People & Planet Green League - Press Area
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PRESS RELEASE
Latest Press Release
EMBARGO: 13:00pm Tuesday 7 June 2011
Nottingham Trent named UK’s greenest university
- People & Planet Green League reveals major sustainability improvements in nearly all indicators, putting the sector on track for transition to low-carbon future.
- Carbon emissions still rising for some & majority of universities will miss government climate targets
- New free iPhone app allows students to select greenest universities
Full results of People & Planet’s Green League 2011 are available online from 13:00hrs on Tuesday 7 June at: http://peopleandplanet.org/greenleague
The People & Planet Green League 2011(1) unveiled today (7 June) by the UK’s leading student campaign network(2) reveals the environmental and ethical performance of 142 universities, awarding First Class ‘degrees’ to the best and Fail to those doing the least to address their impacts.
Nottingham Trent University takes the top spot this year for a second time (3), with strong scores for its environmental & carbon management policies as well as renewable energy and excellent recycling rates. The top 5 also includes the universities of Gloucestershire, Worcester, Plymouth, Bournemouth and Greenwich (the latter two are tied in 5th place).
Professor Neil Gorman, Vice-Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University, said:
“We take our responsibility for reducing our environmental impact very seriously, and our position at the top of the People & Planet Green League shows that. I’m very proud of all the hard work and commitment from our staff and students that has helped towards this achievement and we will do all that we can to maintain our reputation as the most environmentally friendly and ethical university in the UK.”
The results show major improvements in 12 out of the 13 criteria used to rank universities and measure their transition to a fair & sustainable future – including:
- 8.3% increase in universities generating their own renewable energy on-site
- 57% of sector has put in place strong Carbon Management plans and climate targets
- 10% increase in energy-saving & recycling initiatives for students in halls of residence
- 10% increase in universities publishing Sustainable Food policies#
- 20% increase in universities employing at least one Sustainability Manager
- 68% of universities have now achieved Fairtrade status
However, the Green League also reveals that the sector’s carbon emissions have risen by 3.9% since 2005 and that 63% of universities are not yet on track to meet government carbon reduction targets of 34% cuts by 2020(4).
Russell Group institutions in particular have increased their climate emissions more than the sector average and none made it into the Top 20. The top of the league table is dominated by less research-intensive institutions and smaller teaching institutions who appear to be taking up the challenge of creating sustainability-savvy graduates more seriously.
Louise Hazan, who compiled People & Planet’s Green League 2011, said:
“This year’s results show the sector is making a clear transition towards low-carbon, sustainable operations and responding to increasing student demand for greener universities that offer value for money. However, despite clear progress in the last year on issues such as carbon management planning and student engagement, the fact that carbon emissions are still rising should sound alarm bells for Vice-Chancellors and the Government alike”.
As well as environmental impacts, the People & Planet Green League assessed how well universities are integrating sustainability in their core teaching and research activities with a new Curriculum criteria.
Robin Parker, President-elect of NUS Scotland, commented:
“More and more, students are seeking an education which equips them with the skills and knowledge to deal with the global challenges that their generation will face - challenges like climate change and global inequality. Given the current funding situation, it would be easy for institutions to see the sustainability agenda as a luxury – in fact, it is more important than ever.”
With environmental issues playing an important part in students’ choice of university(5), a new free interactive iPhone app launched alongside the People & Planet Green League 2011 allows students (and staff) to easily compare universities green credentials - from performance to curriculum. The application will be available to download from iTunes store from 7th June.
Finally, the People & Planet Green League 2011 also assessed universities’ commitment to ethical procurement. University of Sheffield is the first UK university to affiliate officially to the Worker Rights Consortium – an independent watchdog monitoring worker’s rights abuses in university supply chains.
