EFM Newsletter - Oxford Brookes University

EFM Newsletter
Issue 9
December 2008
Page 1
Welcome to the 9th edition of the EFM Newsletter
EFM Celebrates
its IIP Award!!!
Contents
IIP Celebration!
Capital Projects Team
Barcelona by bike
News from the Halls
Energy Week 2008
Catering Services News
Flying high!
Tips for a greener Christmas
Quiz time!
Compiled by:
Geoff Handley - Editor and Clare Colwell | Thanks to Bob Pomfret for help with design
Printed on recycled paper v please recycle

EFM Newsletter
Our Masterplan
and the Capital Projects Team
Leading our new team is Yannis Roussos, a highly experienced architect and masterplanner who
joined us last year from the University of Southampton, where a similar phased large programme
of Masterplanning works had just been completed. Yannis is committed to delivering buildings and
campus wide solutions that add value to the organisation and its people. He has previously achieved
award winning designs both in the commercial, FE and HE sectors and is very used to leading on
large complex projects.
Yannis’s first task with us was to make strategic
amendments to the previous masterplan and get these
approved by discussing and consulting both within
and outside the university community. A wide public
consultation was completed last month which showed
an overwhelming support for the work that Yannis has
been doing. So, very well done there!!!
Yannis manages a highly dedicated small group of inhouse
professionals which can be seen on the photo
(left to right - Sally Merchant, Andrew Moore, Yannis,
Luigi Scalera and Paul Austin) as well as, a large team
of external consultants which together with our site
based Clerk of works David Green, are delivering our
masterplan projects.
Yannis views the role of the Capital Team as a mix of strategic and operational. On one hand,
it questions everything that has gone before, creating concepts and feasibilities, business and
masterplanning strategies, and on the other hand, it requires the robustness of good planning,
development, commissioning and execution of a large number and complicated capital projects.
Attention to both detail and vision is crucial.
“Yannis believes that what we do and achieve here over the next phase of the masterplan will be
judged by thousands of people with different needs and requirements. Balancing the needs of the
actual situation on the ground with the strategic ‘big picture’ is never easy and requires a great deal
of commitment, not just from the Capital Project Team but, everyone at Oxford Brookes. Together
we can achieve the art of the possible.”

EFM Newsletter
Barcelona by Bicycle
Andrew Moore
Arriving in central Barcelona with all the noise and
bustle of one of Europe’s largest cities was a real
contrast to three weeks cycling off the beaten track
enjoying lovely rural scenery. It was hard to take in
- we were finally there after nine months of planning.
Mixed emotions of elation at achieving our goal, yet
sadness that our adventure had ended.
Lynn, my partner and I, cycled in May this year from
Wantage to Barcelona in 21 days, cycling every day,
carrying all our luggage. We cycled 960 miles, in
three countries, including a 5,000 foot high crossing
of the Pyrenees mountain range. In doing so we
raised a total of £1,600 for charity, split equally
between Helen and Douglas House Hospice and
Leukaemia Research.
Despite months of training, our first day didn’t start well what with setting off late, struggling
up the first hill out of Wantage and experiencing our first puncture! After an overnight stop
in Winchester we got the overnight ferry to Caen and then crossed all of France down to the
Mediterranean. We then climbed up the switch back roads to the Col d’Ares on the Spanish
border and from there through the foothills of the Pyrenees into Barcelona.
Never sure what we would find around the next
bend, we experienced thunderstorms, landslides,
punctures, stray animals and occasionally getting
lost. Our first day in Spain was our worst day of
the trip, as we had to cycle along main roads in
the rain, through tunnels, often finding what we
thought would be villages on the map to be large
towns. We even managed some how to end up on
a motorway at one point!
The highlights of the trip were many, but the close
up view of the snow capped Pyrenees will live long
in the memory. Experiencing the real French way
of life away from tourist areas, cycling along tranquil
roads and meeting some wonderful people along
the way was special. The fine food, wine and surroundings of many of the hotels we stayed in
were very enjoyable too!
Would we do it again – most certainly. It was one of the best things we’ve ever done.
Finally a big thank you to all those who sponsored us.

