Sustainability for students and staff

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Sustainability for students and staff

• Dr Keith Pitcher Sustainable Development Manager
• email k.f.pitcher_at_leeds.ac.uk
• web www.leeds.ac.uk/environmental
• What is Sustainable Development?
• How I got to do this job!
• What I do at Leeds
• priorities for the university
• how are we doing?
• Qualifications qualities I look for when
  appointing to my team
• How you can get involved

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What is Sustainable Development?

• 'development which meets the needs of the present
  without compromising the ability of future
  generations to meet their own needs'

Local and worldwide effects in 2009
Local and worldwide effects in future
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Sustainable development 3 principal aspects
Get the balance!
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Our priorities

• QUIZ
• How sustainable are you?

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How I got to do this job

• SD, especially Environment, a priority for
  universities
• Leeds recognised there was a gap
• My background
• science graduate, chartered engineer, PhD in
  renewable energy
• commercial technical experience in renewable
  energy (RE) projects
• work with UK and European governments to develop
  RE policies programmes
• Started 2003 with an Environment Policy, no
  funding, no resources and no existing programmes

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Renewable energy projects

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SD priorities
Resource usage supply
Sustainable new refurbished buildings
Academic Educational alignment
In university strategy
Technology
Sustainable citizens
Sustainable procurement finance
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Waste Management

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
• Removed 7000 individual waste bins
• Installed recycling facilities for paper,
  cardboard, glass, plastics, cans, chemical
  bottles, furniture, batteries, cartridges and
  toners, light bulbs, electrical equipment food
• 1,810 tonnes of waste produced on campus in 2008
  and 41 recycled
• Recycling increasing to gt 80
• Top UK university for waste management

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Transport

• Carshare www.carshareleeds.com (for commuting)
• Carclub for business or personal use
• Train bus discounted interest free annual
  travelcards
• Cycling
• 8 staff cycle to work (was 3 in 1999)
• cycle to work scheme
• new cycle storage and facilities
• Annual travel surveys
• CO2 related car parking charges
• (gas guzzlers pay 3x more!)

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Washington University spends 404k on bottled
water, tap water would cost 42 - banning
bottled water from 2009 - Leeds student union
banning bottled water in 2010
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Sustainable procurement and finance

• Use whole life costing
• e.g. low energy IT and lighting
• Adopt ethical investment policies
• no investment in tobacco companies
• Ethical and sustainable suppliers e.g. office
  furniture, food, paper, white goods, IT
• university recycled paper policy for publications
  and office use
• Leeds is a Fairtrade university

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Renewable energy projects
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Sustainable citizens

• Reduce our ecological footprint
• European average is 2-3 Earths
• Look at our lifestyles
• Use energy/carbon more efficiently
• Providing low cost energy metering for homes and
  student residences
• New student placement funded from university
  Alumnus (The OWL)
• Travel in a sustainable healthy way
• 132k spent on 251 bikes for staff
• 100 new Velocampus bikes for students (100 more
  in 2009)

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Academic

• Huge potential benefit
• Identify and provide SD curricula and skills
• Provision of student SD placements in external
  organisations
• Include in student volunteering initiatives

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How are we doing?

• Winner 2006 Green Gown BACHE awards for waste
  management
• 2007 Green Gown award for continuous
  environmental performance
• A First from People Planets 2007 2008 Green
  University League table
• Encams 2007 Tidy Award environment and
  community engagement

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New SD staff students what do I look for?

• Academic qualification in related areas
• Practical experience
• A can do attitude
• No half empties
• Tenacity (I have a cunning plan)
• Ability to communicate effectively
• Sense of humour

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How you can get involved

• Find out how your university is doing
• Ask your leaders to ensure SD is on their agenda
• Work with your SD/environment teams
• Find out what is going on
• Help promote SD with your students
• Include SD in your recruitment and development
  programmes

and finally. QUIZ RESULTS