Greenlines: Issue 29

ISSN : 2048-2442 (Online)

Greenlines

M No on w th ly

A sustainability newsletter for the University

Issue number 29

December 2012

Energy and Carbon Reduction Project

T

he Energy and Carbon Reduction Project (ECRP) is the University’s programme to reduce carbon emissions and energy use.

With a £2m annual budget to implement Cambridge’s Carbon Management Plan, the ECRP is running pilot projects in 5 high energy -using departments.

The objective has been to focus on energy management initiatives that achieve energy reduction measures whilst not adversely affect the University’s research and teaching.

Pilot departments are already using up to 18% less energy, comparing November 2012 to the same month in 2010.

Successful strategies or working practices that are identified will be rolled out across the wider University.

What initiatives are in progress in the pilot departments?

The examples below are designed to give you a flavour of what is happening in the pilot departments.

Subsequent issues of Greenlines will take a closer look at each Department to keep you abreast of further developments.

Inside this issue Energy and Carbon Reduction Project

1

Switch-off Week

1

Electrical recycling

2

Have a sustainable Christmas

2

Sustainability at West Cambridge site

3

From inside a Department

4

Environmental Office, Estate Management University of Cambridge 74 Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RW Tel: 01223 337770 E-mail: environment@admin.cam.ac.uk

Follow the University’s Environmental Team: @CambridgeSust

Switch-off Week is coming 18th—24th February 2013 “Switch on to switching off” The week will be full of events to raise awareness and encourage staff and students to switch off lights and equipment when they are not needed and to promote energy conservation generally.

Please send your ideas to environment@admin.cam.ac.uk The Department of Engineering was the initial pilot Department and has been a front runner in proving academic excellence whilst saving money and resources.

Engineering is planning an ‘energy roof’ for part of the Department, which will provide energy using photovoltaic panels as well as a research opportunity for Engineering’s Energy Conservation Group.

The anticipated system will have an estimated annual saving of 61,188 kWh, equating to a carbon saving of 33 tonnes of CO2.

The Department of Chemistry is working on air flow management of fume cupboards.

The trial involves the installation of Zone Presence Sensors on existing fume hoods to optimise the air-flow through fume cupboards and minimise the amount of airconditioned laboratory air that is exhausted out of the building. It is expected that this new air flow management system could significantly reduce energy consumption and have widespread application across the University.

The University Library has begun to look into lighting upgrades for corridor and public areas, and investigate ways of reducing energy use in the archives which require strict controls of temperature and humidity. There are implications for

other libraries and museums across the University. Cambridge Retrofit1 and Living Lab2 are developing a heating survey and audit of the Library to assess the heating loss of the building.

This survey will produce potential changes the Library can apply to save heat and energy.

The Department of Plant Sciences has been trialling LED lighting in one of its plant growth facilities to research whether the University can achieve the savings from changing fluorescent lamps for lower-energy LED alternatives, whilst maintaining a sufficient light spectrum range to enable the plant growth required for research.

Results so far have been positive.

There will be potential for lessons to be shared with the Sainsbury Laboratory, which will be bringing a further 300m² of growing space under glass.

The Gurdon Institute held a 3-day exhibition to promote energy awareness, and launched an interlab energy reduction competition.

The Brand Lab reduced its energy use by 52.8% winning a cash prize and setting the challenge for the other labs.

The Gurdon plans to continue to work on embedding best energy practices into the Institute culture and to continue to motivate and inspire individuals.

1 https://sites.google.com/site/cambridgeretrofit/ 2 see Greenlines issue 28

Greenlines

Electrical equipment recycling event

T

he Environmental Office and Cambridge City Council are pleased to announce the second annual waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) collection event on the Sidgwick Site, 1415 March 2013.

Last year's event collected 37.62 tonnes over 3 days including everything from mobile phones to freezers.

There were some unusual methods of delivery (including the coupé sports car that had to make a few trips), and several Departments and Colleges

made good use of the opportunity for a free clear-out.

This is an open event and we welcome everyone, whether associated with the University of Cambridge or not.

new products.

