Leeds University has long sought to lead the way in environmental and ethical issues and this became more pronounced in 2003 with the appointment of Dr Keith Pitcher as Environmental Officer and Steffi Hasse as Transport Coordinator. We gained fair-trade status in 2005 for supplying and promoting fair-trade products across campus, and we have the first carbon-neutral Geography department in the country! In 2006 the Uni won a Green Gown award for the success of its recycling projects. The Uni now has over 30 staff environmental coordinators and green teams.

The University boasts many researchers who lead the field in environmental and social research, promoting environmental responsibility and sustainable development. Many of the staff and students have a keen interest in the world around them and in both research and daily life seek to “do their bit”. Others are still waiting to join in. To help ensure that the Uni’s policies & principles continue to make a real difference to our world, all you need is a willingness to do your bit!

Environment

There are lots of green spaces within our city campus. The University is planting trees, encouraging wildflower areas and reducing pesticide use. You can help keep these areas nice by taking your litter with you (can you recycle it?) and avoiding damage to plants.

CO2 and other pollution

Since 2001, the Uni has been working to reduce energy use and has decreased water consumption by 23%, despite rising student numbers. The Uni and the hospital (LGI) have their own heat and power generator powering the main campus, and since 2005 all electricity supplied to large off-campus sites has come from renewable sources (green electricity). Solar power is being incorporated into many new buildings. Turn off lights if you are last to leave a room and switch off your computer monitor if no-one is waiting to use it when you’re finished to help this effort.

Traveling to Uni

This is another major source of pollution. So, think about getting a bike! It helps you keep fit, is a sustainable means of travel and often it's quicker than walking, driving or getting the bus around the city! Secure cycle storage facilities have improved a lot recently, both around campus and in halls of residence, and the more people who use them the better they will get. Velocampus Leeds is a newly introduced scheme for students which lease fully equipped bicycles at low cost for the academic year.  The university-based scheme also provides maintenance for the bikes, route, safety and storage information and cycle training.

Students can hire a Velocampus bicycle for a small charge and a returnable deposit. During Freshers Week, you can just turn up at the Velocampus Leeds stall to get further information or sign up to hire a bicycle, or contact Velocampus co-ordinator Lisa Brannan on 0113 343 6573 or by email at  l [dot] r [dot] brannanleeds [dot] ac [dot] uk. See
www.leeds.ac.uk/velocampus for more info.

Look out for ‘free breakfast for cyclists’ events, usually during Healthy Week after Christmas, and cycling buddy schemes to get you used to Leeds roads. Students are not allowed to park on campus and the traffic-wardens are ever wary! Check the Leeds Travel Section (p11) and the Uni’s excellent travel guide for more information. 

Resource use

We use a lot of stuff! But there has been lots of recent progress in this area; work is being done on getting recycled paper in all printers and photocopiers. Doubled-sided (duplex) printing facilities in clusters are also improving. Choose recycled paper for your notes and use both sides where you can. Print doubled-sided (or reuse paper with a blank side). Papers, notes and first-drafts of work can even be printed 2 pages to a side. Do both and you use 1/4 of the amount of paper!

Impacts

The University is huge. There are over 64 thousand students (35k full time), and over 8,000 staff, not to mention the buildings. Our carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2004/5 totalled 51,700 tonnes (the same as return flights from London Sexchat to New York for 32,692 people) with 72% from energy use and 27% from staff and students commuting. We also produce 1,681 tonnes of waste each year, with 34.3% currently being recycled. There is still massive room for improvement!