Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Contents 01 Environmental and Energy Management 02 It's time to act 03 Scope of the report 04 Learning for the future 06 Carbon 09 Energy consumption 10 Waste 11 Estates development 12 Food 13 Responsible procurement 14 Impact on society 15 Sustainability skills 16 Travel and transport 19 Engagement 22 Leadership and governance 23 Benchmarking 24 Looking forward We believe that embedding sustainability in our curriculum and research is as, if not more, important than embedding it in our operations. Look for the book and lightbulb symbols to see some examples of our sustainable teaching and research.
Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Environmental and energy management Our environmental and energy management system, which is certified to the international standard ISO14001, provides an umbrella for delivering sustainable actions and outcomes. Every year, external auditors check we are meeting the requirements of the standard and demonstrate how we deliver continual environmental improvements. In December 2018, we retained our ISO14001:2015 certification.
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Bournemouth University continues to demonstrate that the university has an effectively managed and controlled environmental management system, with clear evidence of commitment seen from the Vice-Chancellor, down through the various levels of the university. Quote from NQA Assessor in BU's Management System Surveillance Audit Report, 2018
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Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
It's time to act
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The climate crisis has come to the fore over the past year, and the message is clear: we must act, and act now. Our role as a university is pivotal in inspiring and educating the next generation and advancing knowledge to underpin decisions about how we live, work and study. Over the past year we have made good progress in embedding sustainability within BU's education and research while, on the operational front, we have exceeded our carbon reduction target two years early. Of course, there is always more to do and we look forward to tackling the challenges facing us and playing our part in transforming our world. We can – and must – all make a difference for a fairer and better world for everybody. Professor John Vinney, Vice-Chancellor
Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Scope of the report Sustainability is at the heart of BU2025 and the Fusion model of uniting education, research and professional practice. This report summarises the progress made against BU2025 sustainability outcomes and actions for the period 1 August 2018 to 31 December 2019, unless otherwise stated. BU2025 is underpinned by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The key BU2025 outcomes are:
The key BU2025 actions are:
We are a catalyst for sustainable social, environmental and economic growth and development
44 students to take a responsible approach to
the environment and sustainable development
We enrich society by having a significant impact on challenges world-wide
45 environmental impact
Support our staff from all parts of BU and
Take a leading position on our own
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Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Learning for the future Vice-Chancellor John Vinney signed the SDG Accord in summer 2018, which commits BU to “inspire, celebrate and advance the critical role that education has in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” BU featured as a case study in the second annual SDG Accord report, Progress towards the Global Goals in the University and College sector, which was launched at the United Nation’s High Level Political Forum in New York on 10 August 2019 by the Global Alliance – a partnership of the world’s universities, colleges and sustainability networks.
Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
BU has committed to aligning all of our programmes and research with the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2025. Over the past year, we have had conversations with academics from every department as we strive to embed sustainable development within all undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. As a result, 91% of Programme Leaders recognised their programmes as aligning with one or more of the UN SDGs. We recognise this as a valuable first step in ensuring we prepare our graduates to become active, global citizens. Within our bidding process, researchers must identify whether their project aligns to the UN SDGs, ensuring that our outputs are positive on planet and people. We have also created the Sustainability, Low Carbon Technology & Materials Science Strategic Investment Area, which recognises sustainability as a key research area at BU.
91% of our
programmes and
56%
of research aligns to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
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Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Carbon Our target is to reduce carbon emissions by July 2021 by 40% compared to 2005/06. So far, we've reduced emissions by 45%.
James Fair Sustainable Media Production , Faculty of Media & Communication
“Our students on BA (Hons) Film are continuing to make three-minute films based on the SDG's for their first assignment at BU. The assessment requires students to consider the SDGs and how they can be incorporated into the content of the films they make.� James' assessment mirrors the work of the BAFTA albert consortium, who accredit productions that reduce their carbon footprint.
Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Albert is leading a charge against climate change; bringing the film and TV industries together to tackle our environmental impact and inspiring screen audiences to act for a sustainable future. Albert works with UK universities, including BU, to arm students with the sustainability knowledge they’ll need when joining the screen industries. BU students will be able to earn a carbon literacy certificate as part of a short course running in early 2020. Look out for the albert 'footprint' at the end of TV programmes and movies.
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Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Carbon
Total CO2 emissions (tonnes)
Our carbon emissions have reduced by 45% compared to our baseline of 2005/06, exceeding our target of 40% by July 2021. This reduction is mainly due to the installation of energy conservation measures, staff and student engagement and a marked decline in recent years of the National Grid electricity carbon factors (25%), reflecting the decarbonisation of the grid.