EFM Newsletter
Deck The Halls
Crescent Hall
Good news from Crescent Hall! Congratulations
to Hazel Hines, Danielle Oyanuga, Debbie Adams
and Julie Barresi, four domestic assistants who
have just finished NVQ Level 2 Cleaning. They
have worked extremely hard through the busy
summer vacation to achieve this standard. Their
commitment has been outstanding as they only
started with Brookes last September!
Clive Booth Hall
Robin Brown marked the 25th anniversary of his employment with Oxford Brookes University
in September. We are sure that you will join us in congratulating him on this magnificent
achievement. The Vice Chancellor wrote a personal letter thanking him for his contribution to
the institution
Well done Robin! I think I have known you 20 years! (Editor.)
Henry Conagan was recently given a tremendous send off when leaving Clive Booth Halls.
Management and staff praised him for all his good work during the presentation at which staff
collected for him, enabling halls management to present Henry with garden centre vouchers
and other suitable gifts. Henry is not leaving us for good though, as he starts his new job as
Handyman at Wheatley
Warneford Hall
More great news from our Halls of Residence! This time it’s Warneford Hall staff.
Congratulations to Sharon Masterson who has finished her ECDL, and Diane Haines has
finished her level 2 NVQ in Cleaning!

EFM Newsletter
Energy
Week
2008
From the 1st to 5th December, the
Sustainability Team held its energy awareness
week to highlight the role each of us as
individuals can play in helping to reduce the
University’s energy bills, as well as playing our
part in tackling climate change. Staff based
in EFM are best placed to help us reduce our
energy consumption which currently runs at a
cost of about £10,000 per day.
The highlights of the week included a visit
from the National Energy Foundation’s ‘Green
Machine’ which showcased renewable
energy technology, a film night, where the
Sustainability Team gave out free ice cream,
and stalls across all three campuses where
the Sustainability Team were joined by the
United Sustainable Energy Agency, Ecost,
Oxford City Council, and west Oxford
community group Low Carbon West Oxford.
With the week being such a success, it is
hoped there will now be a greater willingness
by staff to turn off lights and other electrical
appliances seen needlessly using energy.
The green energy machine from National Energy
Foundation
Harriet Waters, Ryan Scott and representatives from
Eco-St and United Sustainable Energy Agency
“Switch Off” sign on Gipsy Lane Campus

EFM Newsletter
Two National (possible International!)
“Firsts” for a University!
Oxford Brookes University
is the first University to gain, in
partnership with Scolarest, the
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ‘Chain
of Custody’ traceability certification. This means
that MSC eco-labelled fish on the menus can be
traced back to the fishery - and often the boat
- that caught it. The MSC is the world’s leading
certification and eco labelling program for sustainable
seafood. Set up in 1997 to tackle issues associated
with over-fishing, the organisation allows certified
food outlets to display its logo on menus, products or
at point of sale, where the fish has been
caught to MSC standards. This ultimately
means fish stocks are being carefully caught
and managed in a sustainable manner
for future generations.
Compassion in World Farming have nominated Oxford Brookes
University, in partnership with Scolarest, for a ‘Good Egg Award’!
The criteria for this award is to demonstrate an intention to move
to cage-free eggs by 2012. Catering Services have exceeded
this requirement by demonstrating its customer assurance of
having purchased free range eggs for the past three years - and a
continued commitment to do so.
These accomplishments demonstrate yet again that
Catering Services are committed to sustainable strategies
and are leading the way on food sustainability!

