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27 June 2012 |
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 News
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Sola panels installed on the NAB |
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Carbon reduction update
The LSE Carbon Management Plan continues to deliver projects to help
reduce the School’s carbon footprint, which was 14,907t CO2e in 2010/11.
This is a 2.7 per cent reduction from 2009/10 levels, but still higher
than our 2005 baseline of 14,484t CO2e.
Over the Easter break, a 15kW Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit was
installed in Old Building. CHP is an energy-efficient technology that
burns fuel to generate electricity, and simultaneously harnesses the
heat generated to heat a building, rather than letting the heat go to
waste.
Back in March, solar panels were installed on roofs at the NAB, the
Sportsground and on Carr Saunders and High Holborn halls of residence.
These were completed in time to benefit from the ‘Feed-in Tariff’, a
government subsidy for renewable electricity generation, before the
government reduced the level of subsidy per unit of electricity produced
in May 2012.
More solar panels will go up on the roofs of the Lionel Robbins
Building and St Clements later in 2012, and upgrades to improve the
efficiency of lighting in academic buildings will begin in July. These
combined projects are forecast to save 273 tonnes of CO2e per annum.
A feasibility study was conducted to assess the potential to install
solar-thermal heating. This involves channelling water through a network of
pipes inside roof-mounted panels, so that warmth from the sun directly
heats water that is then supplied to the rest of the building. (These
are different from the solar photovoltaic (‘solar PV’) panels mentioned
above, which turn solar energy into electricity.)
It was found that energy savings from solar thermal systems won’t pay
back their capital investment for an estimated 20-40 years, so currently
don’t appear a viable option – however, the Estates team will continue
to review opportunities to take advantage of this technology.
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An LSE Celebration of Sustainability
LSE’s Celebration of Sustainability took place on
Tuesday 26th June 2012. The event was hosted in the Shaw Library by
pro-director Professor Janet Hartley and was introduced by Bob Ward of
the Grantham Institute, with 70 people attending.
The third year of the Green Impact Awards at LSE has been
the biggest so far, with 50 teams across the School signing up to take
part over the year. Green Impact is an NUS project that helps university
staff and students take small steps to enhance their department’s
sustainability. Teams compete to win prizes for completing the most
actions in their institution. LSE was one of 46 UK universities
participating in 2012.
Thirty-seven teams from across the School submitted for and
received awards. Congratulations to the Estates Division, which was
awarded the Platinum award. For the full list of awards, click
here
Special Award winners
This year’s Environmental Hero award was given to Sophie
Offord for her work in the Grantham Research Institute to research the case for a
School carbon offsetting policy, which is now being piloted by the
Grantham Research Institute and LSE
Cities.
The winner of the Best Energy Saving Idea award was the
Estates Maintenance Team, led by Paul Franklin for the 'decommissioning
of a set of heaters, providing measurable financial and carbon savings'.
The team with the best community initiative was the
Students’ Union, whose reuse sales and food co-op helped others by providing cheap and ethically
sourced food and second-hand goods and supported charities and an
organic food co-op with the proceeds.
Highly commended awards went to Justine Rose from ODAR
for organising her departmental National Vegetarian Week, Sam Charman, Residential Services, for his box reuse scheme and developing use of
electronic marketing, the Grantham Institute, for its proposals to
develop a formal carbon offsetting strategy, and Paul Franklin, Estates, for his ongoing sustainability work at LSE, including research
to locally source supplies.
Congratulations to… students in Carr Saunders
hall, who were the winners of Student Switch-Off for the second year
running. The hall cut its annual energy use by 23 per cent through the
behaviour change programme.
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LSE maintains its First in People & Planet Green League
The School has been awarded a First for its environmental and ethical
performance in the People & Planet Green League 2012.
This is the fourth year LSE has achieved a First in the Green League. The
School is ranked 42nd of the 145 universities featured in the table, joint
second of the Russell Group universities and joint third of all universities
in London. The School has slipped from its ranking of 22nd in the 2011
table. This is not due to a decline in performance, as LSE scored more
points than last year. Other universities, however, have shown more significant improvement this year and so
overtaken the School.
