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UCL’s progress
Creating a more sustainable campus
During 2014-15:
- UCL’s carbon emissions increased by around 1% against our 2005/6 baseline
- Over 100 tonnes of food waste was collected and sent for anaerobic digestion
- UCL’s overall recycling rate was 58%, with some buildings reaching over 75%
- The University’s caterer achieved the Silver Food for Life Catering Mark
- Sustainability continues to be at the core of our construction and refurbishment projects, with inclusion of elements like 100% FSC timber and measures to ensure water consumption is up to 40% lower than the standard rates for similar buildings. Wherever possible we’re also working to improve our green spaces; we’re planning 8 new green roofs across UCL to improve biodiversity.
Supporting UCL’s academic aims
During 2014-15:
- UCL’s Living Lab: a wide range of projects using UCL’s campus as a test bed for research were carried out, including a range of MSc and PhD projects supported by the Sustainability Team. This included further development of the CarbonCulture live energy feed for UCL’s buildings and some pioneering research on the effect of colour on thermal comfort, carried out in UCL’s Engineering Front Building.
- UCL’s Global Citizenship Programme: the programme continues to provide opportunities to a growing number of students to enhance their studies, boost employability and make a positive impact on the world. From 450 students in 2013-14, participation in the programme rose to 720 students in 2014-15.
Find out more about UCL’s Global Citizenship Programme.
Enabling, empowering and supporting the UCL community
During 2014-15:
- UCL’s Green Champion network grew to over 100 members
- 47 departmental teas took part in the Green Impact programme, with around 1,500 actions taken to improve awareness, purchasing, energy efficiency and recycling
- The Christmas Switch Off saved around 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide and 509,593 kWh of energy (that’s a 20% reduction in our term time electricity use and equivalent to £45,000)
- 30 students received IEMA-approved environmental auditor training
- Over 100 students took part in free cycle tours to explore London and get cycling safety tips
Creating a wider impact
During 2014-15:
- UCL moved up the People & Planet University League: UCL jumped from 61st to 29th place out of 151 UK universities. Compiled by student campaigning organisation People & Planet, the University League is an independent ranking of UK universities on their environmental and ethical performance.
- Ska HE nearly completed: using experience of sustainable construction gained from its own buildings, UCL has continued to play a key role in the development of a sector-leading tool to drive improvements to construction and refurbishment projects across higher education. It’s scheduled for launch in summer 2016.
UCL’s logistics programme driving improvements to safety, sustainability and efficiency
A new approach to UCL’s construction logistics is helping improve UCL’s carbon emissions, local air pollution and creating a safer and more pleasant campus. Deliveries to UCL’s campus have been reduced by over 500 a month with the introduction of this programme, and at the peak of UCL’s construction activity, it’s expected most projects will achieve up to a 30% reduction in deliveries to the campus through this new approach.
UCL climate paper ‘most featured in the media in 2015’
Research by UCL academics quantifying the amounts of fossil fuels that must stay un-burnt to prevent a 2°C rise in global temperatures was the “highest-scoring climate paper” in terms of media coverage in 2015.
The article in Nature, ‘The geographical distribution of fossil fuels unused when limiting global warming to two degrees’ by Dr Christophe McGlade and Professor Paul Ekins outlines how preventing a 2°C rise in global temperatures requires that a third of oil reserves, half of gas reserves and over 80% of current coal reserves globally should remain in the ground and not be used before 2050.
"The greater global attention to climate policy means that fossil fuel companies are becoming increasingly risky for investors in terms of the delivery of long-term returns. I would expect prudent investors in energy to shift increasingly towards low-carbon energy sources." Paper co-author Professor Paul Ekins OBE
Bartlett students collaborate with local charity to create sustainable structures
In collaboration with charity Global Generation, students from The Bartlett’s BASc Architecture course designed and built seven sustainable structures in The Skip Garden, an urban garden and community space in the heart of Kings Cross.
Students used sustainable construction techniques and materials, including earth dug out next to the garden to construct a rammed earth wall, reclaimed scaffolding boards to form filtration beds for a greywater recycling scheme and a produce cold store built from earth bag walls made from coffee sacks donated by a local roastery.
Find out more about The Skip Garden.
UCLU Green Economy Society connects students with sustainable business leaders
The student-led UCLU Green Economy Society aims to increase awareness of how businesses and policymakers can drive the transition to a more sustainable world. Through a packed schedule of talks, lectures and their annual Green Business Forum, they offer a platform for students to discuss green economy issues and get an introduction to careers in the environmental sector.
Students are the business, science and political leaders of tomorrow. It’s essential that students gain awareness of the great need for a green economy, so that they can implement this knowledge and understanding in their future engagements and careers
Theresa Reisch, UCLU Green Economy Society Chair
Find out more about the UCLU Green Economy Society.
Explore this interactive illustration above to find out about UCL's progress and see examples of inspiring sustainability action across the university.
This report maps our successes and challenges in creating a more sustainable university
Richard Jackson, UCL's Director of Sustainability introduces the report and thanks the UCL community for their work.
When it comes to creating a sustainable university, collaboration, and breaking down boundaries, really is key to our success. Much of our progress relies on collaboration between a wide range of stakeholders within UCL, and with external partners. And nowhere is this more strongly demonstrated than in UCL’s Living Lab, our project to support use of the campus as a test bed for research. Through this programme, we’re continuing to collaborate with students and staff to identify projects which support the aims of UCL’s sustainability strategy, while contributing to the institution’s research agenda.
As a result of the programme, a wide range of studies using UCL’s campus as a test bed for research have been undertaken, including a large number of MSc and PhD research projects.
We also continue to support a module for UCL’s BASc course involving collaboration with students, Estates, Sustainability and plumbing staff to install water meters in UCL toilets, and as you’ll see in this report, some pioneering research into the impact of lighting colour on thermal comfort that was put to the test in UCL’s Engineering Front Building. In this report, you’ll also be able to read about the benefits of collaboration between students, staff and our external partners.
In collaboration with charity Global Generation, students from The Bartlett’s BASc Architecture course have designed and built seven new sustainable structures in The Skip Garden, an urban garden and community space in the heart of Kings Cross. Now open to the public, The Bartlett’s collaboration with Global Generation has created new areas for teaching and learning, whilst giving undergraduates experience of project management and design, as well as exposure to a real client and brief.
Thank you again, and we look forward to working together in the year ahead.
Explore the interactive illustration above or read UCL's Sustainability Annual Report (.pdf)