Making a Green Impact

Ian Young

Leeds University Library

@IanAYoung

Overview

• Structures and environmental priorities at Leeds Uni• Environmental Co-ordinator role• Setting up a green group in the Library• Early successes• NUS Green Impact Scheme• Reflections

Organisational structures for sustainability

• Sustainability Team (in Estates)• Environmental management system with targets• Environmental Co-ordinators in schools and services

–Voluntary role alongside normal role–Awareness raising–Assist in Uni initiatives–Lead on initiatives in Library

• Won a number of Green Gown awards

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/sustainabledevelopment/

University priorities

• Climate change and energy saving– It All Adds Up campaign http://italladdsup.leeds.ac.uk/

• Transport–UtravelActive, Velocampus, Bike Hub, Cycle to Work, Car Sharing,

Subsidised transport passes etc!

• Biodiversity• Purchasing

–Fairtrade University status

• Waste and Recycling

Setting up a Green Group in the Library

• Environmental Co-ordinators – recruited• Volunteers with enthusiasm• Some training provided by uni• Support from e.g. Carbon Trust• Share ideas (LIS-Green)• Harnessing positivity and ideas• Raising profile• Green induction for all new library staff

Early successes• Waste recycling scheme

– Introduced recycling scheme –met 25% target in 2005–Removed personal waste bins – rate up to 40%–New target of 70% set in 2008–New waste contractor means new rate is 92.9% for 2011!–100% recycled paper in Library and all withdrawn journals recycled–New furniture and equipment re-use scheme

Early successes (2)

• Introduced Environmental induction for all new library staff• Introduced Duplex printing on all printers• Switch off energy campaign• Identified a few areas to introduce PIR light controls

Awareness raising through Green displays

The famous Sshh bags

http://www.communitywalk.com/librarybag

Green challenges for libraries

• Large sites• Long opening hours• Large public areas with few light switches/little user control• Rising demand for power from laptop users

• What to do next?

NUS Green Impact Scheme

• What it is and how it works• Examples• Challenges• Successes• Benefits of the scheme

http://www.green-impact.org.uk/

How Green Impact scheme works

• All unis can participate (46 this year) – moving outside unis• Accreditation scheme with awards• Teams recruited from staff and students• Workbook with greening actions• Students trained as auditors• Audit examines evidence of actions being carried out• Each team given award appropriate to level of achievement

Workbook: Bronze examples

–There is clear guidance on how staff can double-side copy posted within readable distance of each photocopier, and staff have been made aware of this.

–The department sends all of its used printer and toner cartridges to be re-used and keeps a log of numbers and dates sent.

–All banks of three or more light switches within the department have been labelled to identify which lights each switch operates

–The department has identified, ranked and documented what it believes are its five most significant negative environmental impacts.

Workbook: Silver examples

–The department has made printing from the majority of PCs double sided by default.

–Either the department has had a basic energy audit within the last 6-months resulting in an action list that has been considered by departmental managers, or an energy audit has been carried out in the last 24-months resulting in a written report with at least three of the recommended actions from the audit having been put in place.

–Either the department has imposed restrictions on staff using domestic air travelor the department proactively offers incentives to encourage staff to use alternatives to domestic air travel

Workbook: Bonus/Gold examples

– In the last 12-months the department has engaged with one or more of its suppliers to reduce the amount of packaging supplied with their products.

–The department uses Better World Books’ http://www.betterworldbooks.co.uk/ book reuse scheme to actively collect used and unwanted books from staff, and students if applicable.

–Either the department hasn't bought any large flat screen TVs in the last 24-months or, if it has, they have all been LCD not plasma screens.

Our experience of the scheme

• Provides a validated process –empowers environmental co-ordinators

• Raises profile throughout library and to senior managers• Gives targeted practical actions• Doing it annually allows momentum to be gained/sustained• Some actions felt like they should be tackled at institution

level e.g. cleaning, catering etc• Robustness of auditing?

Reflections

• Aware we have good institutional structure• We had done the quick and obvious things• Green Impact gave us a framework, validation and profile• We have done a lot in 2 years• We have a framework to carry on improving- with some

challenges!

Questions/Comments/Reflections?