The University of Edinburgh
Sustainability & Environmental Advisory Group (SEAG)
Social Responsibility & Sustainability (SRS) Strategy – ad hoc meeting
Notes of Meeting 2:30-4:00 pm Thurs 27th Aug 2009, Conference Room, David Hume Tower
Attending:
Professor Mary Bownes Vice-Principal, SEAG Convener
Graham Bell
Depute Director, Estates & Buildings
Karen Bowman
Director of Procurement
Emma Crowther
Transport and Parking Manager
Thomas Graham
EUSA President
Billy Hislop
Procurement Manager
Sandra Kinnear
Accommodation Manager, Accommodation Services
Alistair Reid
Director of Health & Safety
Jim Sheach
Depute Director, IT Infrastructure
David Somervell
Sustainability Adviser
Alan Taylor
Assistant Director, Human Resources
Robert Tomlinson
Head of Media and Communications
In Attendance: Osbert Lancaster, Angela Lewthwaite
MINUTE
MB
GB
KB
EC
TG
BH
SK
AR
JS
DS
AT
RT
[NB. All business “open” unless otherwise noted. Papers at www.seag.estates.ed.ac.uk/]
Apologies: David Barratt, Charles Hill, Geoffrey Turnbull, Karen Conway
Purpose of the meeting: The meeting brought together colleagues who had contributed to the University’s
Universities that Count (UTC) submission early this year and who are practitioners able to influence the
development of the Social Responsibility and Sustainability strategy. The aim was: to explore how different parts of the University could best work together to maximise the success of the
range of SRS activities and communicate these effectively through the proposed Strategy and Action Plan
 to look at the University vision in the next 10 years and discuss how the University could achieve this
 to strengthen the ways in which SRS could be embedded in the University's systems and culture
 to locate the SRS strategy into the wider strategic context; and
 to showcase them effectively to internal and external audiences.
MB opened by advising that the University had signed up to 10:10 - an empowering climate change
campaign with the aim of getting individuals, companies and institutions to reduce their carbon footprint by
10% during 2010. See more at www.1010uk.org and www.ed.ac.uk/news/staff-bulletin/carbon-cuts-010909
1. SRS Undertakings: The University to-date had signed up to the following commitments:1. Universitas 21 Statement on Sustainability
2. Universities and Colleges Climate Commitment for Scotland
3. 10:10
Due to broadness of the subject, it was agreed that it would be helpful to provide a short definition of SRS
and that values need to be established. E.g.
1. Need to reduce carbon – University of Edinburgh aspiration to be a world leader in this
2. Choose suppliers who care about things – factoring in whole life costing, quality, fairness.
3. To be fair to suppliers and embrace local suppliers
4. Encourage life-long learning.
From the start it was noted that the University had many SRS strands but many done in a dispersed way.
The format was to hear from individuals what they were working on which might support these objectives.
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AT Briefed Group on HR work-in-progress re:
1. Quality People Plan [QPP] to empower staff to support the Procurement Strategy
2. QP Development Plan – Not just from HR perspective.
SK reported on the Accommodation Services programme to achieve Investors in People (IiP) accreditation
and how the related communication strategy had helped to attain accreditation. Examples of changes
included adding a small clause on delivering departmental sustainability objectives into reviewed Job
Descriptions; improved induction process; counselling facility; switch and save; Sustainability Policy.
Noted that Corporate Services Group had signed up to IiP - work had commenced. This exercise might take
2 years to complete.
JS – IT Equipment was expanding with the consequence that some equipment now running all day. Work
now under way to establish an energy / carbon benchmark figure for IT equipment across whole University.
GB advised that the Estates Strategy 2010-2020 was currently being updated and discussions would be held
with academic colleagues on how to deliver a sustainable estate within the next 10 years. Documents such as
the University’s Strategic Plan and Internationalisation Strategy would be taken into account when
developing the Estates Strategy and Sustainability was high on the estates agenda. It was specifically
embedded into the evolving Gateway Process adopted by Estates Development.
Targets had been set for energy and waste to fit in with the Sustainability Policy. Estates & Buildings have
many challenges both internally and externally eg internal strategies ie reducing utility costs; IS Strategy
External challenges i.e. negotiating with the community, the Council.
