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UCL's Sustainability Annual Report: our progress

19 May 2015

UCL's Annual Report 2013-14

This Annual Report (2013-14) marks our successes and challenges in creating a more sustainable university. Richard Jackson, Director of Sustainability, introduces the report and thanks the UCL community for their invaluable contributions to this progress.

"Driving forward environmental improvements is an inherently collaborative task. With hundreds of buildings, a huge variety of research projects and more students every year, creating a more sustainable university isn’t something you can do in a vacuum.

So first, a big thank-you from all of us on the Sustainability Team. UCL’s progress depends on the hard work, energy and commitment of a large number of staff and students, many of whom put in a huge amount of effort on top of their regular work.

And as you'll see from this report, it really does pay off. We know that we’ve still got a way to go, but I hope you’ll agree that we’re making progress towards a more sustainable UCL."

- Richard Jackson - Director, Safety and Sustainability

UCL's Sustainability Annual Report 2013-14

Read the document online.

Highlights

Creating a more sustainable campus
We undertook UCL's highest-ever number of building projects shaped by stringent sustainability criteria. These ensure elements like FSC timber, low-energy lighting, occupant wellbeing, recycled furniture and 99% of waste diverted from landfill are at the core of how projects are designed and built.

Supporting the UCL community

44 departmental teams took part in the UCL Green Impact programme, taking over 1,000 actions to improve the environmental performance of their departments and divisions. And huge numbers of students and staff helped to save energy, reduce waste and engage peers and colleagues with these essential issues.

Furthering UCL's academic aims
UCL’s Global Citizenship Programme continued to engage a large number of students with the complexities of the global sustainability agenda. And alongside this, we've continued to develop our approach to the Living Lab, creating a win-win situation 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 took place, helping to widen the influence of our 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 our work with a range of partners, we're developing a new sector-leading tool to drive more sustainable construction projects across Higher Education. 

Read UCL's Sustainability Annual Report or download as a pdf file.

Green UCL's Annual Report 2013-14