Target
10,000 9,000 8,000 7,000 Carbon 6,000 emissions (tonnes) 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 2005
2007
2009
2011 2013 Year
2015
2017
2019
Climate change adaptation Even if we manage to keep the increase in global temperatures below 1.5ยบC, there will still be changes to the climate, such as more extreme weather events, that we must adapt to. Recognising and acting on this, BU published its first Climate Change Risk Assessment, which assessed the impact of predicted extreme weather events on business operations and included actions to maintain our business continuity and resilience. This work contributed to the publication of the EAUC/Hebcon/Aecom sector guides. Source: https://www.eauc.org.uk/climate_change_adaptation
Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Energy We’re making great efforts to increasing our onsite energy generation and reducing our overall energy consumption. We are proud of this years’ efforts, and to ensure we’re consistently improving, we have already planned for three more solar panel arrays, a new ground source heat pump system and two new rainwater harvesting systems.
Onsite generation (vs. 2017/18) +41% electricity Over 300,000kWh of electricity was generated on-campus this academic year – enough to power more than 80 homes for a year. This increase was mainly due to the installation of over 400 photovoltaic panels on Poole House and occurred despite the failure of our micro combined heat and power plant in Fusion Building from November 2018.
-20% heat We generate our own heat through our biomass boiler and ground source heat pumps; the former of which was out of order throughout November and December 2018. Even with this reduction, the production was equivalent to the heat needed to warm over 50 homes for a year.
-8.5% water use We have reduced our water use through the installation of water-efficient taps and toilets, as well as fixing leaks reported by staff and students through our Spot the Drop campaign.
Grid electricity and natural gas use (vs. 2005/06) -23% gas use Our use of natural gas has reduced by 2% since last year, mainly due to the installation of more efficient boilers in Christchurch House and Dorset House in addition to the milder winter.
-19% grid electricity use This year, our team recruited a Sustainability & Energy Analyst, who will assist the team in seeking opportunities to maximise energy efficiency across our campuses.
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Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Waste Our non-residential recycling rate has increased to 75% compared to 70% last year through staff and student awareness and engagement activities. The remainder continues to be sent for energy recovery, with none going to landfill. Waste to energy recovery
In addition to disposing of our waste responsibly, we recognise the need for reducing the amount of waste produced. In 2018/19 our total amount of waste per FTE was 28kg, almost half the sector median of 50kg.
Recycled waste
500
Target: 80% non-residential recycling rate by July 2020.
400 Weight (tonnes)
300 200 100
2015/16
2016/17
2017/18 Year
Tauheed Ramjaun
2018/19
Senior Lecturer In Corporate Communications, Faculty of Media & Communication Reflections on Branded Litter Tauheed encouraged BA (Hons) Marketing Communications students to take pictures of scenes which they interpreted as branded litter and to provide a short reflective piece with their entries. The winner, Caitlyn Walters, wrote a thoughtprovoking piece about a receipt she found on the pavement: “What struck me about this scene was the fact it had obviously been dropped or fallen out of someone's pocket, yet still managed to be doing the Co-op a favour because you can clearly see the opportunity to fill out their store experience with the chance of winning £250 Co-op voucher. Therefore they are getting 'free advertising' space on this pavement even though it is now seen as 'litter'.”
Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Estates development Our Sustainable Construction Policy ensures that developments to our Estate minimise harm to the environment and seek opportunities for enhancement. Christchurch House labs Phase 1 and Studland House Phase 1, our two significant refurbishment projects, achieved sustainability standards Ska ‘Gold’ and BREEAM Refurbishment ‘Very Good’, respectively.
96% of waste diverted from landfill for all construction projects
Karen Thompson,
Senior Lecturer In Leadership Strategy & Organisations Responsible Project Management A new concept developed within BU uses the SDGs as a framework for understanding the impact of projects on society and the environment. Karen's Project Management students have been using this framework to evaluate projects, chosen from their placement company or public projects such as HS2 or The Ocean Clean Up. The case studies are presented using a combination of literature review, blog post and a poster and will be published on the Responsible Project Management website. This aims to help share good practice of managing projects responsibly with practitioners, researchers and educators across the world. “Project management professionals increasingly have a responsibility to ensure that harm is reduced and ideally that natural and social resources are restored by the projects they manage.”
Responsible Project Management is a BUled collaboration between researchers and practitioners. This project has created educational resources that are being adopted in HEIs across Europe. For practitioners, the project is identifying and sharing case studies that will contribute to development of the profession. The importance of this work was externally recognised in 2019 with two Awards from the Project Management Institute (UK) and was Highly Commended at the UK and Ireland Green Gowns Awards.