Major Projects had increased in 2 years from £45m to £80m and this could well increase to £100m next year.
Condition of the estate had improved though reduction of the estate was not possible due to growth. Major
projects were being delivered to high standards and BREEAM ratings were being secured. The University
was seen as an exemplar by other institutions.
EC - Travel Plans continued to be implemented. In order to achieve BREEAM standards there would be a
need to demonstrate that travel plans were being implemented. This required participation from all [staff,
students and visitors] to reduce impact on the community. One example was that the University now
supported a bus service to Easter Bush which was accessible to the public.
Another initiative would be to look at Video Conferencing to help minimise International Business Travel.
KB reported that discussions were in hand for the University to host a Scottish Fairtrade Universities and
Colleges Conference in February 2010. Essential that the University capitalises on this and is seen to
encourage local foods too. Students currently developing their own community strategy via a “How to be a
good neighbour” booklet.
AR note that almost everything the University and its staff and students do impacts on SRS including
Biological compliance issues, how we control pathogens etc.
Agreed that DS and OL draft a first document to encapsulate these practical emerging issues within context
of existing commitments using the main headings adopted in the Universitas 21 Statement on Sustainability.
(Appendix B attached). All were invited to send in comments, that these be sent to
David.Somervell@ed.ac.uk and copied to osbert@footprintconsulting.org
Action ALL
Agreed that the SSR Strategy would be 3-4 A4 sheets.
Noted All Colleges and Support Groups to be asked to provide a short account of what they’re doing.
Noted Format of 1st October Event [Al insert sections from David Somervell’s email about event].
DS advised that plans were evolving for a wider campus engagement on Thursday 1st October:
1. A morning workshop would focus on practical / technical changes that could be made over next ten years.
2. The afternoon workshop would explore people and skills related aspects of change required.
3. The Transition Summer Interns would provide feedback on scoping work on the University community’s
personal carbon footprint(s) – and how these might be reduced – in an early evening social event.
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2. Universities that Count
Feedback Reports had been received from Universities that Count. The University of Edinburgh had come
achieved a very high ranking among the 56 participating institutions in the Environmental Index as the
University had evidenced its progress well.
The 2009 Corporate Responsibility Index results were highly satisfactory. The Group was advised that the
because the University included a light response on Teaching, Learning & Research there was some
considerable room for improvement.
MB advised plans were progressing to develop 1st year undergraduate courses – e.g. “Our Changing World”
– to be available to all students for academic year 2010-11. This initiative was being led by College of
Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. CHSS was developing a Masters degree and had secured financial
support to progress this.
The general view was that the UTC exercise had been useful, a gap analysis had been undertaken and areas
for improvement highlighted eg. Recording mechanisms and to consider the introduction of an
environmental system.
MB thanked all for attending the meeting and their valued contribution.
The University had yet to agree whether the University would continue to participate and colleagues were
asked to send to Dr. Bruce feedback on the procedures of UTC by 30 August.
Post meeting note : Comments from Alan Taylor and Alistair Reid – See Appendix A
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Post-Meeting note:
From: Mary Bownes
Sent: 31 August 2009 09:10
Dear Colleagues,
I found our meeting on Thursday most encouraging. I was pleased to hear of all the work in progress across
the University relating to social responsibility and sustainability.
I am very keen that this activity is properly reflected in the emerging Social Responsibility and Sustainability
Strategy for two reasons:
- Firstly, because these activities are central, not only to further raising the University's aspirations in relation
to social responsibility and sustainability, but just as importantly to developing and strengthening the ways in
which SRS is embedded in the University's systems and culture.
- Secondly, because I see the SRS Strategy as a significant opportunity to bring these distinct but closely
related activities together; to locate them clearly in the wider strategic context; and to showcase them
effectively to internal and external audiences.
I'd therefore ask you to work closely with David and Osbert to ensure we achieve these aims.
