The University has opened its first zero-emissions building. After a refurbishment, Booth Street East now has the infrastructure to support zero emissions, and a new Teaching and Learning Innovation Space has been introduced. It is our first non-residential campus building to be solely heated by air-source heat pumps.

We have partnered with leading UK clean energy firm, Environmena, to purchase electricity generated from its solar farm based in Medebridge, Essex.  

The Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (cPPA) commits the University to purchase 80% of Medebridge’s total annual generation capacity for the next decade. This commitment significantly reduces our carbon emissions and helps us towards achieving our zero-carbon ambitions by 2038. 

In an effort to make our University more sustainable, food waste caddies have been installed in all staff kitchens on the main campus. The goal is simple: to cut down on the greenhouse gases linked to food waste. Instead of going to landfill and generating more greenhouse gases, the food waste collected is taken to a specialised processing plant where it is used to generate electricity and produce a fertiliser which can be used in farming.

100% of our electricity consumption is backed with REGO (‘Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin’) certification. This means that for every megawatt (or 1,000kWh) of electricity the University consumes, the equivalent volume of electricity is generated from renewable sources.

We encourage our staff, students and our local community to make a similar move to renewable energy suppliers!

We have a University policy (PDF) on divesting from carbon- intensive energy industries.

Our entire investment portfolio is going through a staged disinvestment based on carbon intensity as well as fossil fuel reserves and extraction.