The Green League is produced by the People & Planet student campaign
group and is published annually in the Guardian. It ranks universities
on 13 environmental policy and
performance-related criteria, including environmental policy, carbon
management, ethical procurement and staff and student engagement.
LSE Director Judith Rees said: 'It is encouraging that LSE has maintained
its First for the fourth year in a row so my thanks go to the committed
staff and students whose actions have made this possible. The fact that we
have slipped in the rankings, however, highlights the fact that we still
face significant challenges. If we are to meet both our own, and government,
targets, the whole School community must play its part. I hope that
everyone will continue to bear in mind the importance of working as
sustainably as possible for the future.'
More
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Did you know that Tetrapaks can be recycled at LSE? Many local
authorities are unable to offer this service for their domestic
waste collections, as Tetrapaks’ multiple layers of cardboard,
plastic and foil are tricky to separate – so many of us have got
used to throwing them straight in the bin. However, LSE’s
contractor lets us recycle ours by collecting them in the green
mixed recycling bins.
Grey waste containers
Remember that the only items that need to go in the grey waste
containers are:
• Polystyrene.
• Sweet wrappers.
• Crisp packets. |
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Environmental Management System audits
The School is implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) to
help improve its environmental performance.
The EMS will be assessed by an independent body for accreditation under
the international ISO 14001 standard on 24-27 July – certification will
demonstrate that LSE has robust systems in place to manage its
environmental impacts.
The EMS requires the School to establish a cycle of internal
environmental audits, to verify that LSE complies with environmental
law, and its own internal policies and procedures. The first audits were
conducted in April by a team of volunteer staff and students, who
received special training, boosting their own personal and professional
development. The participation of a cross-section of the School also
enhanced the transparency of the process, and fostered links between
students and departments across LSE.
The audits highlighted a number of areas where the School is performing
well, and where practice could be improved. This was beneficial, as it
identified how we can make progress in future.
Our gratitude goes out to all the staff and student auditors, whose
dedication and excellent work made the audits such a success. We now
wait with bated breath for our external accreditation audit in July…
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Green roof installed on campus
LSE has installed a green roof
on top of the Plaza Café, following a successful Sustainable Projects Fund
(SPF) bid from three students.
The roof was officially inaugurated on 31 May at a celebration attended
by staff and students in the Plaza Café.
The LSE Sustainable Projects Fund draws revenue from a 'tax' on bottled
water sold in School catering outlets. The fund supports projects that
enhance environmental sustainability on LSE's campus and beyond. SPF is
managed by the Sustainable Futures Society, which was founded in 2009-10 in
collaboration with LSE's Environmental Management Review Group. Students and
staff have the opportunity to submit proposals to the fund each year -
£12,000 was available in 2011-12 for sustainable initiatives.
Olivier Scialom, Sidharth Gopalan and Stanislav Bic
entered their proposal to the SPF two years ago. The project was approved, and with help from Phil Newsham, project manager from LSE’s Capital Development team, the green roof
has been successfully installed. Green roofs can help reduce the urban heat
island effect, aid flood prevention by lowering surface water run-off rates
and enhance urban biodiversity. The Plaza
Café is a great long term living example of what is achievable using the
SPF, and with only the occasional weeding and mowing needed, its long term
maintenance is minimal!
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LSE roof gardens - an update
Summer has brought a host of new roof garden volunteers, and they’re
ready to get going after the delivery of new planters for the Shaw Library
roof garden. In early June, the Victoria plum tree planted for Dr Victoria
Hands, former LSE head of environmental sustainability, produced fruit and
the Shaw Library gardeners were also happy to report a fine garlic harvest.
Hayley Reed has taken on updating the roof garden Twitter feed so you can
follow the gardeners and their progress at @LSEgardens.
The gardeners’ blog, with images and updates from LSE’s roof gardens, can
be read here.