Best wishes
Mary
Vice-Principal Professor Mary Bownes
Vice-Principal, Research Training and Community Relations and Professor of Developmental Biology
Institute of Cell Biology University of Edinburgh Darwin Building King's Buildings Edinburgh EH9 3JR
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Appendix A: Feedback from Dr Alan Taylor to Bruce Nelson dated 28 August 2009
“Dear Bruce, As suggested by colleagues at last Thursday's SRS Strategy Meeting, I would like to add some
final comments on this year's UTC submission on behalf of the Director of HR as follows:
1. HR would very definitely support the suggestion of continuing to take part in the UTC exercise in future:
given the very positive outcomes of the current round of activity, we believe it is important to continue to
collaborate with a UK and sector wide exercise that enhances our reputation, that also offers very real
potential in terms of enhancing our internal planning around various aspects of the sustainability agenda;
deciding not to participate in an exercise which will, from current news of the additional/total participants for
2009/10, become a sector norm, would be problematic on several levels, not least of these being the way our
own institution would be perceived by the other participants (and competitors).
2. In addition to our general commitment to UTC, we would also reinforce the qualifying points that have
already been made in previous discussions, firstly that much more attention needs to be given in the
questionnaire itself to sector specific issues, and secondly that the potential for duplication of responses
across different headings needs to be noticeably reduced in the way the questionnaire is re-designed
(reinforcing the strong representations that have already made by the Principal to UTC on both matters).
3. In terms of the input required of the areas involved in future, we would strongly reinforce the general view
that the level and quality of the input required of us is clearly matched in the level and quality of the benefits
gained by the institution (noting for example that in HR's case the work involved '3 week's full time' of
effort, which meant that other key bits of work were deferred).
4. In relation to the management of the internal process itself, we would agree with David and others that
there is scope to streamline the work involved, and HR would be very happy to contribute to an early
discussion of more efficient and easier ways of gathering and collating the information - a clear and simple
plan of action is required, supported by similarly clear and simple guidance notes for all of the participants
involved on 'what needs to happen by when' etc. - and how we produce this 'map of the internal process'
could perhaps be discussed at the next meeting of SEAG in October.
5. On the issue of realising the full benefits of participating in the survey, we would also recommend that
each of the areas involved develops a brief 'gap analysis' sheet that can be used in further discussions in each
area, to inform our own prioritising of the activities we are directly responsible for, and to help us address the
specific gaps - and the individual sheets could be combined in an internal-only document for the relevant
service managers and interested parties to consider in their wider planning discussions.
6. In developing our own part of the submission we worked very closely with our colleagues in Health and
Safety, and we would recommend that this model of joint-working is used as a basis for organising all of the
contributors working together in future, given the institutional nature of most of the issues we are addressing
in the survey.
7. Although we would be very happy to contribute to the next UTC submissions, we would also recommend
some discussion at a later stage of the possibility (as Karen Conway has already suggested) of contributing to
the process on a biennial basis: we appreciate this raises other issues, but it would be helpful, and perhaps
more meaningful, for all of the institutions involved to contribute biennially, so that more adequate internal
reporting and planning could be carried out in between each survey return.
8. The detail of the University's new 'Quality People' agenda (and the related 'Quality People Development
Plan') will be discussed with a wide range of colleagues in the coming months, and both of those 'planning
platforms' offer important opportunities for clarifying and reinforcing corporate social responsibilities in
relation to the various strands of the sustainability agenda (as also reflected in current discussions between
HR and Procurement just now), and HR would very much welcome an exploration of the best ways of
linking the ongoing QP and sustainability discussions.
I do hope that these final points of feedback are useful to your own deliberations on the future of our UTC
involvement - we believe that the exercise in general is a very worthwhile one, and that with some
adjustments, which are well within our grasp, the internal logistics of completing the survey could in future
feel a bit more productive, certainly more manageable.
Dr Alan Taylor, Asst Director: Talent and Culture, Corporate Human Resources, University of Edinburgh
direct line is 0131 650 2391 (and 650 8127) also available on 0752 866 4014 faxes to 0131 650 9274”
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Feedback from Alistair Reid, Director of Health and Safety to Bruce Nelson dated 28 August 2009
“Dear Bruce,
May I echo, pretty much 100%, Alan's eloquent comments below. So long as participation in the UTC
process delivers for this University the twin perceived wins - (a) highlighting areas of weakness to us upon
which we can then focus and improve: teaching and learning was the primary case noted yesterday, and (b)
enhancing our reputation without become too wedded to "league tables" - then our continued participation
makes positive sense.