If you have any questions or comments about this event please contact environment@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Anything with a plug or batteries will be collected, so have a good rummage through your cupboards to see what you can find.

All items will be treated in the UK to recover their contained metals and plastics. The recovered materials will then be sent on to manufacturers and used to make

E-recycling event 2012

Have a sustainable Christmas!

Top tips for a sustainable Christmas  Real trees are better, as long

as you consider where and how they have been grown.  Buy organic food and compost

left over vegetable peelings.  Defrost your freezer before

Christmas so it works more efficiently and has more space for leftovers.  Buy your fruit and veg loose

and reduce excess plastic packaging.  Buy local and buy less.  Turn your heating down 1ͦ C not

only saving money and carbon, but also giving everyone an excuse to wear their Christmas jumpers!  Reduce, reuse, and recycle.

C

hristmas, a time of goodwill and celebration, has quickly become one of the most unsustainable times of year.

That is why Greenlines has compiled a list of top tips to help you ensure that your Christmas doesn’t cost the Earth!

It is estimated that English households will throw out an extra 3 million tonnes - five bags of rubbish per family - over the festive period. Much of this will be waste that could have been recycled.

Reduce your waste this Christmas by using all the recycling mechanisms available.

You can recycle your office cards, wrapping paper and packaging through the University’s mixed recycling scheme.

Recycling your trees is a really good way to divert items from the landfill and an opportunity to help provide biomass for nutrient depleted soils.

In Cambridge you can recycle your

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trees one of three ways. Cut it up and put it in your green bin, with the lid fully closed. The council will not collect trees left next to bins or sticking out of them.

Alternatively you can take it to Cherry Hinton Hall car park between Boxing Day and 20th January (trees can be whole).

Finally, if it is convenient you could take your tree to a recycling centre, the one off the A10 near Milton is the closest.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a sustainable new year!

Festive Switch-off Before leaving for the festive break, please:  switch off ALL electrical appliances that don’t need to be left on,  switch off ALL lights,  turn down your radiator  do not leave anything on standby.

Issue 29

Sustainability at West Cambridge Site

Bats and badgers will continue to be regular visitors to West Cambridge thanks to the efforts of Estate Management to maintain high levels of biodiversity during the site’s expansion.

After 15 years of work, the third of four phases of the development of the West Cambridge site is nearing completion. Ever since the early park and cycle scheme, Estate Management has taken every care to reduce the impact on the surrounding environment.

This includes the preservation of a bat ‘highway’, a row of trees for bats to negotiate through the city at night, and the construction of a badger ‘hotel’, an artificial set built in woodland. Peanut butter and treacle treats with indigestible yellow pellets, left out for the

badgers, were used to trace their movement and identify the best location for the set.

Consultation with the English Nature and RPS Group plc has led to the increased cultivation of native plant species over the West Cambridge site, providing the best cover and food for indigenous wildlife and boosting biodiversity.

Alongside this, a remarkable water engineering project has been completed protecting surround water bodies from pollution caused by run-off and flooding.

Underneath the car parks adjacent to Charles Babbage Rd, lie huge storage tanks, each with capacity for 1,200 m3 of water. These tanks link either to a swale or a large attenuation lake; the whole system is capable of maintaining natural order in the case of 1-in-a-100 rainfall events, plus an extra 30% to

account for climate change.

The ditch, called a ‘swale’, helps prevents pollutants from reaching streams. This swale has also been constructed, to allow surface water to collect in shallow pools, slowly percolating through underlying soil, while specially selected plants filter soluble pollutants and absorb nutrients.

With time the swale will mature, and the pool will be hidden from view by thick foliage, leaving only the sound of trickling water to betray its presence.

The grasses, reeds and other flora around the swale will attract pond life and make it one of the most biodiverse spots in the 16 hectare site.

Trees, shrubs and conservation grasses, will, once matured, make an attractive border round the new lake. Approximately 45,000 m 3 of soil was removed in the construction of the lake, making up a large part of the total 70,000 m 3 of material excavated during phase 3.