Susan Nash, Vice-President Citizenship & Society, National Union of Students, said:
“With hikes in tuition fees next year and students wanting the best value for money, being green has never been more important for universities who are now competing for students. People & Planet’s launch of the Green League 2011 iPhone app makes it quick and simple for students to consider their Universities commitment to the environment when choosing their university.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
For further analysis, interviews or publication rights to the full People & Planet Green League 2011 table, please contact Louise Hazan on 01865 245678 or greenleague@peopleandplanet.org
(1) The People & Planet Green League 2011 ranks 142 UK universities – awarding them a First, 2:1, 2:2, Third, or Fail – according to environmental policy, management and actual performance in areas such as carbon reduction, waste recycling, energy efficiency, transport emissions, sustainable food, ethical procurement and water consumption. See full methodology
It combines data obtained directly from universities through the Freedom of Information Act with Estates Management Statistics data obtained from the Higher Education Statistic Agency. The full table is published on 7 June in partnership with The Guardian and is available in full to other publications from 8 June. The results can be viewed at: http://peopleandplanet.org/greenleague
(2) People & Planet is the largest UK student network campaigning to end world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment. Find out more The People & Planet Green League is produced as part of the Going Greener campaign which aims to transform the environmental performance of the UK education sector. Inspired by the Transition Towns movement, the campaign brings together staff and students to create transition universities by developing and implementing their own projects in response to climate change and energy security. Find out more about Transition Universities
(3) Nottingham Trent University also came top of the People & Planet Green League in 2009
(4) Current sector-wide targets, which apply only to English universities, are 34% or 43% by 2020 from 1990 or 2005 baselines respectively. Welsh, Northern Irish and Scottish universities are expecting similar and possibly even tougher sector-wide targets to be finalised and applied soon.
(5) A 2009 study by the HEA and NUS found that over a third of students consider the environment to be either a ‘very important’ or ‘somewhat important’ factor in their choice of university.
Recent Press Releases
Which university is the greenest of them all?
Who will take the top spot in this year’s People & Planet Green League table? Full results will be released on Tuesday 7 June 2011 at 1pm*
People & Planet is pleased to offer your publication or website:
- the opportunity to publish full or top 20 league table results*
- regional, national or bespoke versions of the league table + analysis
- Analysis and interviewees for features
The award-winning People & Planet Green League is the only ranking of all UK universities by environmental and ethical performance. This year’s league table results will reveal which of the UK’s 142 universities has:
- the biggest carbon footprint and most ambitious plans to reduce it
- the curriculum most likely to produce graduates suited to a fast-changing world
- the most renewable energy generated on-site
- the most ethical investment and Fairtrade procurement policies
- the best recycling rates, water reduction and sustainable food on-site
- and much more.
This 5th edition of the People & Planet Green League comes as funding cuts start to threaten sustainability budgets within the higher education sector, yet the need for action remains higher than ever.
Louise Hazan, People & Planet’s climate change campaigner, said:
“The People & Planet Green League provides the only comprehensive analysis of which universities are making the grade in preparing their students for a fair and sustainable future. With most universities proposing to charge huge tuition fees, students want to know their money is being well spent, not wasted on fuelling climate change.”
“This year’s People & Planet Green League will be the biggest yet, with over 140 institutions taking part to pit their eco-credentials against each other. Climate change is a huge concern for a growing proportion of students and our league table provides the best analysis available to help them make an informed choice.
“For Vice-Chancellors, the People & Planet Green League provides a wake-up call - those who fail to cut their carbon emissions face a further 40% cut in their capital budgets from the funding councils”.
For interviews, comment or publication rights for the full People & Planet Green League 2011 table, please contact Louise Hazan on 01865 245678 or greenleague@peopleandplanet.org
Notes
Please note that The Guardian has exclusive rights to publication on 7 June, full results can be published elsewhere from 8 June 2011 onwards.
Transition universities top Green League 2010, but “progress from most far too slow”
See full results of People & Planet’s Green League 2010
People & Planet’s Green League 2010 (1) is unveiled today by the UK’s leading student campaign network(2). The Green League is the only league table ranking all UK universities by environmental performance. It is based on 11 environmental policy and performance-related criteria including carbon emissions per head, waste recycling rates and new criteria measuring the sector’s efforts to engage students and staff in cutting carbon emissions.