EFM Newsletter
Flying High!!
Danny the security man at Headington Hall recently took part in a charity parachute
jump at Weston-on-the-Green.
He said it was a thrilling experience and despite him being scared of heights
he wasn’t actually nervous on the day.
All proceeds will be split between two charities, Great Ormond St Hospital
and towards fighting Prostate Cancer. The official charity box is in
Danny’s security office until Christmas.
Danny with his neighbour Tracey

EFM Newsletter
Tips for a greener,
more ethical Christmas!
1. Plant a Christmas tree! We will use about eight million
Christmas trees, most of which will be thrown away in
January, generating over *12,000 tonnes* of rubbish.
Delight in watching your own Christmas tree bloom
and grow. If you do buy a cut tree, make sure you
get it recycled by your local council (see below).
2. Eco-up your party!* Before throwing the spongiest,
funkiest Christmas party ever, put in place some recycling
bags and boxes. We will use an extra *500 million* aluminium drinks cans and an extra *750 million* glass
bottles and jars over Christmas and the New Year. In all, enough rubbish to fill *400,000* double-Decker
buses will be produced
3. www.wasteonline.org.uk Make sure your party waste only fills a glove box!
4. English households will throw out an additional 3m tonnes over the festive period - that’s five sacks of rubbish
per family. Much of this can be recycled - see www.recyclenow.com
6. Spend time not money.* Throw your mind back over Christmases past- memories tend to be filled with the
showing of love not simply what presents you got. Don’t put yourself under pressure this year. Get creative
and give presence not presents!
7. By the time the ingredients that make up the average British Christmas dinner arrive on our plates, they have
travelled a combined distance of 49,000 miles. Turkeys from Europe, vegetables from Africa, wine from the
southern hemisphere, cranberries from America - the turkey and trimmings add up to the equivalent of6,000
car trips around the world – source food more locally – see www.local-food.net
8. If you’re stuck for what to buy someone, buy them an experience such as theatre vouchers, meal vouchers
etc. rather than a stocking-filler gift that will promptly find its way to the bottom of the drawer.
If you buy electrical goods as presents, look for items that runoff mains electricity rather than batteries. More
than 680 million batteries are bought in the UK each year, but just 5% of those are rechargeable - the rest are
land filled. If you do buy batteries, buy rechargeable!
9. When choosing which electrical goods, look for those which are the most energy efficient.
10. It is estimated that we could use an extra 750 million bottles and glass containers over Christmas - what
better way to relieve seasonal stress than smashing your bottles at the bottle bank?
11. It is estimated that up to 1 billion Christmas cards could end up in bins across the UK after Christmas. Send
recycled cards if you can, or recycle them at WH Smiths, Tesco’s, TK Maxx and Mark andSpencer.
12. More than 80,000 tonnes of old clothes are thrown away over Christmas - if you get a whole new wardrobe,
donate your unwanted clothes to charity shops.
13. Remember - the main sources of extra rubbish are packaging and cards, glass bottles, drinks cans and
Christmas trees, all of which can be recycled! Check your Christmas recycling and rubbish collection services
– see below.
14. Embrace your annual ‘get fit’ New Year resolution by ditching the car and getting on your bike. Use Brookes’
cycle scheme to get a tax-free bike – see www.brookes.ac.uk/services/hr/taxbreaks/index.html
15. Make a New Year composting resolution!
16. Finally – By re-igniting your long-lost creativity, a Green Christmas is a Fun Christmas!
For recycling over the Christmas period
Oxford City Council: www.oxford.gov.uk/environment/waste-recycling.cfm
Oxford County Council: www.wasteonline.org.uk/index.aspx

