Campus chiefs place community at heart of decarbonisation plans

People must be at the ‘core’ of the net zero vision, it was claimed at the event in Greenwich this week.

The event, Creating Low Carbon Campuses, was organised by Salix and hosted by the University of Greenwich and attended by representatives from universities and colleges across the south of England.

Attendees learned how Greenwich had engaged members of the local community, including the students to progress its net zero ambition.

Creating Low Carbon Campuses follows a similar event in Newcastle, for universities and colleges in the north of England, on July 27.

The purpose of the event on Wednesday, August 2, was knowledge sharing, with speakers detailing best practices and lessons learned when introducing carbon cutting technologies to their estates.

Communication and collaboration across the sector and beyond emerged as the running theme throughout the day, with speakers encouraging fellow organisations to engage with their local authorities, neighbours and students.

Salix’s own higher and further education team lead the first session, emphasising the importance of the education sector’s decarbonisation ambitions. The sector is responsible for 2.3% of the UK’s overall carbon footprint which equates to 35% of the UK public sector building emissions.

Attendees learned how the University of Greenwich is taking its own responsibility to combatting these figures seriously and has set its sights on reaching net zero by 2030.

Representatives from the team working to make this goal a reality presented at the event, providing a detailed breakdown of its decarbonisation project.

As part of this plan to create sustainable campuses, the university introduced a low carbon air source heat pump to its estate in addition to new plant and satellite rooms.

This was made possible following a grant from Phase 3a of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme which is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by Salix.

Head of Capital Projects at Greenwich Adele Brooks, said that the crucial factor behind the project was the impact on and involvement of the community.

She said: “It’s about people and community that are with us and around us. People exceed because of their backgrounds not despite of them. The journey is about the people and how we focus on them to deliver our vision.”

The university personally delivered letters to neighbours and the wider community to inform them of the development of works.

Campus Liaison Officer, Hannah Cook highlighted the importance of this process. She said: “The need for clear and concise communication across all stakeholders has become embedded across the projects.”

This extends to the relationships with local authorities according to Project Manager, Kevin Brennan, who said: “We have got a very good working relationship with the council and their planning. That was the start of what we knew we could do moving forward.”

The Greenwich team also included a student user group in each stage and gateway of the project.

Building Services Manager, Noel McSweeney said: “Students are at the forefront of everything that we do. We can’t do it without them. We make it a requirement in our business case, and we are lucky to have contractors do lectures and hold workshops on solar for instance for the students.”

The panel discussion in the second half of the day supported the value of building partnerships and investing in effective engagement.

Panellists included Energy and Environment Manager at Cranfield University, Gareth Ellis, Head of Capital Projects at Greenwich Adele Brooks and Programme Manager at Salix, Hayley Bristow.

Panellist Energy and Environment Manager at Cranfield University, Gareth Ellis said: “In terms of engagement it’s key to have a top down and down up approach. We look at opportunities by talking to our neighbours such as Nissan and Luton airport who are nearby. There is some real synergy in working with local partners and local authorities.”

Sustainability Operations Manager at University of Gloucestershire, Jon Furley encouraged attendees to communicate with key parties throughout the deliver of the project.

He added: “Engaging staff and students is really important – in reality the feeling of the building is going to change so reassurance is key.”

Hayley raised the possibility of presenting consortium bids, or applications made on behalf of a group of organisations, for those stretched for time or resource.

This could be a way to collaborate.

She said: “It benefits organisations that are more resource scare for instance schools and means that you can alleviate big resources together. After all – collective action plays a key part in the Climate Agenda.”

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