Of this, only a tiny proportion that was contaminated and unsuitable for reuse was removed from the site. The rest of the material was reapportioned within the site for the construction of new carriageways, car parks and other features, reducing hugely the carbon footprint of the development and saving an estimated £3million.

On a sadder note, the planned plantation of ash trees has had to be cancelled after the on-going Ash dieback crisis. This will be replaced by alternative native trees.

Phase four of the infrastructure project will facilitate the further development of a six major plots for academic and commercial use.

If you wish to visit the site, take a cycle up the Coton cyclepath

from

the intersection of Adams Road The new lake, part of a sustainable water management system at West Cambridge site Page 3

and Wilberforce Road.

Greenlines — A sustainability newsletter for the University

From inside a Department– Department of Chemistry

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his month, Greenlines interviewed Dr. Xin Yang, a Research Associate in the Centre for Atmospheric Science, to find out more about Green Chem, the Department of Chemistry’s Green Impact team.

Dr. Xin Yang How did you hear about Green Impact? I heard about the initiative a month ago via an email circulated by a colleague.

What attracted you to take part?

My research field is about atmosphere and environment, and my PhD study was about terrestrial carbon cycling, thus I know how important reducing carbon emissions and managing energy consumption is for our planet. Thus, when I heard about the Green Impact scheme, I thought I could do something useful. So, I volunteered setting up a team and to organise the team meetings.

How did you go about creating a team? It's much easier to start with close colleagues rather than simply emailing everyone. I got excellent support from my supervisor (Professor John Pyle) and my colleagues. Almost half of the team members are close colleagues.

They were able to give the first and direct support. Now, more and more people in the department know about our Green Impact team and are joining in. But as you know

Chemistry is a big department, so I realised that if I really want to do something I would have to get support from senior members. To my delight, after I circulated my first announcement of the Green Impact team to the department, I received a supporting email from Professor Jeremy Sanders, Pro-ViceChancellor for Institutional Affairs.

Now we have in the team a senior member of staff, Professor Michele Vendruscolo, to coordinate our efforts with those of the Energy and Carbon Reduction Project committee, which he chairs in Chemistry.

doing something, we should find that we can actually make a difference in terms of reducing energy consumption – initially, by doing some relatively small things, such as switching off lights where possible and turning off computers after work.

How have you found the whole experience? After I started doing this, I suddenly realised that I am actually getting more 'green', and green-aware, than before. So, for example, I now routinely take those small actions, like switching off unnecessary lights. It’s a small example of the results of Green How was the first meeting? Our Impact. first meeting was actually very good. We set up our team's goals To find out more about how you and discussed strategies on how to can get involved with Green please contact complete each of the criteria. After Impact greenimpact@admin.cam.ac.uk the meeting I felt more confident that we can something.

really

achieve

Have your team discussed goals? Our team goal is first to ensure the first accreditation, which means a Bronze award. We do not want to be too ambitious initially, as this is our first attempt and none of us have much experience of doing this kind of thing. Achieving accreditation will mean a lot; it will be an excellent first step.

What support have you received? Leila McElvenney, who is coordinating Green Impact in the Environmental Office, has given us enormous help, from providing advice on how to set up the group to answering the many question raised.

For example, our departmental newsletter editor will publish an article about Green Impact in the next Chem@CAM and Leila supplied all the necessary material.

Upcoming Events Green Impact Project Assistant training Student volunteers taking part in Green Impact as Green Impact Project Assistants have the opportunity to train with the NUS in late January. If you think this is of interest to your students please contact greenimpact@admin.cam.ac.uk Switch-off Week 18-24th February 2013 is the University wide Switch-off Week.

Get in touch with environment@admin.cam.ac.uk if you have any ideas or wish to plan anything.

Electrical recycling Anything with a plug or batteries Why do you think other can be recycled for free at departments should get Sidgwick Site 14-15 March 2013. involved? Firstly, it is not very Start rummaging! difficult to do, and secondly, by Page 4

See you next year