You can get involved too – to join the gardeners’ mailing list and find
out more, contact Jane Secker: j.secker@lse.ac.uk
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Sportsground springwatch
This cutie (left) was snapped at the Sportsground, by
head groundsman Steve Butter, back in the torrential rains of May. Steve
says 'the wettest drought in living memory but the wildlife seems happy
enough!'
Steve Butter has been working to enhance biodiversity at
the Sportsground, including planting a wildflower meadow on a patch of
scrub land. A full biodiversity survey to map out all of the greenery
and wildlife at the School is due to take place later this summer. Watch
out for updates on this in the autumn term.
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LSE welcomes 50,000 new residents Last Thursday morning, LSE’s
newest residents arrived – all 50,000 of them.
LSE’s second urban bee colony will occupy the rooftop of Connaught
House, taking advantage of its new green roof as a food source for the
bees, as well as other green ‘lungs’ in the Aldwych area. A busy summer
will ensure that by August the beehives are filled with delicious honey!
The hives were installed in March this year, following the success of
the beehives on the roof of Passfield hall of residence. They were
financed by the LSE Sustainable Projects Fund, which supports
sustainability projects on campus, and is administered by the
Sustainable Futures Society.
Student and staff volunteers will care for the bees with help from
bee expert Dr Luke Dixon, and support from the Estates Division. The LSE
Beekeeping Society is open for all on campus who are interested in
learning about urban beekeeping (‘apiculture’) and honey tasting.
Visit the
LSE
Bees Facebook page for info and updates.
To get involved in beekeeping at LSE, please contact Elisa de-Denaro-Vieira:
E.De-Denaro-Vieira@lse.ac.uk
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Notices
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Waste segregation caption competition
Always segregate your waste properly –
and remember that used Ford Fiestas always go in the green bins, never
in the blue ones…
This is the first waste segregation
caption competition. The best entries will appear in the next issue of
Green News. Please send responses to:
l.laker@lse.ac.uk
To jog your memory about how to dispose of waste at LSE, click
here for more info. |
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Green
alumni
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In this regular column
we catch up with alumni involved in sustainable
activities and find out how their time at LSE shaped their interest in
sustainability.
Liazzat Rabbiosi (MSc Environment and Development, 2007-08) is a
programme officer at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
I work in the Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch, in the areas
of product sustainability information and labelling, life cycle approaches
to business management, and policy development. We work to create consensus
among different players on solutions to environmental and developmental
challenges, and build capacity in developing countries to help them
implement effective solutions fit for their circumstances.
How did your studies at LSE relate to your current sustainability
work?
At LSE I explored the links between economic development and
environmental sustainability, modern policy and business approaches to
sustainability, and their impacts and limitations.
I came to LSE as a mature student, having previously completed another
master's course and having worked in the environmental sustainability field
for a few years. I therefore knew exactly what I wanted to get from my
studies and how it would help in my future career.
The knowledge that I acquired at LSE has been extremely helpful in my
current work, and enriched me as a person. I am now more aware of the
challenges that developing countries face in their pursuit of development,
and trade-offs that exist between being green and their development
aspirations. However, I am more convinced than ever that there is really no
other choice than to develop sustainably.
How has this interest in sustainability carried on since leaving LSE?
Having spent a few years in Africa, I was overwhelmed by the ‘throw-away’
culture when I came to live in London. At Goodenough College, where I
resided during my studies at LSE, I carried around my portable Thermos mug
to fill with coffee at cafes. This was always surprising to the vendors, who
were used to giving away single-use coffee cups!
When I worked at UNEP’s Nairobi office I was actively involved in the
greening initiative at the UN compound, which introduced ‘green’ practices
and spread awareness among my colleagues. I was also an active member of the
development club ‘Elfu Bob’, which provided small amounts of funding
collected from the voluntary contributions of UN colleagues to
community-based projects in Kenya.
If you were to make one recommendation to current students and staff
at LSE on sustainability, what would it be?
