Green Group Newsletter
Faculty of Business, Education and Law, 2013
Welcome to the Green Group Newsletter
BEL is
participating
in a Green
Impact Audit
during the
coming
weeks.
Please take
the time to
read this
newsletter to
raise your
awareness.
Remember to
use the various
recycling
Special
Interest
facilities
located
Articles:
within the
Faculty. You
•can
Addrecycle:
a highlight
or your point of
interest here.
- paper
•- plastics
Add a highlight
your point of
- or
cardboard
interest here.
- stamps
•- batteries
Add a highlight
- tins/cans
or your point of
interest here.
Following the Faculty
restructuring, the
Business, Education and
Law School Green
Groups have merged
and recently commenced
working together
towards making the
campus and curriculum
more sustainable. The
Green Impact Group is
currently looking for
new enthusiastic
members and if you are
interested in joining to
take things forward next
year, please contact Jon
Fairburn or Ruby
Hammer at:
the faculty web pages to
allow staff, particularly
those new to the faculty,
to learn more about
sustainability and green
issues.
r.l.hammer@staffs.ac.uk
jon.fairburn@staffs.ac.uk
To raise staff awareness,
there is also a section on
WHAT IS IT?
Green Impact is an
environmental
accreditation and awards
scheme run by the
National Union of
Students, bringing staff
and students together
with their wider
communities to enable
and showcase positive
changes in
environmental practice.
Green Impact supports
teams and departments to
make simple, tangible and
powerful
changes
in
behaviour
and
policy
through
an
online
workbook of criteria.
See: http://www.greenimpact.org.uk/about/
Guide to Quality and Education for
Sustainability in Higher Education
line
A new sustainability in
education resource has
been produced by a
HEFCE funded research
project. The resource is
an interactive guide in
short sections, with
‘talking heads’ video
clips and downloadable
materials and tools. It is
designed as a travelling
BEL's
5 main negative
Environmental
Impacts
companion for those
exploring education for
sustainability.
The guide can be viewed
at:
http://efsandquality.glos
.ac.uk/
Main Negative Environmental Faculty
Impacts - What are we doing?
Following the green
impact audit, the Green
Group identified the 5
most negative
environmental impacts
across the Faculty to be:
1. Heating Controls
and the use of portable
heaters.
2. Lights left on/not
turned off.
follows:
1. Heating: Timing of
storage heaters has been
adjusted by Estates to
eliminate the need for
portable heaters. Staff
have been advised on
how to control storage
heaters to maintain a
comfortable working
temperature. This is
working effectively.
3. Computers left
on/not turned off.
2. Lighting: 'Please turn
it off' additional stickers
and posters are now
4. Excessive use of
displayed around the
photocopying/printing school.
5. Smoking outside
buildings and cigarette
ends thrown onto the
floor.
The negative
environmental impacts
have been addressed as
3. Computers:
Computers have been
programmed to 'go to
sleep' if inactive for a
period of time and staff
are asked to ensure they
are shutdown and
switched off at end of
their working day.
4. Photocopying:
MFP's are now set to
automatic double-sided
print. Staff have
received guidance on
how to print doublesided. The Faculty has
stopped printing student
handbooks and all
teaching materials after
the first two lectures are
uploaded electronically
to the Blackboard VLE.
Students have responded
positively. There are
also several pilots across
the Faculty to implement
online marking to further
reduce paper use.
5. Smoking: Bins have
been located at the
entrance of the buildings
for the disposal of
cigarettes.
The Environmental Association of
Universities and Colleges (EAUC)
The EAUC is the
sustainability champion
for universities and
colleges in the UK. Run
by members, for its
members, the EAUC
seeks to work with
members and partners to
drive sustainability to the
heart of further and
higher education.
With a membership of
well over 280 Further
and Higher Education
institutions, they are
leading the way in
integrating sustainability
and environmental
management of
universities and colleges
in the UK.
sharing best practice,
knowledge and resources
on sustainability – all
online.
Staffordshire University
is currently lead partner
on an exciting HEFCE
funded project called the
Sustainability Exchange.
The Sustainability
Exchange is a 2 year
HEFCE Leadership,
Governance and
Management Fund in
partnership with the
EAUC, see:
The Sustainability
Exchange will soon
become the central point
and community for
colleges, universities and
sector service providers,
http://www.eauc.org.uk/
exchange
University Transport Initiatives
To get travel back on the
tracks, the University is
now offering staff the
opportunity to purchase
rail season tickets (9 or
12 month tickets) via an
interest free loan
scheme.
This scheme has the
added benefit of
spreading the
repayments and, in the
case of 12 month tickets,
qualifies for 12 weeks
free travel, when
purchasing a season
ticket this way.
For further details of the
scheme including
application forms see:
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/
support_depts/environ
ment/travel/train/index.
jsp
In addition when
travelling between Stoke
and Stafford sites, staff
can make use of the X1
bus service – please see
the Green Group
Noticeboards for an upto-date timetable.
Alternatively, you can
download one of these
from the University web
pages.
For more
information see:
http://www.staffs.ac.uk /
about_us/university_de
partments/estates/envir
onment/sustainable_tra
vel/#intersite%20travel
EU Sustainable Energy Week
24-28 June, 2013
Useful Web
Links
It's time to get into the
starting block for this
year's EU Sustainable
Energy Week (EUSEW),
Europe's key event for a
more sustainable energy
future.
An event is planned for
Staffordshire University
and further details on
this will follow.
Between 24 and 28 June
2012 hundreds of events
organised in all parts of
Europe will show,
promote, discuss and
celebrate energy
efficiency and renewable
energy.
http://www.eusew.eu/n
ewsletter/2011/alerte_20
111102.html
For further information
on EUSEW see:
The Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC)
http://www.eauc.org.uk/home
UNESCO Report on Education for Sustainable Development in the UK
(2010)
http://www.unesco.org.uk/latest_report_on_education_for_sustainable_dev
elopment_in_the_uk_2010
UCU Information on Education and Sustainable Development
http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=3397
HEA First Year Attitudes to Sustainable Development Report
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/ourwork/sustainabili
ty/FirstYearAttitiudes_FinalReport.pdf
HEA Education for Sustainable Development
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/teachingandlearning/sustainability
JISC Greening your campus through environmentally-sustainable digital
technologies
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/supportingyourinstitution/sustainablefutures/greenin
gict.aspx#
Why Recycle Batteries?
Faculty of Business,
Education & Law
Staffordshire University
Leek Road,
Stoke-on-Trent.
ST4 2DF
Batteries are extremely toxic and over a period of time can pollute waterways and
soil as they deteriorate and start to leak heavy metals such as lead, mercury and
corrosive acids. Since 2010, the disposal of batteries into landfill has been
banned.
Please avoid using non-rechargeable batteries but if you have to recycle them in
the boxes provided in the Brindley Building and Law School.
E-mail Contact:
Ruby Hammer at
r.l.hammer@staffs.ac.uk
AND FINALLY BIODIVERSITY AND THE FACULTY?
Many staff already support an array of biodiversity activities at home, but more
recently staff have placed bird feeders outside the Law School to encourage
wildlife into the area, a couple of nesting boxes are to follow.
We are also eagerly awaiting the planting of wildflower areas around the Law
School’s ramparts (as they are described in the landscaping plan!).
You may also like to consider getting involved in the University’s organic
allotment. If so, please contact Tom Ward at t.ward@staffs.ac.uk for further
information.