University of Southampton awarded 2:1 class in the People & Planet Green League 2011
- Ranked 60th with a score of 32.0 out of 70 (20 for policy, 12 for performance)
Case Study from the University
Bus interchange BEFORE
Bus interchange AFTER
The University of Southampton has operated the Uni-link bus service since 2001, providing regular services for staff, students and the general public between university sites and the rest of the city. Currently operated in partnership with Go South Coast, the service has seen continued growth in passengers and revenue since it started, and has built an enviable reputation as a high quality bus operation with a strong emphasis on customer service and reliability. In 2010, Uni-link carried more than 3.5 million passengers, and was voted the premier bus operator in Southampton by passenger focus.
Not willing to rest on the success of the service to date, the university and Go South Coast have worked hard to make Uni-link even better. Key to this was the completion in just 5 months of a new £1.5M interchange in the heart of the university’s Highfield Campus, funded through a partnership between the University, Go South Coast and Southampton City Council. The new facility has provided an attractive gateway for anyone travelling to the campus, as well as improving the safety of the space for passengers and allowing the expansion of the flagship U1 service (connecting the university to the city centre and rail stations) to a 10 minute frequency. Opened in October, the new interchange has been a huge success and will allow further growth of the Uni-link network in years to come.
Scorecard
So how did University of Southampton score against the 13 Policy & Performance criteria in the People & Planet Green League 2011? Check out the full breakdown below.
Policy & Management Section
1. Environmental Policy
Total Score: 3/5 points.
Criteria |
Score |
|---|---|
Does University of Southampton have a publicly available environmental policy? |
1 |
Is it reported on annually at a senior level? |
2 |
Does it set SMART targets reduce environmental impacts in all the following areas?:
|
0 |
2. Environmental Management Staff FTE
Total Score: 6/8 points.
University of Southampton has 1.7 staff dedicated to environmental management per 5000 students (capped at 15,000 students), giving a score of 6 out of 8 points.
3. Environmental Auditing and Management Systems
Total Score: 5.5/8 points.
Criteria |
Score |
|---|---|
University of Southampton has audited its environmental impacts in the following areas within the last five years (0.5 points for each area):
|
3.5 |
Does University of Southampton operate an externally audited Environmental Management System (e.g. ISO14001, EMAS, Ecocampus, Green Dragon, IEMA Acorn Scheme [BS8885])? |
2 |
4. Ethical Investment
Total Score: 0/3 points.
Criteria |
Score |
|---|---|
Does University of Southampton have a publicly available ethical investment policy? |
0 |
Is the publicly available ethical investment policy reported on annually and/or are there ongoing opportunities for staff, students and other stakeholders to engage with the policy? |
0 |
Has University of Southampton, on ethical grounds: a) divested, b) invested, c) engaged with companies as a shareholder, or d) changed banking provider in the last year? |
0 |
5. Carbon Management
Total Score: 2/7 points.
Criteria |
Score |
|---|---|
Does University of Southampton have a publicly available Carbon Management Plan which meets the Carbon Trust and Capital Investment Framework requirements? |
0 |
How ambitious is University of Southampton’s average annual % carbon reduction target (calculated from an institution’s short-term targets from a 2005 baseline) |
2 |
The scope of University of Southampton’s carbon management plan baseline & targets includes emissions from the following areas:
|
0 |
6. Fairtrade & Ethical Procurement
Total Score: 1.5/2 points.
Criteria |
Score |
|---|---|
Is University of Southampton an accredited Fairtrade University with the Fairtrade Foundation. |
1 |
Does University of Southampton have a joint staff/student steering group with the remit of going beyond Fairtrade and increasing the sustainability of all procurement categories? |
0.5 |
Is University of Southampton affiliated to the Worker Rights Consortium, in order to monitor the suppliers and parts of its garment supply chains that are not covered by Fairtrade certification? |
0 |
7. Sustainable Food
Total Score: 0/2 points.
Criteria |
Score |
|---|---|
Does University of Southampton have a publicly available Sustainable Food policy which sets specific timebound targets for improvements? |
0 |
Is the sustainable food policy reported on annually at a senior level? |
0 |
University of Southampton is implementing the following sustainable food practices or is working towards Soil Association Food for Life catering mark:
|
0 |
8. Staff & Student Engagement
Total Score: 2/3 points.
The following activities to engage students and staff in sustainability issues are taking place at University of Southampton:
Students’ Union or Students’ Association associated to the institution has achieved a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award in this year’s Green Impact Union Awards (or similar) No
University actively supports an annual Go Green Week or Environment Week Yes
Staff engagement scheme to involve staff in improving the environmental performance of the university- for eg. Green Impact Universities or departmental eco-champions Yes
Initiatives to increase energy saving behaviour of all students in halls of residence (eg. Student Switch Off) Yes
Initiatives to increase recycling behaviour of all students in halls of residence No
Student representation on all university committees concerned with estates, planning, finance and resource allocation. No
Environmental awareness-raising campaigns that reach all students and staff No
Coursework linked to sustainability projects within the university/estates department. Yes
Availability of university funds for student or staff-led practical sustainability projects (eg. campus allotments, recycling schemes etc) Yes
Oversight and involvement of students and staff in the development and ongoing moni- toring of Carbon Management Plan. No
Provision of space for student / staff food-growing projects No
All staff inductions cover sustainability policy and issues Yes
Trade Union climate action groups (eg. GreenReps) or time off to participate in Union- linked sustainability initiatives. No
9. Curriculum
Total Score: 0/2 points.
The following activities to integrate sustainability issues throughout the curriculum are taking place at University of Southampton:
- Is there a commitment to integrate sustainability into the curriculum in their Corporate or Strategic Plan? No
- Is there a commitment to integrate sustainability into the curriculum in their Teaching and Learning Strategy? No
- Is there a commitment to integrate sustainability into the curriculum in the Environmental Policy? No
- Is support or training made available to all staff to help them integrate sustainability into the curriculum? No
- Is there a review and reporting process in place to monitor the integration of sustainability into the curriculum? No
Performance Section
10. Renewable Energy
Total Score: 1/6
Criteria |
Score |
|---|---|
University of Southampton purchases 0.00% of its electricity from renewable sources. |
0/3 |
University of Southampton generates 26794665 kWh of its energy by Combined Heat and Power (CHP). |
1/1 |
University of Southampton generates 0.00% energy on-site from Low or Zero-Carbon energy sources. |
0/2 |
11. Waste & Recycling
Total Score: 4/8
Criteria |
Score |
|---|---|
University of Southampton recycles 90.08% of its total waste. |
4/4 |
University of Southampton produces 1300.38 kg of waste per head |
0/4 |
12. Carbon Reduction
Total Score: 6/10
Criteria |
Score |
|---|---|
University of Southampton's average carbon emissions per head is 1509.27kg CO2eq |
2/6 |
University of Southampton has decreased its emissions since 2005 by 35.43% |
4/4 |
13: Water Consumption
Total Score: 1/6
Criteria |
Score |
|---|---|
University of Southampton uses 22.24kl water per head. |
0/4 |
0.2843% of University of Southampton's water comes from grey or rain water sources. |
1/2 |
