Sustainability and you
Our actions have consequences. Globally, we continue to release 90 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every day and waste resources like there’s no tomorrow.
To build a safer and more prosperous future for all, we need to embark on a path of shared responsibility and sustainability. At SOAS, our updated carbon management plan and strategies to increase resource efficiency are important steps in this direction. But we will not succeed unless you get involved and play an active part in building a more sustainable School. Don’t let that tap drip, reduce and recycle waste, voice your support for sustainable purchasing and responsible energy procurement and help spread the word across SOAS—your actions matter. Dr Harald Heubaum Chair, SOAS Sustainability Group Lecturer in Global Energy and Climate Policy at the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy
At SOAS we take seriously our responsibilities to meeting the global threat of climate change. The commitment and ingenuity of our staff and students is at the forefront of these efforts.
Together we are; reducing the amount of waste we produce and promoting reuse, improving conditions for biodiversity with a thriving bee colony, creating a local economy through the work of the food co-op and the gardening society, integrating sustainability criteria into our building refurbishment works, and reducing the carbon emissions associated with all our operations and activities—hereby cutting our emissions by 52% within eight years. Furthermore, by developing our ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) we will consolidate these gains and ensure we continue to make environmental improvements into the future. There is clearly good progress being made. However there is still much to do. With all of us playing our part we can together meet our collective obligations to our environment. Professor Paul Webley Director of SOAS
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Bees make
The SOAS Bee Keeping Society was started in order to help reverse the global decline in the bee population. It aims to give SOAS’ community a closer connection to these ‘super important pollinators’ crucial to biodiversity and agriculture.
Without bees 80% of plants will disappear. To support the bee colony a garden with bee-friendly plants and flowers annexes the two bee hives. 10,000 is the number of bees on the roof top at SOAS across two hives. Get involved and learn the practice and skills of bee keeping and find out how you can help at: soasbeekeepers@gmail.com
honey “If the bees disappear from the surface of the earth man would have no more than four years to live” Albert Einstein
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Worst kept secret—SOAS sits atop a ‘mini power station’
Carbon reduction—how are we doing? Comparison of actual SOAS emissions with business as usual increases and reduction targets
This is Bloomsbury Heat and Power (the BHP). This system generates electricity and heat on site via combined heat and power (CHP) engines for use by a number of Bloomsbury Colleges. This method of generation produces lower carbon heat and electricity than would be the case if buying from the grid and just using boilers. The CHP system has been in use since 2000 helping all colleges lower their carbon footprint.
Carbon emissions (kgCO2)
4,000,000 BAU emissions
3,500,000
Target
3,000,000
Actual emissions
2,500,000 2,000,000
Target reduction—48% by 2020 from 2005/06 baseline
1,500,000 1,000,000
52%—already achieved by 2013/14, saving a massive 12,000 tonnes of CO2 since 2008!
500,000 0
15% flue loss
3x
5% radiation loss
exhaust heat exchanger
100% primary fuel
CHPs are around three times more efficient than conventional grid energy.
2008/9
2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 Year
52% carbon emissions saved This is a fantastic achievement and here’s how we did it College Buildings:
engine engine heat exchanger
50% heat
generator
30% electricity
Philips Building
Old Building
Russell Square Buildings
Heating controls
Heating controls
Heating controls
Voltage optimisation
LED lighting
LED lighting
Boilers refurbishment (part of Senate House North Block project)
Hot water heat recovery
Refurbished energy efficient refectory
Ventilation plant
Refurbished toilets
Brunei Gallery
Kahili Lecture Theatre
LED lighting
New chiller plant LED lighting
Our CHP engines produce around 8,500,000 kWh of electricity per annum—this is equivalent to powering approximately 2,000 households for a year.
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What’s next?
Brunei Gallery
Refurbishment of the KLT College Buildings Drinking fountains / hot & cold water suppy
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Over 4,000 tonnes of hardwood floor, soil, reinforcement steel and Portland stone from the construction process have all either been reused or recycled.
