Green Impact: Engaging Departments for Environmental Excellence

1. Green Impact – A model for engaging departments Jamie Agombar, Ethical & Environmental Manager, NUS Services Bethan Harper, Communications Officer, University of Bristol

2. It started here! • Presentation on Sound Impact • Martin Wiles saw potential for adapting

3. What is Green Impact? • A locally-run departmentalaccreditation scheme • Tackles common bad practices / encourages good • For all types of environmental impact • For all types of departments • Bottom up - Any member of staff / student can lead • Empowers environmental champions • Digital workbook / auditing / awards / good practice booklet • Provides a framework for taking action • A race to the top • Gets people to buy into Sustainability Team initiatives

4. Summer 2008 • Agreed pilot - for 15 departments • Funded by University of Bristol • Departmental audits established common bad practices: • - Copier paper • - TFL bulbs • - Personal kettles • - Lights on unnecessarily / awareness • - Vacation shutdown • - Bottle water • - Fairtrade

5. The Green Impact Awards are an environmental initiative run by a consortium of interested parties led by the Energy and Environmental Management Unit, the University of Bristol Union and NUS Services

6. The workbook • 20 bronze criteria (105 pts) • 15 silver criteria (93 pts) • 100 bonus criteria (427 pts) • Special awards: • - Innovation (25 pts) • - Best energy saving idea (25 pts) • - Environmental hero (25 pts) • - Site Services recycling award • - Site Services award for energy efficiency • Total 700 points

7. Standards and awards • Bronze = 20 bronze criteria • Silver = 15 silver criteria plus 150 bonus points • Gold = Top three scoring departments • Special awards: • - Innovation • - Best energy saving idea • - Environmental hero • - Site Services recycling award • - Site Services award for energy efficiency

8. Criteria categories • Reducing waste • Reusing waste • Recycling waste • Waste legislation • Electricity - Awareness • Electricity - Air conditioning • Electricity - Lighting • Electricity - Appliances and other equipment • Electricity - Switching off

9. Heating • Water • Travel • Procurement • Biodiversity and community • Greening teams, action plans and results • Departmental embedding and communications • Wider communications and impact • Special awards

10. Especially useful criteria • Environmental champion • External estates contact • Open ended energy saving ideas • Carbon audits!

11. What does the workbook look like? • Workbook

12. Launch and communications • Managed locally • CUSP placements • It does take time to do it properly • Communications: • - Brand • - Webpage • - Deputy VC • - Payslips • - Meetings • Support once they take the plunge

14. Sign-ups • 51 departments!! • 2,500 members of staff

15. Auditors • 30 volunteer auditors trained in Feb 2009 • All Bronze and Silver departments will be audited • Audits taking place March and April • Auditing essential, rare, high scoring criteria

16. Carbon auditors • S.006 – Basic energy audit • 35 volunteer auditors trained in Jan 2009 • Carbon Academy training • 10 audits completed to date • 142 recommendations: • - 50 Lighting • - 48 equipment • - 25 heating • - 10 air conditioning / ventilation • - 5 windows • - 4 awareness

17. Bethan Harper – Communications Officer, Sustainability Department, University of Bristol

18. Workbooks back • 46 returned • 11 Silver • 26 Bronze • 9 Working towards accreditation

19. Statistics • 100% have energy-awareness stickers in majority of offices • 87% have identified ten main greening opportunities • 50% have a greening team, met in the last 6 months • 33% reminded staff how they can recycle CDs • 20% taken one or more initiative to sustain / encourage • biodiversity in last 12-months • 13% have run own water-saving campaign in last 6 months • 0% have calculated total carbon footprint for business • miles last financial year

20. Done as a result of GIA? • 76% (31 dept’s) induct all new staff on environment • 73% (29 dept’s) created vacation shutdown plan • 60% (26 dept’s) switched all A4 white copier paper over • 45% (10 dept’s) have refreshed energy saving comm’s • 35% (16 dept’s) switched to Fairtrade

21. Race to the top • Banning air travel • Websites • Green Impact communications

24. Awards ceremony • Mid-June • Film being made by student film society • Give out certificates / awards • Deputy VC there • Inviting all participants and key decision makers

25. Key success factors • A good steering group • Needs to be seen as voluntary and bottom-up • All about empowering - need to reach the right people • Criteria need to be inclusive • Scheme needs to be fair • A ‘soft’ accreditation scheme. Spirit of the criteria. • Supportive and a bit of hand-holding • Helps if it is fun! • Senior management backing reaches different audiences • Long-term commitment; raising the bar

26. Learning points • Check, and check again, the criteria • Need to resource well in terms of time • Trial more involvement by students’ union • 10% signed up but failed to submit. Not sure why (survey • pending)

27. Benefits • Start the journey for some • The opportunity to achieve! • Celebrate what is already happening • Get departments to buy in to your environmental • programmes • Cost savings • Environmental benefits and behaviour change • Drive the University to next level • Raise profile internally and externally • Build bridges between departments • Help with employability

28. Next steps • Next year at Bristol… • Roll out to 10 HEI’s 2009/10 • Developing a tiered package: • - Based on size / number of departments • - Different options (workbook, training, full, etc.) • - In partnership with students’ union • If interested for 2009/10 please leave your contact details

29. Find out more • www.bristol.ac.uk/environment/green_impact/ • environment-office@bristol.ac.uk • e&e@nussl.co.uk

30. ? ? ? Questions