Energy savings in catering outlets on campus

As a University our de-carbonising strategy is to be carbon–net zero by 2030. This target means that the sustainability team are working to find new ways to reduce the total energy and gas we use, to make progress towards our goal. With success in 2021, Dr. Samantha Mudie who now works in the sustainability department at Reading, oversaw the installation of new and more efficient catering appliances in our on-campus food outlets which helped saved a total of 67.9 tonnes of carbon per annum. The project, which was funded by Salix, involved intensive monitoring work that administered the replacement of…
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Bee extinction: more than meets the hive.

Bees and other plant pollinating species are reducing in number due to the detrimental effects of climate change. So, what’s all the buzz about? Bees are more important than initially thought, while you may think that dropping bee numbers is minor in comparison to other effects of climate change, 90% of the world’s flowering plants depend on pollination. Bees are just one type of pollinator that support the reproduction and survival of plants, but they are fundamentally important to the future of biodiversity, forest regeneration and food diversity. World bee day takes place this month on the 20th of May,…
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Re-use and our local community

The re-use of resources is really important to the University of Reading, from both a financial and environmental perspective. The University of Reading has adopted a Re-Use policy which embeds the importance of seeking “to promote re-use of items that are still fit for purpose and in good condition”..”as a preferred alternative to disposal/recycling and as an environmentally friendly alternative to buying new”. The policy sets out a re-use hierarchy which gives internal re-use within the University the priority, then re-use within the local community, which is then followed by re-use by staff or students for personal use. Surplus furniture…
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Hassle-free train travel to Germany

With the University’s ambitious new Sustainable Travel Principles committing to cutting carbon emissions from European train travel by 60% by 2026, I am sharing my recent experience of taking the train to Germany to visit friends in the beautiful town of Mayen in west Germany, a little south of Cologne. Travelling with my wife on Easter Saturday, we caught the 08:35 from Reading station to London St Pancras.  We’re well-practised at European train travel, so knew that the (poorly advertised)  “London International CIV” ticket is the best-priced ticket to connect with Eurostar.  There's loads more helpful hints for international train…
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Fast fashion: A quick way to drive climate change

Going out shopping or purchasing new clothes online for your next holiday or party may seem like an enjoyable past time for many, from which the action of buying something new is exciting. Most will overlook any wider impact and be either unaware or uneducated surrounding the implications of fast fashion. Making high turnaround fashion lines at a cheap cost, accounts for 8-10% of global emissions, 92 million tonnes of waste, and a staggering amount of water and pollutants each year. The UK is the world’s leading fast fashion consuming country, with the average Briton spending almost 1k on the…
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Celebrating sustainability – Green Festival 2022

Green Festival is the University of Reading’s annual sustainability celebration, where we come together to promote, educate and celebrate sustainable actions amongst our local community, staff and students. This year a range of different events were held from 1 to 11 November, with something for everyone. Sustainability is a key strategic priority for the University and an estimated 500 attendees participated in the festival –clearly demonstrating that sustainability is important to each and every one of us. Highlights this year included: The ‘Play your emissions right’ game from Reading Buses was an effective and popular way of showing staff and…
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PODCAST – ‘How to be more sustainable and save money’

As part of our Green Festival 2022 celebrations we recorded our first very own sustainability podcast which is full of helpful tips on ways you can be more sustainable, saving money in the process. Jackie Simpson, from Sustainability Services, and the University's Director of Energy and Sustainability, Dan Fernbank, discuss simple actions to reduce waste, carbon emissions and be more sustainable at home and at University. Some highlights include: Switch all devices off as even things left on standby draw power. Buy less things, question your purchase decisions and buy second hand wherever possible. Run washing machines and dishwashers on…
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Helping staff to travel sustainably at UoR

The carbon hierarchy, as above, shows travel methods in order of sustainability – it is a helpful tool to consider the impact of travel decisions and supports the consideration of suitable alternatives. For further information and offers, please visit our sustainable travel pages. The 2022 travel survey revealed that only 57% of our staff travelled sustainably – this blog highlights all the alternative modes and offers to help you cut emissions and potentially save money by travelling by other means than driving single occupancy vehicles. Keep reading to find out how to beat the traffic with our new FREE Park…
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University shortlisted in three categories at the 2022 Green Gown Awards!

We are very please to announce that the University has been named as a finalist for the Sustainability Institution of the Year Award at this years UK & Ireland Green Gown Awards! The category is one of three which University projects have been shortlisted in - the most nominations in a single year since 2015. The Awards, administered by the EAUC (the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges), recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges across the UK and Ireland each year. The University's last success at the Green Gowns came in 2017, when we received the…
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Every drop matters!

Climate change’s affects on weather patterns means that water scarcity is becoming a reality in some parts of the world and the UK will not escape these impacts. Adaptation to these impacts will see the need to reduce consumption and careful water management will become vital in the coming years. The University is committed to managing our water use effectively to ensure that we protect this limited and increasingly precious resource. In July 2021 the University achieved significant reductions against all of its 5 year targets which were set in the 2016-21 Carbon and Water Management Plan. For non-residential properties…
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