their environmental impact, support UCL's Sustainability Strategy and engage peers and colleagues with these essential issues.” (Green UCL, ucl.ac.uk/greenucl). We want you to get involved!

green impact

The impending move into the Kathleen Lonsdale Building makes this the perfect time to get our green hats on. The new KLB (which is due to be completed in January 2018) is perhaps surprisingly, hiding many advanced technologies within its construction that should reduce our environmental impact. There are motion-sensitive lights, CO2 monitored heating and our energy consumption can be monitored from overseas. So, we really have no excuse not to ace this – and we are aiming for a Bronze award by the end of July.

Initially, we want to focus on limiting unnecessary energy use and reducing waste within the department. We have already put up posters to encourage recycling, stickers reminding you to switch off lights (in the areas that aren’t controlled by sensors) and are in the process of making sure nowhere lacks suitable recycling facilities. 

We can achieve great things by making little changes to our everyday behaviour, but we need the cooperation of all members of the department, staff and students alike, to make this work! So, if you see a light that has been left on, please turn it off! And when you have finished with your rubbish, please separate it into the correct section at a recycling point! 

If you have any questions or suggestions for the team, or if you’d like to volunteer to get involved, please get in touch with us at es-greenteam@ucl.ac.uk.

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