Switch Off This Christmas: Give the Gift of a Greener Planet!

Did you know UCL spends almost over £3,000 per hour overnight on our overall electricity use? Although Sustainable UCL and the Estates team have been working hard centrally to reduce our energy, it takes all of us, including you to make a difference.  

That’s why we’re inviting you to pledge to switch off this Christmas - If you work at UCL or live in UCL halls, give the gift of a greener planet by cutting carbon emissions, and let’s make energy savings a new festive tradition!

Last year, we saved 100 tonnes of carbon – that's equivalent to planting almost 1,667 trees – all with just a flick of a switch!   

• What is Sustainable UCL doing to reduce our energy?  

What are the prizes? 

For individuals: This year, by pledging you will earn the chance to win our Christmas Giveaway Bundle (pictured below), which includes a Keep Cup, Tony Chocolonely's Christmas Gingerbread Milk Chocolates, and a one-pot vegetarian/vegan cookbook to help you start the new year sustainably. 

For halls/departments: The department or hall with the most pledges (as a percentage of its total staff and students) will receive £50 to go towards an event or activity, and will also be featured on our social media and website!  

How can I get involved?  

1. Decide your switch off actions, by following our checklists here.  Do you work in an office? Make sure your screens and appliances are completely off rather than on stand-by before leaving for the holidays. Are you living in halls? Check out what you can unplug before you go home.   

2. Make your pledge to switch off via this form  by Friday, 20th December to be in with a chance to win prizes for you, your department and/or accommodation. There are prizes up for grabs for the department or division and the accommodation which has made the highest percentage of pledges.   

3. Encourage others to switch off using the resources provided by Sustainable UCL, including posters and email signatures. Join your Teams calls with our festive switch off themed background to let your colleagues and classmates know you are joining the campaign! 

Make your pledge to switch off

How much impact do these changes actually have? Answer: a lot!   

• Lighting a typical office overnight wastes enough energy to heat water for 1,000 cups of tea (The Carbon Trust).   
• A PC monitor left on overnight can waste enough electricity to print over 500 pages (Energy Saving Trust).   
• Air conditioning an office for an extra hour a day uses enough energy in a month to power a TV for over a year (The Carbon Trust).   
• Leaving a computer on overnight for a year, creates enough CO2 to fill a double decker bus (The Carbon Trust).  
• A typical window left open overnight in winter will waste enough energy to drive a small car over 35 miles (The Carbon Trust).  

Please note: Buildings will be open according to the standard Sunday schedule throughout the closure period (i.e., if your building is closed on Sundays, it will be closed every day).  

Check out our Christmas Switch Off resources here!

*On average, one tree can consume approximately 60kg of CO2 from the atmosphere.