Our Campus

Environmental Sustainability

This is AUB. A place to shape and build your work; to learn, share, provoke and collaborate.

Environmental Sustainability

To make sure the campus buildings, facilities and estate are environmentally sustainable.
To improve the existing infrastructure if and where required and ensuring all new builds are UKGBC net zero or BREEAM standard ‘very good’.
To enhance biodiversity where possible.

The outcomes

We achieved the EcoCampus Platinum award in 2019.
Our Sustainability and Net Zero programme sets our commitments 2022-2030 (although new actions and targets will be introduced within the timeframe).
We acknowledged and awarded student sustainability/ethical projects.
All new staff attend an environmental sustainability induction

Sustainability and net zero programme

Sustainability and net zero programme is owned and monitored by the Environment Committee. It demonstrates our targets and achievements covering these main aspects:

Energy and water
Sustainable Resource Management.
Travel
Sustainable Campus
Biodiversity
Social justice

Sustainable resource management

We aim to:

send zero waste to landfill.
increase recycling rate.
decrease the overall waste produced.
reuse ensuring that the ‘waste = raw material’ principle is applied where possible.

As a result, we:

send zero waste to landfill.
convert any waste that can’t be recycled to ‘energy from waste’.
have decreased the amount of waste produced and re-use is on the increase e.g. exhibition boards and film sets etc.
use plastic milk carton tops to recycle into raw material for 3d printing in our Modelmaking course.

Southern Consortium Affiliation Group

We’re part of the Southern Consortium Affiliation Group. That means we use the same waste contractor, aim to share best practice, find innovative ways to use the waste hierarchy and have more influence over the contract. The group is associated and acknowledged for its innovative ideas in waste management.

Energy, carbon and water aims

To view our targets and actions, download our Sustainability and Net Zero programme.

Pledged to be Net Zero by 2030.
We’ve met and superseded our CO₂e emission target ahead of deadline.
We’ve recorded reliable and accurate data for water consumption as we’re aiming to establish a new baseline and target.

Governance, policies and plans

The university has between 3,500-4,000 students and 350-400 staff members, and we aim to encourage and promote environmental sustainability throughout all our operations.

As part of our commitments in the AUB Strategy 2030, we’ve developed a Sustainability and Net Zero programme that sets out our priorities and targets for environmental sustainability.

We achieved ISO14001:2015 via the EcoCampus framework in 2019. We’re also committed to complying with legislative requirements imposed by the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and other current legislation.

Staff and student involvement in environmental and sustainability issues will be encouraged through appropriate communication of information, training and in the teaching environment.

All staff inductions incorporate environmental sustainability, health and safety and other relevant information. E-Learning Modules for Sustainable Procurement training have been invested in through HEPA.

The Student Union have representatives for all meetings relating to finance, environment and campus services.

The Environment Committee

The Environment Committee monitors and promotes environmental sustainability in all its aspects by identifying, raising awareness of and championing good practice in environmental management and the use of non-renewable resources. It also makes recommendations to the University Management Team.

The Environment Committee constitution comprises the Chair – University Secretary with appropriate professional and academic representatives, the Student Union and Trade Union representatives.

Key Personnel:

Jon Renyard, University Secretary – Chair of the Environment Committee
Tom Marshall, Head of Estates and Campus Services
James Jackson, Environment and Sustainability Manager
AUBSU (Students’ Union) – the representative co-chairs a section of the meetings.

The budget for environmental staff/projects has increased each year since 2015. Environmental projects are agreed and financed through the Campus Services Budget, which is the responsibility of Tom Marshall.

If you’d like to find out more, email James or call 01202 363039.

AUBSU

As well as being members of the Environment Committee, they are members of the Human Resources and Remuneration Committee, too.

The AUBSU President is also on the Board of Governors.

Net Zero task force

A Net Zero task force group has been established to take key decisions on Net Zero tasks, practices and targets. The group reports to the Environment Committee

Personnel:

Jon Renyard, University Secretary – Chair of task force
Tom Marshall, Head of Estates and Campus Services
James Jackson, Environment and Sustainability Manager
Helen Duckworth, Marketing and Communications Manager
Gideon Bohannon, Technician Demonstrator, BA (Hons) Modelmaking

Dorset Sustainable Palm Oil Community project

AUB welcomes and is committed to its participation in the Dorset Sustainable Palm Oil Community project and is signed up as a ‘Champion’ for this scheme. AUB acknowledges this will support livelihoods, mitigate against climate change, and protect wildlife around the world from the harmful impacts of unsustainable agricultural practices.