EFM Newsletter
it’s quiz time...
Here is your bumper Christmas Quiz, enjoy and good luck, winners to be announced next month,
prize is a night out with the editor or a box of chocolates!!
QUESTION ANSWER
WORLD LEADERS
1 What nationality was Adolf Hitler? 1
2 Who wrote His Thought Is a Little Red Book? 2
3 Who was the first female Prime Minister of Israel? 3
4 Who said “Je Suis La France?” 4
5 Who declared war on Britain and France in 1940? 5
6 What was Richard Nixon’s middle name? 6
7 Who said “A week in politics is a long time?” 7
8 In 1941 Deputy Chancellor of Germany flew to Britain to try to sue for
peace, he was later imprisoned in Spandu. What was his name?
8
9 What position did Ronald Reagan hold before becoming President? 9
10 What sort of instrument did Bill Clinton play? 10
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
1 Which American state is largest by population? 1
2 Dick York and Dick Sergent both played the character Darren in which
comedy series?
2
3 Kate Bush had a hit with Babushka, but what is a Babushka? 3
4 What famous landmark was designed by David Mark and Julia Barfield? 4
5 Which is the only British city that begins with the letter I 5
6 Which London tourist attraction opened in 1958 and is found in
Marylebone Road
7 Atlantic City is used in the American version of Monopoly. What is the
most expensive property?
8 What was the name of John Noakes spin off series featuring daredevil
exploits?
6
7
8
9 What was the name of Jacques Cousteau’s survey ship? 9
10 Which bingo number is sometimes referred to as Winnie the Pooh? 10
SPORT
1 Which team are nicknames ‘Posh’? 1
2 Which team where previously called Riverside FC? 2
3 How many balls are given to the umpire before a game of baseball? 3
4 How many caps are there in the Indianapolis 500? 4
5 In the Tour de France, what title is won by the rider who wears the
polka dot jersey?
5
6 Which score in darts is known as a bed and breakfast? 6
7 In an Olympic swimming final, the fastest qualifiers swim in which lanes? 7
8 David Beckham spent time on loan for which English club? 8
9 Which country is snooker player Marco Fu from? 9
10 What nationality is golfer Michael Weir? 10

10 EFM Newsletter
HISTORY
1 What was the capital of England before London? 1
2 Whose was the first royal wedding to be televised in colour? 2
3 Lady Godiva is said to have ridden naked through which town? 3
4 What was the name given to children sent to live in rural areas during
the war?
5 In which year did George Washington become the first President of the
United States?
4
5
6 Who was the first British Prime Minister? 6
7 What was the name given to the outside air raid shelters constructed
during the war?
7
8 What was the fate of Henry VIII’s 4th wife Anne of Cleves? 8
9 When was the Great Fire of London? 9
10 What is the name of the birds at the top of the Liver Buildings in
Liverpool?
10
FILM
1 Which move star was born Marion Morrison? 1
2 Which infamous actor, who died recently was a frequent star in Ealing
productions such as ‘The Lady Killers’ and ‘The Lavender Hill Mob’?
2
3 In what year was epic Ben Hur starring Charlton Heston released? 3
4 Who wrote and directed ‘Titanic’ 4
5 Ever After’ starring Drew Barrimore is an adaptation of which popular
fairytale?
5
6 Who plays the shower victim in the Hitchcock film ‘Psycho’? 6
7 What was the title of the 1956 film in which Elvis Presley made his film
debut?
7
8 Which was the first Beatles film? 8
9 Which sports star picked up his basketball to play alongside Bugs
Bunny in the film ‘Space Jam’?
9
10 Who were Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson? 10
MURDERERS AND CRIMINALS
1 What were the names of Kenneth Noyes & Doberman better known? 1
2 In what year was Peter Sutcliffe caught and charged with murder? 2
3 How did John George Haigh kill his victims, and how many? 3
4 Ted Bundy was convicted of killing 36 victims. How old was he when
he killed his first victim, a girl of 9?
4
5 Alberte De Salvo was more commonly known as who? 5
6 Killing between 215 and 260 victims, who is probably Britain’s worst
serial killer?
6
7 What number Gloucester Street did the West’s live at? 7
8 Who killed 16 young men at his flat in Muswell Hill (boiled them and
flushed them down the toilet) in 1983?
8
9 How did Victorian murderess Mary Ann Cotton kill her 20 family victims? 9
10 Donald Neilsen who killed 3 sub post women, was commonly known
as who?
10

