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For staff

 

The University wants your views to help shape its new Environmental Policy.

The need to reduce carbon emissions and improve the sustainability of the world's activities provides Cambridge with responsibilities and opportunities.

Professor Jeremy Sanders, FRS, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Institutional Affairs

Staff are being invited to have their say as a major review is launched into how the University can best manage its effect on the local and global environment.
The current environmental policy dates back to 2008 and is in need of modernising as the University continues to face up to the challenge of maintaining its global position while operating in a sustainable way.
The review committee hopes to create an environmental sustainability policy that covers the teaching, research and administrative functions of the University.
Areas covered by the current policy include waste minimisation, recycling, energy consumption, water use, sustainable travel, and greener building work and refurbishment.
With a student population of 19,000, more than 9,000 staff and an estate that produces an energy cost of £14.4 million a year, Cambridge has a high environmental impact and large carbon footprint.
Professor Jeremy Sanders, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Institutional Affairs and chair of the review committee, said: “The need to reduce carbon emissions and improve the sustainability of the world's activities provides Cambridge with responsibilities and opportunities.
“Our world-leading research in many different areas of energy, environment and sustainability will make major contributions to fundamental understanding and to everyday practice, while our teaching needs to equip the next generation of leaders to understand and influence the future. We also need to transform our own operations.”
In the consultation phase, the committee is seeking the views of staff and students on key objectives, targets and how a successful policy might be implemented.
The committee will also decide if other, related policies such as the Travel Plan should be revised, and if new policies need to be created to complement the environmental policy. Examples of good and bad practice in sustainability will also be sought.
Staff can have their say by taking part in an online questionnaire, signing up to focus groups or supplying written evidence to the Environment and Energy Section.
A summary of the responses to the questionnaire, and all written evidence, will be published following the review process.

Published

27 February 2014