Given the financial discussions I've been involved in this morning, participating on a biennial basis may
come to be perceived as a necessity, rather than a preference.
Referring only to my own area of health, safety and wellbeing, and to the graph under "Environmental and
Social Impact Areas", I feel some of the issues with the survey are usefully highlighted. As a fairly crude
(and unsubstantiated!) reaction, I feel that the stats do not do UoE justice, as I feel that we are further ahead
of the game than the 75%/64% ratio implies; I am also doubtful of the validity of the comparison with the
business sector.
We discussed the view that survey needs to be made more "HE-oriented" to allow institutions such as ours
to produce results which are valid and which do the institution genuine justice, and I think we are all agreed
on the importance of that evolutionary process.
As I noted yesterday, it does concern me that attempting to demonstrate our good performance may
"bounce" us into doing things like purchasing formal management systems to demonstrate our level of
performance in certain areas, irrespective of whether these systems make any actual difference to (e.g.) how
healthy and safe we really are on the ground.
Indeed my fear here is that allowing ourselves to be diverted into that type of approach is actually likely to
be detrimental to our real performance, as it would divert resources, which are becoming increasingly
scarce, away from actually doing things of concrete value.
I believe that the guidance to the survey also needs attention - again speaking for the h,s&w section, I
regarded some of the guidance to that section as being little short of disgraceful, a view which I have
communicated to colleagues whom I believe were involved in generating that guidance.
Having dwelled briefly on those negative points, I must emphasise that I do agree fully with Alan that, with
some adjustment, we can look forward to participating in a process which evolves into a very valuable one
for the University.
Alistair G Reid
Health and Safety Department”
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APPENDIX B
Universitas 21 Statement on Sustainability May 2009
Preamble:
The quest to realise a more sustainable way of life on Earth is increasingly becoming
a race, not against one another, but against time. The challenges of the decline of
biodiversity, of energy, food and water security, of climate change, of economic
sustainability and of human health have been recognised as being among the
greatest faced by the human race and the planet and we believe that the urgency of
these requires unity of purpose and of leadership.
We recognise that universities have important roles in researching solutions to such problems so as to
bequeath a sustainable world to future generations and in educating future generations about this
awareness and research. We recognise that member institutions are committed to engaging with issues of
global significance and that by working together collaboratively and cooperatively we can achieve more than
is possible by working alone. We acknowledge the role that universities play in creating a new future for the
dynamic world in which we live. Through research, teaching, community partnerships and demonstrable
actions, universities can help advance timely solutions to ecological, societal and economic problems.
Through our engagement with civil society, industry and government, we can accelerate these solutions
beyond the campus itself.
In response to this challenge and for the purposes of this declaration, we Presidents of member universities
of the Universitas 21 Network for International Higher Education, jointly affirm our recognition of the
following commitments concerning the leadership of universities in progressing global sustainable
development.
Many members have already established programmes to assess and reduce the overall adverse
environmental impact of their activities: others are in the process of developing such programmes or monitor
their activities in other ways, appropriate to their circumstances. Each member university will develop,
publish and monitor targets: these targets will reflect institutional differences, such as the maturity
of respective University campus sustainability programmes, as well as regional issues, such as
climate conditions, energy sources and projected growth. On a regular basis, members will share
these targets and their progress towards achieving them with one another with the aim of developing and
sharing best practices and learning lessons from one another which can be applied on campuses around
the globe.
Commitments:
1. Research towards a sustainable future
Our member universities are among the world’s leaders across a multiplicity of research topics, many of
which contribute to our better understanding of the world in which we live. Each member university will
continue to develop strong interdisciplinary research activities both within and between universities to
facilitate integrated problem solving among research disciplines. These activities will also reach beyond the
academic community and will look to industry and the wider community as active partners and participants
in problem solving with the university.
We recognise that research in support of sustainability takes many forms, including the development of new
scientific knowledge, restructured to reverse past tendencies toward stratification and fragmentation. We
will endeavour to support such research, but also to ensure that it is applied to real world issues and is
disseminated widely to better inform policy development as well as personal, organisational and national
actions.