The University of Plymouth takes top spot this year, with strong scores in both the environmental policy and performance sections. Also in the top 5 are the universities of Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Central Lancashire, Aston and Nottingham Trent.
For the first time ever, the Green League 2010 compared the scope and ambition of universities’ carbon reduction plans against sector-wide climate targets introduced earlier this year by HEFCE, Universities UK and GuildHE(3). Whilst some universities are on track to cut emissions by 34% over the next 10 years, the majority (107 universities) have short-term targets equivalent to less than 3.5% annual cuts. This shows a severe lack of ambition and urgency across the majority of the sector, despite the fact that capital funding will soon be linked to emissions cuts.
Louise Hazan, People & Planet’s climate campaigner, said:
“We expected this year’s Green League to show the sector making a clear transition towards low-carbon operations - students have been demanding this for years. Despite clear improvements across the board on policy and student engagement, we found that the sector as a whole is emitting 25% more carbon now than it did 5 years ago. That’s obviously incredibly worrying with regards to climate change”
Whilst more universities than ever are embarking on a low-carbon transition, this year’s Green League reveals many are adding as much as a third to their staff and students’ carbon footprints through a lack of effective environmental management and leadership(4). Emissions come from fossil-fuel based energy, inefficient buildings, and lack of recycling facilities and green transport options.
Iain Patton, chief exec of the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges, agrees that student engagement is key:
“If you make every university graduate 10 per cent more sustainable, however you measure it, that’s more impact than if you switch off all the lights in every university for a year”
People & Planet’s Director, Ian Leggett, adds:
“People & Planet congratulates all those universities which achieved First Class awards in this year’s Green League. Their success is a tribute to sustained leadership and comprehensive efforts to achieve the necessary transition to a low-carbon higher education sector. But we can’t leave it to a small number of leading institutions: all universities must play their part and take urgent and ambitious environmental action now. This year’s Green League shows us that too many in the sector are not responding to the challenge.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For further analysis, interviews or publication rights to the full Green League 2010 table, please contact Louise Hazan on 01865 245678 or louise.hazan@peopleandplanet.org
(1) People & Planet’s Green League 2010 ranks 133 UK universities – awarding them a First, 2:1, 2:2, Third, or Fail – according to environmental policy, management and actual performance in areas such as carbon reduction, waste recycling, energy efficiency, transport emissions, sustainable procurement and water consumption. See full methodology http://peopleandplanet.org/greenleague/methodology-2010.
It combines data obtained directly from universities through the Freedom of Information Act with Estates Management Statistics data obtained from funding body HEFCE. The table also shows the change in each university’s ranking between 2009 and 2010. The full table is published today in the Times Higher Education magazine and is available in full at: http://peopleandplanet.org/greenleague
(2)People & Planet is the largest UK student network campaigning to end world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment. Our network consists of student groups at over 70% of Britain’s universities and 10% of Sixth Forms. For more info visit http://peopleandplanet.org
The Green League is produced as part of People & Planet’s Going Greener campaign which aims to transform the environmental performance of the UK education sector. Inspired by the Transition Towns movement, the campaign brings together staff and students to create transition universities by developing and implementing their own projects in response to climate change and peak oil. For more information, visit: http://peopleandplanet.org/goinggreener
(3) HE sector-wide targets introduced by Hefce, UniversitiesUK and GuildHE’s, which apply only to English universities, are 34% or 48% by 2020 from 1990 or 2005 baselines respectively. This is equivalent to a 9.6% annual reduction on 2005 levels within the next 5 years. Welsh, Northern Irish and Scottish unis are expecting similar and possibly even tougher sector-wide targets to be finalised and applied soon.
(4) Based on an average UK footprint of around 15 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The lowest carbon emissions per head in the Green League 2010 were less than half a tonne, whilst the highest were almost 10 times that (4449kg).
