Submitted by Grainne Kennedy on Wed, 2018-02-28 17:48
Throughout February’s Spotlight on Sustainable Research month, we have focussed on the environmental impact of University research. While much of this results from the energy and resource-intensive work happening in our own labs, possibly one of the top environmental impacts of research is associated with flights made as part of research or study.
Flying is a particularly energy intensive way of travelling, and is one of the global contributors to carbon emissions which has continued to rise in recent years. The impact of each flight is huge[1]; someone flying from London to New York and back generates roughly the same level of carbon dioxide emissions as the average European householder does by heating their home for an entire year! In 2016/17, 15% of the University’s total carbon emissions came from flights, much of which was due to staff and students travelling as part of research, teaching and learning.
So what’s the solution? Well, that’s the question we hope to answer as part of this year’s Carbon Challenge, and we’d like your help! The Carbon Challenge is open to individuals or groups of students and staff. To participate, teams/ individuals should submit innovative ideas for reducing air miles and finding alternatives to flying. The winning team will win a hamper of goodies and train vouchers, and they will be commended at the University’s Green Impact Awards ceremony this Summer.
The closing date for submitting your idea is 31 March. Further details can be found here.
We cannot wait to hear your suggestions.
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport/aviation_en