Carbon management

In November 2008 the UK Government raised the climate change target to at least an 80 per cent cut in CO² emissions by 2050. We believe that universities and colleges should take a lead in this area: doing so would bring environmental benefits, financial savings, and enhance the sector's reputation. (HEFCE 2009/03).

UK universities and colleges spend well over £200 million a year on energy so there are considerable opportunities to save money through more efficient use (HEEPI Web-site, 2006).

See also sections on Transport and Construction

Organisations
Resources
HEI sites

Organisations

Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust works with UK business and the public sector to cut carbon emissions and develop commercial low-carbon technologies.

Energy Saving Trust
A body set up by Government following the Rio Summit (1992), which aims to achieve the sustainable use of energy, and to cut CO₂ emissions.

Energy resources - HEEPI
HEEPI's energy resources guide includes links to HEI sites.

LivingRoofs
Information on green roofs - roofs that are intentionally vegetated.

Energy Consortium
A not-for-profit organisation that procures energy supplies on behalf of its members within the higher and further education sectors.

The Carbon Academy - National Union of Students
The Carbon Academy seeks to reduce the carbon footprint of NUS services and offers staff and student training and a toolkit to share best practice (requires online registration).

Resources

Carbon Trust Standard
The Carbon Trust Standard certifies that an organisation has genuinely reduced its carbon footprint and is committed to making further reductions year on year.

Higher Education Carbon Management Programme - Carbon Trust
A carbon management product for the higher education sector.

Energy Benchmarking Tool - HEEPI (2006)
CEBenchbuild is an Excel tool that allows HEIs and FECs to benchmark the energy performance of buildings on their estate and compare it to national yardsticks

The Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme - DECC
Announced in the Energy White Paper 2007, the Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme (CRC) (formerly the Energy Performance Commitment) will apply mandatory emissions trading to cut carbon emissions from large commercial and public sector organisations.

Sustainable ICT in Further and Higher Education: SusteIT Final Report
This report for the Joint Information Services Committee (JISC) was produced by Professor Peter James and Lisa Hopkinson at the University of Bradford.