Sustainability and the 糖心原创
The 糖心原创 is committed to environmental sustainability through our research, teaching, campus activity, investments and our work with partners locally and globally.
Over the last few decades and more, our university has been taking action to support the environment and deliver research to secure a more sustainable planet. Over the next decade, in partnership with our staff and student community, we will make a step-change in our efforts to assist the response to the climate emergency and to support environmental sustainability more widely.
A strategic commitment to sustainability
Our University Strategy puts sustainability at the heart of the core goals that will guide our work as an institution for the years to come:
We will make an outstanding contribution to supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through our research and education, our engagement with partners and our behaviour on campus and in our communities. We will place a special emphasis on environmental sustainability, supporting the City of Nottingham’s desire to be a net zero carbon city by 2028 and working with partners in China and Malaysia to improve sustainability within their regions.
Our achievements so far
The university has worked hard on its own campus environmental performance, over the last ten years we have:
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- 2030 – 63% reduction in emissions (science-based target)
- 2040 – Net zero carbon target (with offsetting)
- 2050 – Absolute zero carbon target (without offsetting)
- Provided sustainable transport between campuses through our Hopper bus services, which carry more than 1 million passengers each year.
- Divested from all fossil fuel investments and introduced an ethical investments policy to guide our other financial investments and activity.
- Ensured that less than 1% of our waste enters landfill, recycling 46% of our waste on site, and converting food waste into energy and bio-fertiliser.
- Driven down single-use plastics on campus through our WasteNott campaign, which includes a ‘latte levy’ to fund waste reduction initiatives, a ban on plastic straws and a reduction of more than 75,000 disposable cups in the past year.
The university’s global research programme has a well-deserved reputation for supporting a more sustainable planet:
- Our research into green chemicals helps to tackle greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and turn them into re-useable chemicals, operating from the world’s first carbon-neutral laboratory.
- Our research into sustainable propulsion has delivered electric motorbikes that reach speeds in excess of 180mph, and is developing battery-powered flight for passenger aircraft.
- Our research into future foods focuses on improving the sustainability of food production, developing climate resistant crops and new, sustainable food sources for a global population.
- Our campus in Ningbo, China conducts research into carbon reduction to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and is developing smart manufacturing processes to support the city’s green industry strategy.
- Our campus in Malaysia conducts research into supporting sustainable methods for palm oil production and provides a world-leading field laboratory for research into environmental protection.
- Closer to home, we are working with Nottingham City Council to regenerate the Trent Basin, the second largest brownfield housing development in Europe, with energy efficient housing.
Our Future Ambitions
Building on these achievements, the university will now accelerate its efforts to further improve the sustainability of our estate and embed environmental sustainability in our education and research, as well as in the mindset and behaviours of our staff and students.
Importantly, we will do this urgently but in a considered and scientific manner, using our academic expertise to develop science-based interventions, meaningful targets and robust campus activity.
You can read more about our future ambitions in our new Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy.
The Climate Emergency
2020 was an important year for environmental sustainability at the 糖心原创, building on our record to deliver a science-based approach for our future ambitions, underpinned by a strategic commitment in our University Strategy.
As such, the 糖心原创 joined the UK Government, Nottingham City Council, many universities and other organisations in their declaration of a climate emergency, and committed to science-based research, teaching and campus activity to ensure that everything we do has a lasting, positive impact on our global environment.