The combining of the old and the new: The making of an environmentally sustainable learning and teaching space for the SOAS community.
Design The room layout and an innovative ventilation system helps fresh air to flow through the building so reducing the need for air conditioning especially during the summer months. Rainwater harvesting tank A rainwater harvesting tank will be used to flush toilets and help reduce the surge into sewers during storm conditions.
Recycled hardwood flooring
Heat and Power consumption Reduced through the use of high efficiency boilers, LED lighting and an intuitive building management system. BREEAM Excellent The building is designed to achieve one of the highest awards for building construction sustainability, BREEAM Excellent. This is a rare accolade for a listed building.
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The Senate House proposed main atrium
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SU food coop
SUstainability
Here are some of our initiatives and campaigns: – SOAS community gardens initiative – SU food coop—at cost price and organic – Fossil Free SOAS campaign – Meat free Mondays initiatives – Campaign for increased access to water fountains P10 Sustainability and you
Want to get involved, or perhaps you have an idea for a campaign, drop in and talk to our environment and ethics officers. Contact us at; su@soas.ac.uk Did you know that the JCR was refurbished and furnished almost entirely using recycled and reused furniture and materials where possible?
The SU is very committed to sustainability and is constantly looking out for new initiatives and opportunities.
Awards SOAS picked up awards for innovation in energy efficiency and carbon reduction in 2011 and ‘Greatest Improvement in Environmental Performance’ in 2012 from the Camden Climate Change Alliance.
SOAS Greatest Improvement in Environmental Performance Camden Climate Change Alliance 2012
SOAS SU Green Impact 2012/13
SOAS SU Green Impact 2013/14
SU Community Garden
We have a community garden, run beekeeping, are involved in Fossil Free SOAS to divest from fossil fuel companies and are currently campaigning for increased access to water fountains. The Union considers the socio-political implications of environmental policy and has had debates about the value of box-ticking exercises versus real practical change. P12 Sustainability and you
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SOAS Sustainability Group
The Greenthing is SOAS’ sustainability brand. It is shared with the other Bloomsbury partner Colleges in the area to promote environmental best practice and carbon reduction.
Stay informed Visit www.bloomsburygreenthing.com to find out about our plans to improve SOAS’ environmental performance, policies and activities. Get involved Get in touch with the sustainability team to share your thoughts on sustainability and contribute to carbon reduction efforts. With small but collective changes we can make a real difference.
This group meets regularly to discuss ideas on how to improve environmental performance at SOAS. Members help to develop and implement sustainability strategies across the School.
The group is organised by the Sustainability team and consists of staff & students representing SOAS’ professional departments and academic faculties. Its purpose is to: — Develop sustainability initiatives, monitor progress, provide recommendations for improvement; — Support sustainability policies and raise awareness among staff and students.
www.bloomsburygreenthing.com greenthing@bloomsbury.ac.uk P14 Sustainability and you
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ISO 14001 accreditation ‘coming soon’ SOAS has ambitions to achieve ISO 14001 accreditation (the international standard for environmental management systems) by early 2016. ISO 14001 – Ensures continuous environmental improvements; – ensures compliance with legislation; – and ensures pollution prevention.
Contacts Richard Poulson Director of Estates and Facilities E: estatesandfacilities@soas.ac.uk T: 020 7898 4900 Ola Bankole Sustainability Manager E: o.bankole@bbk.ac.uk T: 020 7631 6371 Villy Kozatsani Sustainability Officer E: v.kozatsani@bbk.ac.uk T: 020 3073 8148 Stephen McKinnell Head of Energy Management E: sm124@soas.ac.uk T: 020 7898 4846 Bloomsbury Greenthing www.bloomsburygreenthing.com greenthing@bloomsbury.ac.uk P16 Sustainability and you
SOAS, University of London Thornhaugh Street Russell Square London WC1H 0XG T: +44 (0)20 7637 2388 www.soas.ac.uk /soasunioflondon @soas /soasuniversity