EFM Newsletter 11
SCIENCE AND NATURE
1 What creature is sometimes called the Prairie Wolf? 1
2 Which animal brought up Romulus and Remus? 2
3 What are the collective names for the following? Badger, Bacteria,
Barracuda, Bats, Butterflies, Cats, Choughs Dolphins, Crows, Crabs
3
4 What sort of animal is a Rhodesian Ridgeback? 4
5 What are the two types of camel called? 5
6 What is the common name for Ascorbic acid? 6
7 What crop is attacked by a Boll Weevil? 7
8 Is the sun denser than water? 8
9 Roadrunner is from which bird family? 9
10 The highest record bird flight was a vulture sucked into a jet engine,
what height was the plane flying when this occurred?
10
ADVERTISING
1 What is hand built by robots? 1
2 What is the Appliance of Science? 2
3 Who says “Ho, Ho, Ho?” 3
4 The dirt says hot, the label says not? 4
5 He loves the jobs you hate, who is he? 5
6 Chocolate heaven since 1911, what is it? 6
7 Be the best? What is it? 7
8 Share a moment share life. What is it? 8
9 The better way to start the day. What is it? 9
10 Let me quote you happy. What is it? 10
CHRISTMAS
1 What is the most common item found in a Christmas cracker? 1
2 According to the song, what happened on the 10th day of Christmas? 2
3 How many birds feature in the same song? 3
4 White Christmas was first sung in which film? 4
5 Who banned Christmas from 1647 to 1660 5
6 In which body of water is Christmas Island? 6
7 In Victorian England, what people where popularly called Robins
because of their red uniforms?
7
8 William Stickland is said to have introduced what to Britain in1526? 8
9 Which pantomime is showing at Oxford Playhouse this year? 9
10 Who or what was Angus, King of the Mountain? 10
MYTHS
1 Which city was founded by Romulus and Remus 1
2 What was the name of the Greek God of the sea? 2
3 Where did Greek Gods live? 3
4 Which Arabian Princess saved her life by telling stories for 1001 nights? 4
5 What nationality was William Tell? 5

12 EFM Newsletter
6 What do you acquire if you kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland? 6
7 Who was the Egyptian God of the sun? 7
8 Who killed Gorgon Medusa? 8
9 What was the name of the one eyed giant in Greek Mythology? 9
10 In the 1976 film Robin & Marion. Sean Connery played Robin, who
played Marion?
10
AVIATION
1 Who made the world’s first military aeroplane? 1
2 In what year did the world’s first passenger service begin? 2
3 Which country first flew a jet aircraft? 3
4 What type of business did Wilbur and Oliver Wright run prior to
aeroplanes?
4
5 In inches, how long did Concorde spread whilst flying supersonic? 5
6 What year was Concorde’s last commercial flight? 6
7 What does the abbreviated A.T.C stand for? 7
8 In what year did the Montolier brothers fly over Paris? 8
9 What was Frenchman Paul Cornu first to do in 1907? 9
10 Which restored aircraft was flying again this year? It first flew in 1957. 10
MUSIC
1 Which released Queen anthem topped the Christmas charts in 1991? 1
2 “Don’t you want me” was the title of whose 1981 Christmas number 1? 2
3 Which duo recorded the 1982 Christmas number 1 “Save Your Love”? 3
4 What was Jackie Wilson’s posthumous number 1 at Christmas 1986? 4
5 The Christmas classic “Merry Xmas Everybody” was a 1973 number 1
for which group?
5
6 What was the first ever Christmas number 1 in the charts of 1952? 6
7 Who took “Christmas Alphabet” to number 1 in 1956? 7
8 What was the title of the first Christmas number 1 for the Spice Girls? 8
9 Which Christmas number 1 contains the words “Throw your arms
around the World at Christmas time”?
10 What are the Two Little Boys called in Rolf Harris’s 1969 Christmas
number 1?
9
10
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!