3 minute read
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 £75 to donate to a charity of their choice at our Service Excellence Conference in 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. Environmental impact To limit the environmental impact of BU’s activities by: • Enhancing the environment in which we live, work and learn • Being a clean neighbour • Minimising BU’s carbon footprint.
Campus development To enable strategic campus development to be delivered in a sustainable and inclusive manner. Enhance travel opportunities To enhance travel opportunities and limit the environmental impact of travel, through: • 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.
Promoting student and staff active and sustainable travel choices:
369 free bikes services provided
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
UNIBUS service and fleet vehicles:
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:
Staff using sustainable travel modes for their commute* 2025 target
Students using sustainable travel modes for their commute* 2025 target
Students walking or cycling to campus** To Lansdowne Campus To Talbot Campus
52% 64% 59% 63%
85% 81% 97% 98%
32% 28%
Business travel
Carbon emissions from business travel:
Mode of transport Rail Domestic flights Short haul flights Medium haul flights Long haul flights Total 2018/19, tonnes CO 2 33.8
5.2 168.1 295.3 834.6 1337.0 % change since 2017/18 -8.8% -45.3% -5.8% -14.2% -21.5% -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.
