Submitted by Jessica Haskell on Wed, 2020-01-29 08:49
This February, the Environment & Energy section (E&E) are encouraging staff and students to play their part in creating a low-carbon future.
Last year, Cambridge became the first university in the world to adopt a 1.5 degrees Science Based Target for carbon reduction. This ambitious target commits us to reducing energy-related carbon emissions to absolute zero by 2048, with a steep 75% decrease on 2015 emissions by 2030.
Our target focuses on scope 1 (direct emissions from owned or controlled sources) and scope 2 (indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy) emissions. We’re currently crunching the numbers for 2018/19, but in 2017/18 the University’s total energy consumption was a whopping 275 million kWh! The carbon emissions associated with the University’s energy use (scope 1 and 2 emissions) represent one of our biggest areas of environmental impact, particularly that from electricity use (scope 2).
The University has already taken one step towards the target by recently joining in a ground-breaking renewable energy deal which, in terms of carbon savings, will save approximately 6,240 tCO2e per annum (10% of the University’s 2018/19 scope 1 and 2 emissions). However it’s important to ensure we continue reducing carbon emissions wherever we can across the whole University estate, so E&E also continues to provide significant funding and support to departments. Find out more about our approach and opportunities available on our Carbon webpage.
There’s still a lot of work to be done and, as staff and students, we can make a huge difference just by adjusting our daily habits. Here’s a few ways you can get involved:
Think globally, act locally
For large-scale change to happen, we all need to engage with our surroundings, be they offices, departments or labs. To help get you started, we’ve pulled together six simple steps for tackling the energy use of your workplace and outlined which actions will contribute towards your 2020 Green Impact award.
The E&E website has a whole host of resources relating to energy reduction, including templates for conducting a quick energy audit of your office to identify often overlooked energy saving opportunities. E&E also have a store of useful gadgets for your use, including thermometers and energy monitors which can help you discover which equipment is using the most energy in your department. Please email us if you would like some thermometers or to borrow an energy monitor.
New initiative to support staff in creating a low-carbon future
For the first time this year, E&E are running our own version of Carbon Literacy training for our staff volunteers. Environment and Energy Coordinators (EECs) play a vital role in sustainability at the University, as we know staff are more likely to act in an environmentally-friendly way if their colleagues are too.
Our EECs come from a whole range of different disciplines and for those without a sustainability background, topics like climate change can seem dauntingly complex. Recognising this, our bespoke Carbon Literacy course will cover the basics of climate science, the University’s carbon reduction commitments, understanding individual carbon footprints and much more, to help individuals make informed decisions about the future.
We now have a network of over 100 EECs and run termly events for volunteers to share ideas, meet others and gain new skills. All staff at the University are welcome to become an EEC so click here if you think you could be the next member of our network!
Bonus month for Green Impact teams
We will be running our ever-popular Bonus Month for Green Impact teams this February! We’ll be keeping track of completed actions in the online workbook throughout the month and the team with the highest number of completed actions will not only be that much closer to their 2020 Green Impact award, they’ll be prize-winners too!
Green Lab workshops: understanding carbon flows in your lab
To kick off 2020, our Sustainable Labs Coordinator is running not one, not two, but three workshops for those of you in labs who are keen to take part in Spotlight on Carbon month but may need a helping hand. The workshop will help you become more conscious of the carbon flows in your labs, whilst identifying the worthwhile improvements that you can make. If you’d like to take part, please sign up to one of the sessions below:
Central Cambridge: Monday 17 February https://www.training.cam.ac.uk/envenergy/event/3372973
Cambridge Biomedical Campus: Tuesday 18 February https://www.training.cam.ac.uk/envenergy/event/3375614
West Cambridge: Friday 21 February https://www.training.cam.ac.uk/envenergy/event/3381917
Winter Bike to Work Day
This year, Winter Bike to Work Day will be on Friday 14 February. This global movement encourages people to get on their bikes for the day, whether cycling to work or school, and be part of efforts to create a sustainable future. This year’s motto is ‘Save Winter. Ride with us’ as the 2020 World Bike to Work Day is in support of the next UK student climate strike on 14 February. Events like these always lend themselves to the competitive amongst us so why not hold a competition in your department or building to see who cycled the furthest to work? Alternatively, you could give good old team spirit a try and gather a group to cycle into work together, this is perfect if there are less experienced cyclists in your department who would appreciate the excuse for a cycle buddy!
Don your winter woolies and reflective gear and be sure to tag us in your photos if you take part! Twitter: @CambridgeSust, Instagram: cambridgesust or Facebook: @CUenvironment.
