Warwick – The Environmental Perspective Warwick Network Thursday 27 th July 2006

Warwick – The Environmental Perspective Warwick Network Thursday 27th July 2006

West 'facing asbestos epidemic' The UK and many other developed countries are on the verge of an asbestos disease epidemic, say doctors. Oil Spill Costs Cable & Wireless £200,000 2,000 fish, 3 kingfishers, 2 moorhens and a swan killed by pollution...13/04/2006 Communications company Cable and Wireless was ordered to pay more than £29,500 by Swindon Magistrates Court after polluting a 14km stretch of three rivers with up to 8 tonnes of red diesel. Clean up costs for the incident cost the company a further £180,000.

Environmental risk and potential liability issues • Energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprint • Sustainable design • Green travel • Reducing consumption of primary raw materials • Reusing / recycling waste materials • Procurement and “greening” the supply chain • Governance and environmental reporting • Enhancing biodiversity Environmental Impact

URBAN MYTHS AND TRUTHS RELATING TO OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT - A GENTLE QUIZ Warwick – The Environmental Perspective

TRUTH or MYTH ? 1. 40-60% of a standard office building’s energy use is now attributable to IT equipment 2. Leaving my PC screen switched on during the lunch break prolongs its life and doesn't waste much energy Urban Myths 3. In general, it uses less energy if I leave fluorescent lights on 4. 10% of all energy consumed at home is now related to appliances left on standby 5. With global warming I won't need as much insulation in the future

1. 40-60% of a standard office building’s energy use is now attributable to IT equipment TRUTH Urban Myths

2. Leaving my PC screen switched on during the lunch break prolongs its life and doesn't waste much energy MYTH Urban Myths • Switch it OFF. How many office PC screens are thrown away because they have broken down, and how many because they have become superseded by more modern technology?

3. It uses less energy if I leave fluorescent lights on MYTH • Switch them off. In their start-up phase, they use a lot more energy than when they are running continuously, however the period to reach energy use parity is generally in the region of a minute and a half, and never more than 5 minutes Urban Myths

4. 10% of all energy consumed at home is now related to appliances left on standby TRUTH Urban Myths • Switch them off. A large number of electrical products - from air conditioners to VCRs - cannot be switched completely off without unplugging the device or turning it off at a power strip. These products draw power 24 hours a day, often without the knowledge of the consumer.

5. With global warming I won't need as much insulation in the future MYTH • Climate Change will not provide a nice even increase in temperature. It's likely to be accompanied by greater instability in weather, so homes will need just as much insulation to deal with cold spells Urban Myths

6. According to our carbon footprint analysis and to the nearest 100 tonnes, how much carbon dioxide was emitted from non-residential academic buildings at UoW during 2004/05. Urban Myths • 25,800 tonnes

Environmental risk and potential liability issues • Energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprint • Sustainable design • Green travel • Reducing consumption of primary raw materials • Reusing / recycling waste materials • Procurement and “greening” the supply chain • Governance and environmental reporting • Enhancing biodiversity Environmental Impact

Energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprint

Utility Costs 30th Sept 2006 – 4.6p per kWh 1st Oct 2006 – 7.2p per kWh Energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprint Total electricity consumption – c.32,000,000 kWh

Commuting to/from work • Promoting car share • Making public transport more attractive • Staff air travel • Facilities • Incentives • Campus development plan Green Travel

Procurement • Life cycle costings • Types of materials • Availability / Locationsof facilities • Symbioses Reducing / reusing / recycling waste materials

Qualifying and quantifying • Areas of focus • Wildlife corridors • Management regimes • Campus development plan Enhancing Biodiversity

Barely half (52%) of Britons think that changing their own behaviour would have any impact on the environment. Source: BBC/ICM Poll on Climate Change Warwick – The Environmental Perspective If you think you’re too small to make a difference … you haven’t been in bed with a mosquito. Source: Anon

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses” Source: Henry Ford Warwick – The Environmental Perspective

Warwick – The Environmental Perspective Warwick Network Thursday 27 th July 2006