UCL moves up the Green League

This is the result of a number of factors which have been put in place over 2012/13. A new Environmental Sustainability Strategy has been introduced following consultation across the Institution and approval by UCL Council. This sets out UCL's core sustainability aims and its targets and commitments.

Alongside the Strategy, UCL has started to report annually on its Environmental Sustainability performance - this is available on the Green UCL webpages. There continues to be improvements to the way in which UCL manages its operational impacts: carbon emissions reduced by 3% in 2011/12; waste recycling has increased; waste produced has decreased; and water use has reduced. Unfortunately, due to way that the Green League is compiled, we don't get recognition for some of these performance improvements.

There are many challenges ahead: UCL continues to grow; our building portfolio includes listed heritage buildings, complex laboratories, space which needs to be flexible and adaptable to new research demands - all posing challenges in the way that we can reduce carbon and energy use; there is an increasing need for high performance computing as part of our research; and environmental sustainability is not always the main priority or the focus of our attention in our work and study. However, there are also opportunities as demonstrated by the increasing number of people interested in undertaking environmental research on and around the campus.

The UCL Environmental Sustainability team would like to thank you for your continued support and look forward to further engagement in 2013 and 2014.

Next, even more good news…UCL awarded HEFCE green grant 

Earlier this year, UCL put forward a project proposal as part of a bid to the HEFCE Green Revolving Fund. The proposal was developed by a team including participants from UCL Estates, UCL Environmental Sustainability, and UCL Department of Chemistry and will trial a new free cooling system in the Christopher Ingolt Building. If the technology proves to be successful, UCL will consider wider roll out in other areas of the business.

Richard Jackson, Head of Environmental Sustainability, UCL Estates