What's Stopping FE and HE Campuses from Going Green?
16th November 2022
Smita Jamdar, Head of Education at Shakespeare Martineau
Shakespeare Martineau wished to understand what challenges and barriers stop or stall institutions from becoming a green campus and what, if any, influence campus sustainability has on the prospective students. Our recent Building a Green Campus – what’s stopping institutions report, those very barriers which inhibit institutional progress towards more environmentally-sound spaces are discussed.
Our research revealed that 2 in 5 (42%) FE and HE institutions are not confident or do not know whether they will meet their decarbonisation targets, in line with the government’s goal of a 78% reduction in emissions by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. Of the UK’s 400+ universities and colleges, there are very few easy-to-find examples of carbon neutral or net zero campuses and, despite being a widely accepted concept across the education sector, there is no standardised definition for what a green campus actually is.
As part of our Building a Green Campus – what’s stopping institutions report, we wanted to define a green campus and understand what challenges and barriers were stopping or stalling institutions from becoming a green campus, as well as what – if any – influence sustainability of a campus had on the choices of prospective students. As part of our research, we gathered opinions and experiences from more than 130 FE and HE representatives and 1,000 16 to 19-year-olds planning on applying to college or university. We also spoke to universities and colleges at different stages of their green journey.
The key findings include:
What is also clear from our research is that the solutions to becoming a green campus lies in cross-institutional activities, such as leadership and management, teaching and learning, research and innovation, and services and facilities. These will be challenging to co-ordinate and implement, but also offer a common, cohesive goal for the whole institution to work towards.
We need to measure more and therefore one of our recommendations is that the EAUC’s Standardised Carbon Emissions Reporting Framework becomes mandatory to drive accountability.
One campus that is far along in its net zero journey is Gloucestershire College: in 2022 Gloucestershire College completed installation of technologies to convert both its Gloucester and Cheltenham campuses to fully renewable energy. The campuses host 4,500 solar panels from which it plans to sell excess energy back to the grid. With battery storage also on campus, the college is able to purchase cheap power to hold in reserve when daylight hours are shorter or during peak times. Pay back for the project is expected to be around six years.
Taking into consideration all the aspects identified as being associated with a green campus, by prospective students and education institutions, we developed the following definition for a green campus:
A green campus collects and reports on its energy consumption, is carbon neutral, limits or eliminates food, water and energy waste and only works with like-minded suppliers and partners. The institution works closely with the community, colleagues and students to educate, innovate and drive sustainable improvements, making a positive contribution to local biodiversity and the environment through research, course curriculum and proactive projects.
Achieving green campus status is a huge undertaking for institutions, with some aspects more challenging than others. As such, credit should be given to those en route to achieving the many aspects required. In light of this, we also propose the concept of an ‘emerging green campus’.
Becoming a green campus and hitting sustainability targets is not something that can be achieved overnight. We believe that transparency and collaboration within and between institutions and partners such as lenders, lawyers and consultants could be the key to unlocking potential in campuses across the UK. But in order to make real difference, sustainability needs to run through every aspect of strategy and not just a delegated responsibility of estates or sustainability managers.
Download the report in full here.
Visit Shakespeare Martineau's site here.
If you found this was an insightful read and wish to directly engage with our growing network, learn about joining as a Company here.
Smita Jamdar, Head of Education at Shakespeare Martineau
Shakespeare Martineau wished to understand what challenges and barriers stop or stall institutions from becoming a green campus and what, if any, influence campus sustainability has on the prospective students. Our recent Building a Green Campus – what’s stopping institutions report, those very barriers which inhibit institutional progress towards more environmentally-sound spaces are discussed.
Our research revealed that 2 in 5 (42%) FE and HE institutions are not confident or do not know whether they will meet their decarbonisation targets, in line with the government’s goal of a 78% reduction in emissions by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. Of the UK’s 400+ universities and colleges, there are very few easy-to-find examples of carbon neutral or net zero campuses and, despite being a widely accepted concept across the education sector, there is no standardised definition for what a green campus actually is.
As part of our Building a Green Campus – what’s stopping institutions report, we wanted to define a green campus and understand what challenges and barriers were stopping or stalling institutions from becoming a green campus, as well as what – if any – influence sustainability of a campus had on the choices of prospective students. As part of our research, we gathered opinions and experiences from more than 130 FE and HE representatives and 1,000 16 to 19-year-olds planning on applying to college or university. We also spoke to universities and colleges at different stages of their green journey.
The key findings include:
- 1 in 10 institutions are ‘very confident’ they’ll meet the government-set carbon targets
- 77% of institutions state finance as a barrier to becoming a ‘green campus’: 42% struggle to deliver renewable energy campus-wide and almost a third (31%) blame a resistance to change within the institution
- 79% of prospective students want institutions to have clear strategies for tackling climate change
- Less than half (48%) of institutions agree that factoring climate change into decision making would be important to prospective students.
What is also clear from our research is that the solutions to becoming a green campus lies in cross-institutional activities, such as leadership and management, teaching and learning, research and innovation, and services and facilities. These will be challenging to co-ordinate and implement, but also offer a common, cohesive goal for the whole institution to work towards.
We need to measure more and therefore one of our recommendations is that the EAUC’s Standardised Carbon Emissions Reporting Framework becomes mandatory to drive accountability.
One campus that is far along in its net zero journey is Gloucestershire College: in 2022 Gloucestershire College completed installation of technologies to convert both its Gloucester and Cheltenham campuses to fully renewable energy. The campuses host 4,500 solar panels from which it plans to sell excess energy back to the grid. With battery storage also on campus, the college is able to purchase cheap power to hold in reserve when daylight hours are shorter or during peak times. Pay back for the project is expected to be around six years.
Taking into consideration all the aspects identified as being associated with a green campus, by prospective students and education institutions, we developed the following definition for a green campus:
A green campus collects and reports on its energy consumption, is carbon neutral, limits or eliminates food, water and energy waste and only works with like-minded suppliers and partners. The institution works closely with the community, colleagues and students to educate, innovate and drive sustainable improvements, making a positive contribution to local biodiversity and the environment through research, course curriculum and proactive projects.
Achieving green campus status is a huge undertaking for institutions, with some aspects more challenging than others. As such, credit should be given to those en route to achieving the many aspects required. In light of this, we also propose the concept of an ‘emerging green campus’.
Becoming a green campus and hitting sustainability targets is not something that can be achieved overnight. We believe that transparency and collaboration within and between institutions and partners such as lenders, lawyers and consultants could be the key to unlocking potential in campuses across the UK. But in order to make real difference, sustainability needs to run through every aspect of strategy and not just a delegated responsibility of estates or sustainability managers.
Download the report in full here.
Visit Shakespeare Martineau's site here.
If you found this was an insightful read and wish to directly engage with our growing network, learn about joining as a Company here.
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