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Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Food Chartwells, our catering contractor, has a target to remove ten single-use plastics from their food service operations by the end of 2020. Currently nine of these items, including plastic stirrers, straws and sauce packets have been removed from BU. Chartwells has also achieved the Food For Life 'Silver' Standard, which displays Chartwells commitment to, and delivery of, three key areas: • Ingredient standards by ensuring higher animal welfare standards and ethically-produced ingredients, certified by a range of organisations including Free Range, Red Tractor, Fairtrade Foundation, MSC and the RSPCA • Good practice by sourcing local and seasonal produce, monitoring food waste and freshly preparing food. • Customer care to make healthy eating easier for customers, by offering food catering to for a range of dietary restrictions and marketing positively.
Making coffee matter Both Chartwells and SUBU apply a coffee cup tax to encourage the use of reusable mugs on our campuses.
BU and SUBU have had Fairtrade status for over 12 years and have recently signed up to the Fairtrade Foundation and NUS University and College award. The Fairtrade Steering Group is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Fairtrade Policy and for inspiring staff and students to support Fairtrade making coffee matter.
SUBU has also introduced 'Change Please' coffee into Dylans Bar, which means every cup sold is supporting homeless people to get back into work.
Living Labs: Blitzer pots Alice Evans, a BSc Nutrition student, completed her placement with the Chartwells team to create a new selection of vegan products. After generating ideas, developing recipes and creating marketing, Alice's diverse and nutritious vegan salad boxes and 'Blitzer pots' have not only been introduced across BU, but nationally. "This placement was a brilliant opportunity to not only practice the product development skills learnt on my course but to also learn so many new technical skills that I’m excited
to use in my future career. The whole process was very rewarding, especially because the final range of salads and ‘Blitzer pots’ are available to buy and enjoy.
Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Responsible procurement Our Sustainable Procurement Policy requires all purchases made at the university to consider social and environmental factors within their tendering process. Such factors include transport, packaging and impacts on the local community and economy. For any purchases over £25,000, a Life Cycle Analysis is conducted which assesses the cradle-to-grave impact of the product, from resource extraction to disposal. The results are then used to identify the most significant impacts to ensure the product can be as sustainable as possible.
Since 2014/2015, we have reduced our A4 paper orders by over one third
Bournemouth
Excluding our major build projects, a quarter of our total supplier spend this year was spent within 50 miles of the university.
Ben Thomas Sustainable Design & Engineering Faculty of Science & Technology
“We have continued to closely integrate sustainable design principles into our D&E courses. This has included more content in the first year to raise awareness of the impacts of products when they become waste, and some more detailed work in Masters units, where we dismantle a range of household products to look at their manufacturing, and then measure the environmental impact of the product over its whole life cycle. Students then redesign the product to reduce its impact and, where possible,
try to create a closed loop ‘cradle-to-cradle’ solution. Finally, at the end of the unit the plastics from the household products are recycled back into prototyping sheets using the Innovation Centre recycling facilities.”
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Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Impact on society Through a range of research and excellent education, our academics are having a real-world impact on society. Here are just a few examples: Hidden Stories of Online Gamblers Online gambling is now accessible to a wide audience: young people, men, and women – we all occasionally come across online gambling or even engage with it. A team of researchers, led by Professor Raian Ali, are working to understand the extent of the problems caused by excessive online gambling. Most importantly we are making an impact by driving policy and industry practice changes. Online gambling behaviour data is already used to personalise the gambling experience and for marketing purposes, but could also be used to empower responsible gambling and identify patterns of problem gambling earlier. We aim to make online gambling more responsible, so that gamblers have access to their own individual gambling behaviour data and to have an opportunity to change their behaviour.
Seen But Seldom Heard Young people can often experience barriers to participation in community life and voicing their opinions on issues that affect them; these challenges become compounded when a young person also has direct experience of disability. Media representations of disability are largely negative due to the limited number of stereotypes used and these stereotypes contribute to the ‘invisibility’ of disabled people within society. ‘Seen but Seldom Heard‘ is a collaboration between Bournemouth University and Victoria Education Centre and Sports College, Poole, which aims to empower young disabled people with a ‘voice’ and the necessary creative skills to challenge stereotypes and engage in conversation about issues, policies and practices which affect them in their daily lives and their future aspirations.