Start with yourself – make your contribution to sustainability. Although
these actions are small individually, they have a large collective impact.
This will send a signal to the market and policy arenas that we as a society
want to progress. |
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Are you planning your summer hols in Europe? Looking for a way
to get there without flying?
Try The Man in Seat 61,
the oracle on international train travel. Covering everything
from recommended routes and ticket prices, to whether you can
take your bike (and even
car) on the
train, it has everything you need to plan your trip by rail. All
aboard! |
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Residences
round-up
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Student switch off winners
Congratulations to Carr Saunders hall of residence, which has won the
NUS Student Switch-Off competition for the second year running! Student
Switch-Off is a national campaign, that “Harnesses student silliness to
take simple steps to save energy” in 43 universities across the UK.
Students living in residences compete to be the most energy efficient
hall in the School. LSE has participated in the scheme since it began in
2008-09.
Congratulations also go to the Student Switch-Off campaign itself, which
won a prestigious Ashden Award on 30 May. After a ceremony at the Royal
Society of Geographers, all winners attended a round-table discussion on
sustainability hosted by the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Ashden Awards recognise pioneering sustainability projects in the UK
and developing countries. This year’s winners include the National
Trust, The City of Ghent in Belgium, and a sustainable energy
microfinance initiative in South India. The 2012 judging panel reads
like a who’s who of sustainability, and includes Sarah Butler-Sloss
(founder of the Ashden Trust), and Paul Ekins (Professor at UCL Energy
Institute, and prominent green economy advocate).
So our congratulations go to both the national Student Switch-Off team,
as well as LSE’s own students and residences staff, whose hard work made
this possible.
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End of term ReLove
Leaving halls this month? Look out for the opportunity to give your
unwanted items a 'second life' after you leave LSE by 'ReLoving' them.
Items can be donated for reuse at collection points in the SU East
Building reception or in your hall's ReLove room. Please separate clean
items into the different categories at the collection point.
We
are currently seeking ReLove Volunteers to work with fellow students and
halls management in the run up to the end of term, to encourage
donations and help sort items for charity collection. To find out how
you can help ReLove by volunteering in your hall, either contact your
hall's reception or email p.walley@lse.ac.uk
in the SU.
Some items are resold to next year's student cohort, so your donations
help fellow students following in your footsteps. Other items are given
to charities, including those working with the homeless, the vulnerable
in London and groups working in some of the world's poorest communities.
In 2011, the residences collectively reused six tonnes of goods. |
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60
Second Interview
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with..... Margaret Newson
I have been purchasing manager at
LSE since 2003 and am a member of the
Chartered Institute of Purchasing
and Supply. In a previous life, I
was a qualified personnel officer in
the NHS. I work in a team of six as
part of the Purchasing Section in
the Finance Division in Aldwych
House.
I have drafted a sustainable
procurement policy for the School
ensure that the School’s annual
spend on goods and services of
around £52m per annum to is utilised
in the most sustainable manner.
Did you make it to the Chelsea
Flower Show this year? What is your
verdict?
Yes on RHS Members Day. It was a
rather more low key affair this year; there
were no real stand out gardens and a
jug of PIMMS cost £20!
What is the strangest dish you
have ever tasted?
Kangaroo
If a genie granted you 3
wishes (and you could not request
unlimited wishes!) what would you
wish for?
1. Make First Capital Connect run
a decent train service.
2. For Andy Murray to win Wimbledon
(or indeed any Grand Slam)
3. Smaller feet
What book are you currently
reading and which have you enjoyed
most in the past?
John Major’s “More than a Game”
the story of cricket’s early years.
My favourite book from childhood is
“Seven Little Australians” by Ethel
Turner set in Sydney in the
Victorian era; I loved the TV series
shown on the BBC back in the 70s. |
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Advice
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Want
to know more?
If you have any questions about the sustainability work going on around
campus or would like to become involved, why not contact one of the many Sustainability
Champions who take active roles in the School's work in this area. A
list of Staff Sustainability Champions is online
here.
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