University of Warwick

The University of Warwick, which was the venue for the 2009 Annual EAUC Conference on 31st March - 2nd April, is strategically committed to delivering all aspects of sustainability and becoming a "living demonstration of the principles of environmental sustainability".

A Great Place to Work, Study and Play

Many visitors to the University marvel at the diverse nature of the 292 hectares main campus estate and the similarly-sized nearby site occupied by Horticulture Research International. Much effort is directed at maintaining the estate in an environmentally-sustainable manner, from the construction of BREEAM Excellent buildings to the management of large areas of land under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme.

Building towards a low carbon economy

Warwick is now in the third year of its Carbon Management Implementation Plan, with the short-term target to reduce carbon emissions by 10% (based on a 2004/05 benchmark). Great strides had already been taken with the installation of large-scale combined heat and power (CHP) generation early in 2001. The first two years of the carbon management programme have seen awareness campaigns, thermal store installations, improvements to the thermal performance of buildings and recycling infrastructure improvements.

The move towards a low carbon economy has also stimulated significant academic interest across the University, with the formation of new courses such as the Global Energy MBA at Warwick Business School, the enhancement of renewable energy research and behavioural change study in our dedicated institute (WISER) and investigation of climate adaptation measures in agricultural systems at HRI.

Sustainable Transport Solutions

One of the major environmental impacts associated with the future campus development is associated with future transport strategy. A detailed transport assessment led to the derivation of a travel plan to mitigate the adverse effects of the campus growth. A specific car sharing initiative (Warwickshare) has delivered spectacular early success and is due to be rolled out to students shortly. Other transport initiatives have focused on improving cyclists’ facilities, demonstrating electric vehicles and improving the accessibility to public transport information.

Main Contact Name: Joel Cardinal, Head of Energy and Sustainability
Main Contact Email & Telephone: J.Cardinal@warwick.ac.uk and 024 7615 0973
Further information/website: www.warwick.ac.uk/environment
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