Introducing the 2018-2019 Living Lab report!

Introducing the 2018-2019 Living Lab report! This year the Living Lab has gone from strength to strength, encompassing an ever broader variety of topics. There have been some particular highlights in the past year including on food, nature and water.

But first, what is the Living Lab? The ‘Living Laboratory for Sustainability’ at the University of Cambridge is a project providing opportunities for students and the academic community to improve environmental sustainability on the University estate and in its operations, through projects, internships and research.

What’s happened through the Living Lab this year?

Ruminating on ruminants

This year, the Living Lab worked with academics and the University Catering Service (UCS) to measure the impact of the Sustainable Food Policy (SFP) over the last two years, and supported several new academic projects on catering. The carbon and land use footprint of food purchases were calculated for two periods before and after the policy was introduced. This found a large reduction in carbon emissions between the two periods. The results were reported in a document developed by the Living Lab called the ‘Sustainable Food Journey’ which was widely reported in the national press.

Force of nature

The Living Lab is also supporting the University’s commitments on biodiversity and ecosystems through the Ecological Advisory Panel (EAP). The Living Lab has worked with the EAP to produce a biodiversity baseline of the University estate, and supported the development of the University’s first Biodiversity Action Plan. The Living Lab has also supported a number of student projects and engagement activities.

Water under the (Cam)bridge

In another area, our first intern looking at water, Felicia Chang, looked at improving water conservation in laboratories across the University. Her project improved our understanding of how water is used in labs and made recommendations on how progress on water management can be accelerated. Key areas identified by the project were to engage with high water using departments, improve metering and water management systems across the University, replace equipment like water condensers, rotary evaporators and autoclaves with more water efficient equivalents, and make more accurate specifications for water purification and provision systems at the planning stage.

This is a small portion of the projects that have happened this year. Read the Living Lab Report to find out more!