Submitted by Grainne Kennedy on Thu, 2018-04-26 14:16
The sun has finally shown itself in 2018, the temperature is warmer and May is just around the corner. That means it’s time for our exciting Green Impact Audit Day. This is the time when Green Impact teams shine the most, as they have the opportunity to demonstrate what they have been working on this year to improve the environmental performance of their department or College.
On the morning of 3 May a group of student volunteers will receive IEMA-accredited training that will provide them with the environmental auditing skills needed for the task. In the afternoon this group of students will have the chance to put into practise what they have learnt. They will meet with Green Impact teams in their departments, Colleges and labs who will show them around and explain the initiatives that have been implemented on site.
Green Impact teams will have added evidence of their environmental work to their online workbook throughout the year, so the audit process aims to verify what each team has achieved over the academic year. Depending on their performance, teams will receive either a bronze, silver, gold, platinum, excellence, or special award at the Green Impact Award Ceremony. This year's ceremony will take place on 21 June in the Centre for Mathematical Sciences, and will be a chance to really celebrate the great work done by the Green Impact teams. At this year's event we will be delighted to have the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stephen Toope, in attendance.
What's been happening this year?
We have been in contact with our Green Impact teams throughout the year, and here are just some examples of the good news stories and initiatives that our Green Impact Auditors will be hearing about when they visit each team:
Energy savings through staff engagement
One of the suggested actions for Green Impact teams to take is asking staff for suggestions on reducing energy use. This year, 23 departments and 7 colleges have taken this course of action. Staff often have great ideas for saving energy as they can see the day-to-day wastage and opportunities for improvement. Jonathan Fort, Facilities Manager of the Institute of Metabolic Science testifies that engagement with staff through participation in Green Impact has led to significant energy reductions. Ever since 2011, Jonathan has provided information to staff on ways to reduce energy; ranging from strategically-placed labels to well-presented noticeboards and timely emails. Combined with other significant changes to equipment and procedures in laboratories such as replacing high energy use freezers in labs with more energy efficient types these have resulted in big changes. Firm proof that Green Impact has positive impacts is shown in the image above - there's been a measurable reduction in energy use in the department over the last four years!
Cutting plastic waste through simple changes
Single use plastics are an issue which is in the news a lot lately. Using reusable or glass cups or ceramic mugs, or even official 'Keep-cups' is one of the best ways to reduce single use plastic, as it helps replace single-use plastic cups. This also has the added benefit of saving money, as it reduces the cost of buying and disposing of single-use plastic cups. This year, 26 University departments and 12 Colleges have committed to using reusable cups in preference to disposable options - a real win!
Sustainable events to raise awareness
Many departments and Colleges find organising events to be a great way to raise awareness of sustainability issues while having fun. We are sure that our auditors will discover lots of interesting events that have taken place over the last academic year! Below are a few examples of the events and initiatives which helped engage staff in different environmental issues!
Figure 1: Carshare awareness barbecue at UBSS/Pathology
Figure 2: Thermal Thursday at the Old Schools
Figure 3: Meat free Monday at Pembroke College
Labelling and postering
Simple actions can make a big difference, and our Green Impact teams make the most of these opportunities. With a recent audit showing that as much as 48% of waste at the University of Cambridge was placed in the incorrect bins by staff and students, adding recycling bins and labels around the building is one of the initiatives which can help to tackle this problem and improve recycling rates. This year, 25 Green Impact teams ensured that their buildings' bins were correctly labelled!
We are excited to see the results of the audit and to learn more about what our Green Impact teams have been up to! Stay tuned to hear about what awards are won by the participating departments and Colleges...