The Carbon Academy – Harnessing the enthusiasm of student officers Jamie Agombar

The Carbon Academy – Harnessing the enthusiasm of student officers Jamie Agombar Ethical & Environmental Manager NUS Services

Carbon Academy workshop Presentation 35 mins Questions / comments / discussion 25 mins

NUS Services • The commercial arm of the NUS • A highly successful purchasing consortium • Consultancy and programmes; Ent’s and NUS Extra. • 25% owned by the NUS; 75% owned by 233 shareholder • students' unions • A not-for-profit democratic company led by student • volunteers

Ethical & Environmental at NUS Services • 1) Greening suppliers • 2) Greening unions • - Environmental audit scheme • Sound Impact Awards • Carbon Academy • 3) Greening NUS Services

Good record of engagement • Ethical & Environmental Committee – well respected. • Interactive programmes. SIA. CA… • E&E Officers / Interested Sabbaticals / SU managers. • Targeted communications: • Newswires – get them when they are fresh! • Trading News. • Websites, NUS mailings, seminars. • Networking: • Our own events. • Key partners: NUS; People & Planet; EAUC.

Case study: The Carbon Academy • Bespoke designed to fit our unique membership • Funded through Carbon Trust Networks Initiative • Project budget £70,000 • Supported by NUS, EAUC and People & Planet

The environmental impact of Students’ Unions • Our membership • 233 Unions: 137 shops and 426 bars • 80% do not pay for utilities (44 we know of do) • Through audits we found £324k savings through no or low cost actions = approx 12% of utilities. • Energy / water data from 22 separately metered unions. Average 624 t/CO2/year. 12% = 75 t/CO2/year. • 233 members x 624 t/CO2/year = 145,000 t/CO2/year • 233 x 75 = 17,475 t/CO2/year being wasted!!

Communicating project to membership 1) Pilot 2) Toolkit 3) Facilitate uptake by Unions 4) Evaluation Roving champions Carbon competition Carbon Academy • The Carbon Academy 638-850 tCO2/year (15-20%) Objective Reduce carbon footprint of student union movement by 4% over next three years (5,500 tCO2) 30 SUs 7.5-10% 1,594-2,125 tCO2/year 50 SUs 3.5-5% = 1,771-2,361 tCO2/year

The Challenges • Most not metered • Rapid turnover of management • Limited knowledge • Limited resources and competition for time • The Positives • Common opportunities • Keen to be green • Sabbatical officers: bags of enthusiasm • Competitive spirit • Close-knit community

Phase 1 - Pilots • Loughborough Students' Union • Sheffield Hallam Union • University of Abertay Dundee Students Association • University of Bristol Union • University of London Union • University of Warwick Students' Union

Three-day intensive programme 1) Best practice audit 2) Technical audit 3) Global Action Plan motivational training - Cross section, fun! 4) SMART Action Plan - All senior managers, officers

Global Action Plan The practical environmental charity “the best organisation to engage people in environmental change” Jonathon Porritt, Chair of the Sustainable Development Commission

1) Loughborough • AC in media centre (11.3t, £1.7k) • T8 to T5 (6.3t, £1k) 1) Loughborough

Glycol (3.2t, £510)