“Switch it Off” Campaign Releases new Video
The "Switch it Off" campaign has released a video introducing the campaign and giving some useful hints and tips, starring our very own Dan Fernbank.
Updated Carbon Management Plan
In our first year of our 35% carbon reduction target, we achieved a 10% reduction in our carbon emissions, through investing in range of energy saving technologies from insulation to solar panels, and through running a series of behavioural change initiatives. You can read a more detailed analysis of our achievements to date, along with details of the projects we've got lined up in the coming year, in our Carbon Management Update. We will be bringing you news of our further progress to the end of 2011/12 in the coming weeks.
HumSS and URS Flat Roof Insulation
On Tuesday July 24, a new roof for the HumSS tower was lifted into place. The replacement of the roof has given us a golden opportunity to install roof insulation to current new building standards. Significant amounts of energy can be saved by reducing heat loss from poorly insulated buildings. This installation, along with the window draught proofing that is almost complete in the whole building (HumSS has a lot of windows!) and planned cavity wall insulation, will contribute to significantly improving the insulation of the HumSS building. Similar roof insulation is also currently being installed in the URS building,…
The University wins Gold for Going Greener
The University's commitment to improving its green credentials has been recognised by recently gaining the Gold EcoCampus award. EcoCampus is a scheme designed to help higher education institutions improve their environmental performance. Reading's commitment to reducing its carbon emissions by 35% by 2015/16 via a new carbon management plan was instrumental in the University attaining the award. Other key factors in the University's recent ‘green' success include its behavioural change policy for staff and students and commitment to making our campuses as eco-friendly as possible. Many members of staff were involved in the recent Green Impact Awards, which encourages teams…
Green League Table Result Confirms Environmental Progress
The University has been awarded an Upper Second Class Award and ranked 59 out of 145 in the People & Planet Green League 2012, an improvement of 24 places from last year and 3 points short of achieving a ‘First'. Sir David Bell told staff: "In the past 12 months, we have cut our carbon usage by 10% in absolute terms¹ as we pursue the challenging objectives from our Carbon Management Plan of reducing our carbon footprint by 35% by 2015/16. "As an institution with a global reputation for sustainability and climate change research, we need to ensure good environmental…
Results out from 2012 Staff and Student Travel Survey
Thank you to everyone who completed the 2012 staff and student travel survey. There was a great response with over 3,000 completed surveys in total and a response rate of 40% of staff and 12% of all registered students taking part. This compares favourably with travel surveys at many other universities. This gives a valuable set of data about our current travel and views to learn what needs to be prioritized. The survey prize winners have also been drawn! Some of the headline results are shown in the pie chart above 43% walk 27% drive alone 12% cycle 5% train 4% bus 9%…