What you can do
These are the actions where we can making the biggest carbon savings.
Wise up on energy and water use.
Energy is one of our largest sources of carbon emissions and financial pressure, both as a university and individually. Energy costs the university £24million a year. Reducing demand should be the first step to saving energy, and that can't be achieved without changing our behaviours.
Switch off all electronics and lights.
If you are the last person to leave a room, turn off everything that is no longer needed. Lights, screens, lecturns, microwaves. Equipment on standby still draw power.
- If all lights on our UK campuses were left on overnight, it would create around 15 tonnes of CO2 in a single evening!
At home - completely power down your laptops, TVs, and gaming consoles.
Layer up instead of turning the heating up.
Dress for the weather and add a layer before reaching for the thermostat. Keep windows closed when the heating is on and when you leave a space. Avoid using energy hungry portable electric heating devices.
At home - for every 1 degree you turn your thermostat down, it could save you 10% on your energy bill.
Report faults and improvements.
If something isn’t working correctly or efficiently, report it to the Estates Helpdesk.
If you have an idea or opportunity for saving energy, water or anything else to improve environmental sustainability, get in touch with the Sustainability Team.
Promote good habits.
Consider how to embed sustainable actions such as these further into your team, office, lab, hall or school. Identify additional steps to take, establish a building shut down manager if needed.
Put up posters and stickers in your area to remind people to switch off. Contact the sustainability team to obtain some.