University of Reading Water Source Heat Pump

By lukecantellowNov 13, 20230 Comments
Work has begun on a transformative heat decarbonisation project that involves the installation of a water source heat pump in the University's Energy Centre. Currently, this facility supplies heating and hot water to 17 buildings on the Whiteknights campus via an underground district heating network (DHN), primarily powered by gas. The project is supported by a £2.2 million grant from the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero’s Green Heat Network Fund. This substantial grant, which is being matched by the University, will play a pivotal role in achieving a 10% reduction in carbon emissions across the University's built estate.…
Energy and Water
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Annual Sustainability Report 2019/20

By lukecantellowNov 20, 20200 Comments
Our latest annual environmental sustainability report, covering the 2019/20 academic year, is now available here. The report summarises progress against our key sustainability targets over the past 12 months, reviews wider sustainability initiatives and looks to the upcoming year. This year, we have also had to take into account the impacts of Covid-19 in our reporting; so as well as reporting our absolute impacts on the environment, where possible, we have also included progress to the end of January 2020. Highlights By January 2020, the University had achieved a 44% reduction in its carbon footprint compared to its 2008/9 baseline. This…
Policy
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Sustainability spotlight: Giki

By lukecantellowNov 11, 20200 Comments
Sustainability has become a familiar term to most people in the 21st century, however, people have been debating about sustainability and the environment decades ago. Knowing this, and seeing increased climate activism from figures such as David Attenborough, Leonardo Di Caprio, and Greta Thunberg, we might be looking for advice on how to make more sustainable choices on an individual level. This blog post will provide the down-low on a social enterprise designed for individuals like staff and students of Reading; Giki. Who is Giki? Giki stands for Get Informed Know your Impact and was set up for one simple…
Behaviour Change
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Recycling household items in Reading with re3

By lukecantellowNov 11, 20200 Comments
If you live off-campus in the Reading area, you may not know that re3 is responsible for sorting the recycling that the Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell local authorities collect from households on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. They have won and been nominated for awards for their facilities and technology. In addition to sorting the waste from household collections, re3 have recycling centres where you can take items that are not suitable for kerbside collections, plus recycling banks specifically for glass and textiles. To find out more, visit their website: https://re3.fccenvironment.co.uk/ Key takeaways: Recycling helps the environment, more than you…
Travel and Transport
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Easit discount scheme terminated by GWR

By lukecantellowJan 22, 20200 Comments
Disappointing news from Great Western Railway (GWR) who has announced that they will no longer be offering 15% rail discounts to EasitNETWORK members for travel into Reading.   The company has agreed that it will honour discounts on any tickets and season tickets bought before 31 March 2020 by holders of a valid Easit card.  The University will remain a member of Easit, which will enable users who have bought a ticket or season ticket before that date to continue to use them until they expire.   We are extremely disappointed by this move and have written to GWR’s Managing…
Travel and Transport
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Progressing Towards a Sustainable Future

By lukecantellowOct 11, 20190 Comments
This year has been one of achievement for sustainability at the University. Concerns around environmental issues locally, nationally and internationally have continued to grow in prominence, and this in turn has seen a distinct increase in the appetite and expectation for sustainability action within the University. This has also been evident in the appetite for sustainability to feature within the University’s new core Strategy. The 2019/20 academic year promises to be an exciting one for sustainability, and one in which we can set new expectations for our ongoing environmental leadership. Cutting Carbon  Having now exceeded 40% carbon reductions since our…
Awards and Achievements, Energy and Water
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