W:
www.universitybusiness.co.uk | T: @UB_UK
SUSTAINABIL IT Y | EAUC | 17 Read a related story: click here
SCOTLAND: WORKING TOWARDS A LOW CARBON ECONOMY
U
niversities across the UK have increasing pressures on them to perform sustainably, compete
financially, increase recruitment and educate students while maintaining a degree of autonomy, and this is no different in Scotland. However, there is an initiative that unites Scotish universities; the Universities and Colleges Climate Commitment for Scotland (UCCCfS). All universities and colleges across
Scotland have commited to addressing climate change and carbon challenges head on by signing the Commitment. The UCCCfS has been facilitated by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) since 2009, and offers a framework for institutions to structure their activity and report on progress, firstly through a commitment from the Principal, and then by producing a five-year Climate Change Action Plan with timely action driven targets. In 2012/3, the Scotland office of the
EAUC worked with institutions to produce a progress report template to collectively assess how the sector is performing on environmental action and carbon reduction within their institutions. Supported by the Scotish Funding Council, EAUC-Scotland work
The next generation
Underpinning the UCCCfS is a package of support facilitated by the EAUC, which includes the ongoing Continual Professional Development Programme, the Sustainability Leaders Programme and the Topic Support Networks, all of which provide opportunities for sharing best practice and networking. The EAUC is also holding its second Scotland Conference which this year
intensive buildings to equip latest
research facilities and equipment, along with growing estates (ensuring a viable institution to atract students) is counter-productive to carbon reduction. However, efforts are being made to address these issues e.g. initiatives such as S-Labs (sustainable laboratories) and behavioural approaches, but this will be ongoing and in some cases, limited. The majority of existing estates (even
closely with colleagues at the Scotish Government and sector representatives to ensure a collaborative and joined- up approach to addressing national priorities for Scotland. This is not without its challenges.
Estate portfolios continue to expand and this poses a challenge for further carbon abatement. Increasing business activity such as research and expansion aspirations has caused conflict with carbon reduction. Investment in energy-
UK wide), are old and have a backlog of maintenance issues to address. Often the fabric of buildings is compromised and therefore not as energy efficient as it could, or should be. Investment has been made at various institutions through using available loan schemes e.g. Salix Finance etc. However, understanding often falls short between finance/procurement departments and the wants of estates/ facilities departments to address issues. Most have limited budgets for specific carbon-saving initiatives due to competing priorities and the reinvestment of these savings to continue with additional works is not realised. A more collaborative approach and wider education of the issues is required internally within finance and estates departments. EAUC-Scotland is working closely
focuses on The Next Generation – a positive future for further and higher education in Scotland.
with the Scotish tertiary sector to continue to develop the UCCCfS as a viable model to assist in driving change and knowledge transfer across departments. We strongly believe that social responsibility and sustainability issues, including climate and carbon activity, should not be shoehorned into operations and should be addressed with a holistic approach. The University of St Andrews has recently announced they are working towards becoming the first carbon neutral university. This is a great example of successful collaboration internally that would not be possible without a whole university approach. UB
For further information please contact Sarah Lee, Scotland manager and UCCCfS programme manager at
slee@eauc.org.uk. For more information about UCCCfS, visit:
www.eauc.org.uk/ucccfs or
www.eauc.org.uk.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74