We're leading by example and creating a sustainable campus that reduces our impact on the environment – building a live learning place for staff and students. A sustainable campus incorporates everything that you come into contact with – from the food in the cafes to the lighting in the buildings and the way you get to campus in the morning.
We're working to continually reduce emissions, aiming for a 52 per cent reduction in CO2e by 2030. How? Through reducing campus energy use and researching future alternative solutions.
We're working to reduce water consumption to below 3.3m3 per student per annum – by investing in new technology, minimising leaks and diversifying sourcing away from mains supply.
We're working to reduce the amount of waste generated to below 20kg per student per annum. And to recycle 70 per cent of our waste.
We have a continuous programme of construction and refurbishment, using this as an opportunity to improve the efficiency of our campus. Every new building and refurbished building will achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating.
We're embedding sustainable procurement, ensuring purchasing is from socially, ethically and environmentally responsible businesses.
We're working to increase the levels of biodiversity on campus compared to 2011 levels – so we can support plant and animal species and outdoor learning.
We support a green travel plan that targets reducing car travel and promoting cycling, walking and public transport to get to University and between sites.
We're creating a sustainable food culture that supports local, sustainable and Fairtrade produce and suppliers.
Our management systems
In 2009, we successfully gained ISO 14001 accreditation – one of very few higher education institutions to do so. This accreditation is an international standard providing a framework – for organisations of any size – to control and improve environmental performance via an Environmental Management System (EMS). It provides practical tools for us to identify and control environmental impacts. And it recognises that we have a systematic approach to environmental management – one that is externally audited. We are externally accredited to ISO 14001 for our Environmental Management System, for the activities on our main campus site, including Cookworthy building.
We also have a Building Management System (BMS). A computer-based system, it manages, controls and monitors building technical services – like the energy the devices in our buildings use, and lighting. It controls 95 per cent of our campus buildings, ensuring intelligent control of the building systems to make sure there's no energy waste. The BMS, for example, will turn on the boilers according to external temperatures, and can report a fire or a break-in.
Meet the team
A dedicated team of professional staff – based in Estates and Facilities manage operational sustainability issues at the University, led by:
Energy Manager – Adrian Perkins
Environment and Sustainability Manager – Dr Samantha Davies
BMS Operator – Mr Peter Bellan
For general enquiries, please feel free to contact us at sustainability@plymouth.ac.uk.