9 May 2008
Professor Morgan said: “Our two campuses, Newton Park and Sion Hill, are outstandingly beautiful and historically significant. This award shows we take our responsibilities to protect this environment very seriously indeed. We feel strongly that higher education has an important wider role in achieving sustainability and helping reduce climate change. We have an ambitious energy management programme aimed at reducing our carbon emissions by 10% within two years.”
The EcoCampus award scheme, set up in 2005 and funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), is broken down into four phases – bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Bath Spa achieved its silver accreditation by meeting all the criteria for this level demanded by EcoCampus auditors. The University has developed a detailed and coherent strategy for recycling, energy management and many other measures to reduce its impact on the environment.
The plans include an innovative recycling scheme, aimed at halving within three years the annual 200 tons of rubbish from the University that currently ends up in landfill. From summer 2008 it is intended to remove all office waste bins and replace them with 300 containers, many of them outside, for separating paper, cardboard, glass, wood, metal, cans, plastic bottles and plastic cups. Each individual will be issued with his or her own sustainably produced jute bag to gather their own rubbish and put it in these recycling containers.
The University has also drawn up an energy-saving programme to cut gas and electricity consumption over the next five years. In a pilot project, motion sensing lights and long-life, low energy, bulbs have already been installed in the Newton teaching block and Sydney student accommodation, with significant improvements resulting.
Among other measures in the pipeline is a green transport plan to lessen the number of staff and students travelling by car. The University has pledged £40,000 for a cycle path between Bath Spa’s Newton Park site and the city centre. A car share scheme is also envisaged.