Jane Healy
Trafficking, Migration & Criminality Faculty of Health & Social Sciences In her unit, Jane challenges dominant media messages of women as inherently vulnerable victims of sexual exploitation and instead presents a more complex discourse framed within the context of increasing globalisation and gender inequalities. A range of speakers from diverse fields working against human trafficking and modern day slavery contribute to students learning, alongside sessions on theory and applied knowledge. The unit highlights how complex narratives of agency, victimhood and illegal migration contribute to our understanding of what human trafficking really looks like and means.
Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Sustainability skills The Estates Sustainability Team delivers curriculum and extra-curricular talks, workshops and campus tours to help students gain the sustainability skills and knowledge they need to tackle society's grand challenges. Examples include tours of our energy and sustainability facilities and delivering a workshop on the UN SDGs for students participating in the Global Talent Programme. 78% of BU students agree that universities should be obliged to develop students' social and environmental skills as part of their course.* 74% say when considering jobs, it is importance for them to work in a business or organisation that makes a difference to social and environmental issues.* * NUS Sustainability Skills Survey 2018-19
Our annual Excellence in Sustainable Teaching Award rewards academics who provide the skills and inspiration for their students to address the global challenges facing society. Seven academics won this award and ÂŁ75 to donate to a charity of their choice at our Service Excellence Conference in 2019. Image: Some of the 2019 Award winners with ÂŁ75 prize money to be donated to a charity of their choice, handed over at the Service Excellence Conference
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Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Travel and transport The overall aim of the BU Travel Plan is to enable all campus users to travel as sustainably as possible, to enhance student and staff experience and minimise the on- and off-campus environmental impacts of our operations. Our Travel Plan has the following four objectives: Maximise opportunities To maximise opportunities for BU staff and students to undertake their travel using sustainable and active travel modes and, in doing so, reduce the number of cars driving to and from BU’s campuses.
Campus development To enable strategic campus development to be delivered in a sustainable and inclusive manner.
Environmental impact To limit the environmental impact of BU’s activities by:
• Being at the forefront of innovations in travel and making those opportunities easily accessible to staff and students • Facilitating collaboration between faculties, industry and other stakeholders in the development and application of travel related initiatives.
• Enhancing the environment in which we live, work and learn • Being a clean neighbour • Minimising BU’s carbon footprint.
Enhance travel opportunities To enhance travel opportunities and limit the environmental impact of travel, through:
Promoting student and staff active and sustainable travel choices: 369 free bikes services provided 25 interest-free staff travel to work loans issued 29 Staff cycle to work loans administered 34 Free monthly bus passes issued to new members of staff 60 students benefit from subsidised annual loan bike subscriptions
Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
UNIBUS service and fleet vehicles: 1,128,222 passenger journeys provided (8% increase compared to 2017/18) 150,448 litres of fuel used (390 tonnes of CO2e, 5% increase compared to 2017/18 due to increased passenger journeys) 92% average mystery passenger customer satisfaction score – target 90% 67% of BU’s vehicle fleet is low emission or electric vehicle 2025 target – 100%
The BU Travel Plan seeks to maximise opportunities to undertake sustainable and active travel. Student and staff travel habits against BU2025 targets:
To Lansdowne To Talbot Campus Campus
Staff using sustainable travel modes for their commute* 2025 target
52% 64%
59% 63%
Students using sustainable travel modes for their commute* 2025 target
85% 81%
97% 98%
Students walking or cycling to campus**
32%
28%
* Sustainable travel modes include all modes except for single-occupancy vehicles. ** There are no specific targets set for active travel, but the Travel Plan aims to increase the proportion of students choosing active travel modes over less sustainable travel modes by 2025.
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Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Business travel Carbon emissions from business travel: Mode of transport
2018/19, tonnes CO2
% change since 2017/18
Rail
33.8
-8.8%
Domestic flights
5.2
-45.3%
Short haul flights
168.1
-5.8%
Medium haul flights
295.3
-14.2%
Long haul flights
834.6
-21.5%
Total
1337.0
-17.8%
* The new Travel Plan has prioritised measures to identify and implement process to facilitate data collection methods relating to Grey fleet and Hire car activity, in order to complete Scope 3 Business travel reporting.
Living Labs: Electric buses The Travel Plan includes a measure to deliver one transport themed ‘living lab’ project each year. In summer 2018, a Faculty of Management student collaborated with BU staff, local bus companies and the local authority to conduct a feasibility analysis into introducing hybrid and electric buses in Bournemouth, using the UNIBUS service as a case study. The local authority used the report to inform and support a funding bid to decarbonise local public transport operations. The student, now graduated, is working on similar international transport projects.
Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Engagement: Staff 54% of staff are signed up to Green Rewards, which rewards all the positive steps our staff take for their own health, wellbeing and the environment. This year alone, they achieved: Over 60,000 positive actions such as recycling, travelling actively and saving energy
344 volunteer submissions
970 kg of disposable cups diverted from landfill
286,000 km travelled sustainably
ÂŁ1,000 donated to local charities at our celebration events
Finalist in edie Sustainability Leaders Award in the Employee Engagement & Behaviour Change category
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Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Engagement: Students SUBU is committed to sustainability. We make sure each event we host is linked to at least one of the UN SDGs, and we host many events, such as our annual Green Week and Green Day. Our students also voted for SUBU to have sustainability policies and we support the university’s work on sustainability. As a students’ union, we will continue to stay committed to sustainability. Abidemi Abiodun, Vice President Community
Campus Collective
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Campus Collective Student Society were supported by BU Estates to build a polytunnel on Talbot Campus to grow their own food, and also acquired a local allotment spot close to campus, where students host regular weekend sessions. It's a haven for local wildlife and is great for wellbeing, and our 'Walk in the Park' and tours of the allotment local woodland helped students alleviate exam stress. It was lovely to hear one international student say that it was the first time that they had ever spent time in a garden! Gillian Lewis , Community Projects Lead, SUBU
SUBU Big Give 2019 The Big Give is an annual sustainability campaign which encourages students to clear out their houses before they leave for the summer and donate their unwanted items to charity. This was the Big Give’s fifth and most successful year, diverting around 40 tonnes of unwanted items for reuse rather than ending up in landfill.
2018 2218
2019 5041
BHF Bag Collections: 2018 vs 2019
Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Engagement: ResLife
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Reslife has had a great academic year promoting sustainability within the halls of residence. Our events, which covered nearly all of the Sustainable Development Goals, were really well received by students. Joe Dixon, Student Green Residence Assistant
There is no better time for students to get involved in sustainability than when they move away from home. With the committed team, which includes the employment of a resident assistant specifically focusing on sustainable events, sustainability is being embedded across our halls of residences. The year started with pop-up non-alcoholic bars in five of the biggest halls encouraging students to drink mindfully by giving away hundreds of non-alcoholic drinks. The second term hosted a Swap Shop promoting SDG12 and a bake sale to raise money for charity.
32% of students pledged support for the NUS Student Switch Off and took part in halls visits, quizzes and competitions. As a result, energy usage in halls reduced by 6%. With the money raised from the bake sales, six children are now receiving a meal a day at school for the whole academic year.
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Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Leadership and governance The Sustainability Committee is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the sustainability actions identified in BU2025. The committee is chaired by Stuart Laird, Director of Estates, and reports to the University Leadership Team and the board. The membership represents academics, students and professional services.
University Board
University Leadership Team Estates Development Committee
Carbon Management Plan Group
Travel Plan Group
Sustainability Committee
Biodiversity Group
Sustainability Academic Network
Responsible & Ethical Procurement Group
Bournemouth University Sustainability Annual Report 2018-2019
Benchmarking successes THE Impact Ranking: Top 15% globally We have been ranked 55th (out of over 460 universities world-wide) in the first Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings. The initiative recognises universities across the world for their environmental, social and economic impact, based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
People & Planet We retained our First Class ranking in the 2019 People & Planet University League, which assesses UK universities against their environmental and ethical performance.
Sustainability Leadership Scorecard: Gold BU helped pioneer the new ‘All in One’ sector tool for measuring overall sustainability performance, the Sustainability Leadership Scorecard (SLS).
Gold
We moved from Silver to Gold status, reflecting progress in embedding sustainability in the curriculum and establishing a climate change adaptation plan. BU featured as a case study in the SLS 2019 report.
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Developing BU’s continual improvement framework, in particular the refresh of the CMP with a 2030 net zero carbon emissions target, implementation of the new Travel Plan and certification of our Energy Management System to ISO50001:2018.
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Continuing the sustainable development of our estate, and delivery of the two Gateway Buildings to BREEAM 'Excellent' and EPC 'A' ratings.
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Using the outcomes from mapping our programmes against the UN SDGs to further embed sustainability within the curriculum and develop sustainability education/ research networking opportunities.
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Promoting the Living Lab concept to engage staff and students on real world challenges facing BU.
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Developing concepts for Chapel Gate as a potential net producer of energy.
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Continuing staff and student engagement to help them make a difference in their personal and professional lives.
10602-01/20
Looking forward