We will encourage and develop collaborative research opportunities which contribute to a sustainable future
and we will seek opportunities to share and showcase our research applicable to sustainability more widely
within the network and so seek to further the community of scholars working in this area collaboratively.
2. Education for Sustainability
Members of the network have approaching a million students in all levels of study, as well as numerous
alumni and staff. The influence they have on current and future civil society is immense. Recognising that
universities have a critical role to play in educating future leaders and civil society more generally, each
member university will seek to identify opportunities appropriate to its own circumstances to deepen
society’s intellectual capacity for sustainability and raise the ‘sustainability consciousness’ of students in all
facets of their student life.
Appreciation for and general knowledge of sustainability must be actively promoted if we are to meet the
challenges of the future as a society. We recognise that many members already have degree courses or
programmes in which ‘sustainability’ is an integral or key component of study: we will seek opportunities to
increase both the range of experiences open to students in this area as well as to students studying in other
disciplines.
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3. Leading by Example: Establish the University Campus as a Living Laboratory
for a Sustainable Future
Universities are not just the producers of research and the educators of students, they also represent a
microcosm of our towns and cities more widely as we provide places to live, to work, to eat, to play for
thousands of people. We recognise that we can use our campuses to demonstrate sustainable design and
practical models for our communities and that by serving as a ‘test bed’ for society at large, we will foster
intellectual capacity in all of the university community and in business and civil society leaders off-campus.
We recognise also that our responsibilities as researchers, educators, managers and providers extend
beyond the environmental dimensions of sustainability and will encourage an holistic approach to our
campuses to be taken, to consider the financial and societal sustainability in our actions in relation to
buildings, housing, transportation, catering and all the myriad of other activities which a large, research
intensive university carries out in the 21st century and beyond. We seek to ensure the sustainability of the
university and its activities so that future generations may also enjoy the privilege of education that we have
enjoyed.
4. Emphasise Citizenship & Engagement
In recognition that universities are creators and storehouses for innovation and ideas – two essential
ingredients to the transition to a sustainable future – each member university will work to move these ideas
into action. To do this the university will place increased value on (and as appropriate, provide enhanced
support for) student, staff and faculty engagement with local, national and international communities.
This participation will strengthen the culture of sustainability within the university and provide real, tangible
assistance to people and organisations external to the university.
Each university will use the most appropriate means for its own communities to publicise and showcase
examples of wider engagement by its staff, students and faculty and on a regular basis, the network will
report on such examples more widely by publishing them in either The Newsletter or such other appropriate
publication.
On a regular basis, members will share the good practices they are developing in this area with one another
with the view to learning from other like-minded universities around the globe and, where appropriate,
seeking to transplant innovative solutions. In doing so, we recognise the unique opportunities provided by a
globally diverse network like Universitas 21 and the wealth of experiences that this opens up for staff,
students and faculty.
5. Build Capacity through cross-network collaboration and work
The raison d’être of Universitas 21 is to collaborate and co-operate, sharing good practice and enabling
members to achieve more together than they could separately. The network will facilitate collaboration and
information-sharing about sustainability practices and performance in higher education by publishing a
regular special edition of The Newsletter devoted to issues of sustainability.
In addition, we will provide forums in which to exchange and discuss successful or innovative practices to
further sustainability and to develop a ‘sustainability consciousness’ among staff, students and faculty. We
will ensure that the issue of improving sustainability is formally discussed at meetings of Presidents,
Managers and senior staff who have the ability to influence and guide university practices.
As an indication of the importance that sustainability has to the Universitas 21 members, we have
designated this year as a Year of Sustainability and will be seeking to raise the importance of the topic
with colleagues in member universities.
To this end, we make this Declaration at the annual meeting of Presidents held at Korea University and
agree that we will collectively review our achievements no later than at our annual meeting of Presidents in
three years time (AGM 2012) and will seek to ensure that a wide-ranging and diverse set of conversations
and analyses of sustainability initiatives takes place in appropriate settings in the network during that period.
Endorsed at the annual meeting of Universitas 21 by the representatives of the 21 member universities from
Australia, Canada, PR China, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South
Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Signed by the Principal on behalf of the University of Edinburgh
at the U21 Managers’ Meeting, Seoul South Korea, 20-22 May 2009
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