footprint - University of Central Lancashire

footprint
The sustainability newsletter from the University of Central Lancashire
ISSUE 8 SPRING 2013
Green ‘giants’ catch the eye
Larger than life art raises environmental
awareness at UCLan
Giant ice footprints, a stilt walking tree
and plastic bag art were among the
highlights of our Green Week 2013
celebrations.
The fun and visual events were aimed at
raising environmental issues with
students and staff and encouraging
them to reduce their environmental
footprint in one of four simple ways.
A giant stilt walking tree helped
members of the UCLan pre-school
centre plant trees and seeds while
textile students from the School of Art,
Design and Performance spent the
week crocheting, ironing and weaving
donated plastic bags to make an eyecatching
piece of upcycled art.
Green Team
GreenTeam@uclan.ac.uk
The footprint ice sculptures and the
pledges were themed on reducing waste,
saving energy, making better consumer
decisions and traveling actively.
Clair Challen, Environment and
Sustainability Manager, said “We’re
delighted with the amount of students
and staff who’ve engaged with green
issues throughout the week’s activities.
Over 1500 people directly engaged in
our events and hopefully we inspired
hundreds more”
Top comic Mark Watson proved very
popular with his one-off ‘green’ gig
while rickshaw rides, ethical pancakes,
eco games and puzzles which highlight
the environmental impacts of lifestyle
choices were crowd pleasers.
Sarah Buckland, Environment and
Sustainability Manager, said: “It’s been
a huge success’
She added: “The real stars of the week
were our student volunteers; their
choice of degrees ranged widely from
textiles and policing to sports
psychology and mechanical engineering
but their energy and commitment to
helping others at UCLan reduce their
green footprint was impressive.”
• Got an environmental suggestion? Send to GreenTeam@uclan.ac.uk •

Green Team GreenTeam@uclan.ac.uk
Continual Improvement
The University has now maintained the
international standard ISO14001 for its
Environmental Management System
(EMS) for almost 3 years. At a recent
external audit we received praise for the
maturity of our system and working
practices established to monitor,
manage and reduce the significant
environmental aspects of our activities,
products and services. During this period
we’ve seen awareness of these issues
and management techniques increase
dramatically with 82% of staff in
Services and 49% of staff in Schools
taking a 30 minute introductory training
session either online or in a classroom.
Environment and Sustainability Manager
Sarah Buckland said “as a result we can
now competently handle any small
potentially polluting incidents that occur
and there is a much smaller risk of them
happening in the first place”.
To find out more about how you can
help the University continually improve
its environmental performance:
• Sign up for the ‘Environmental
Management at UCLan:
An Introduction’ training
• Set up a Green Impact Team
• Contact the greenteam@uclan.ac.uk
directly with suggestions or questions.
Resource Use
• Turn it off
• Report to FM Helpdesk
Land Development & Buildings
• BREEAM • Biodiversity
• Refurbishment • Micro generation
Pollution Prevention
• Plan • Storage • Disposal
Waste
• Reduce • Reuse • Recycle
Procurement
• Ethics • Lifecycle Costs
• Contract Conditions
Travel
• Smarter • Virtual • Active
UCLan has re-achieved Carbon Trust Standard for the Third Time
UCLan was part of the first Carbon Trust Standard Pathfinder Certification in 2008 achieving
certification for demonstrating reduced carbon emissions.
In 2011 and now again in 2013 the University has maintained this rigorous, independently certified
standard with the Assessors describing UCLan as having made “very significant progress in carbon
management since 2005/06, its performance is routinely better than that of peer group members
in the North West and Nationally for the Estate”.
The carbon reduction agenda is a key part of promotional initiatives such as Green Week and an
integral part of all Estate maintenance and improvement schemes. Energy use and carbon
emissions are important issues so as to keep our utility costs to a minimum whilst addressing
global warming.
Managing our carbon emissions is part of our routine focus on improvements, achieving the
Carbon Trust Standard demonstrates through external assurance our commitment to this strategy.
• UCLan has again been certified by the Carbon Trust demonstrating that
we have made energy savings and are committed to carbon reduction. •

Green Team GreenTeam@uclan.ac.uk
Greater Choice Than Ever
New for 2013 the University has
published an Ethical Investment Policy
which joins the existing; Healthy &
Sustainable Food, Fair Trade and
Sustainable Procurement Policies.
Available on the intranet these short
documents are the frameworks staff can
refer to for guidance on improving
purchasing decisions. There is more
consumer choice than ever before,
sustainable procurement is all about
making better choices that deliver best
value at time of purchase but also for
the duration of the contract or use of an
item. Everything from stationery items to
PC’s to the eggs we use in our kitchens
can be sourced sustainably and not
always at a considerably greater cost.
In early March the University and SU
joined forces with the Preston City Fair
Trade Group to highlight Fair Trade issues
during the national Fair Trade Fortnight.
Business Services Manager Andy
Coverdale said “This fortnight was the
best yet because of the diversity of
events run across the city from; themed
films, a full sized Market in the city
centre to a bake off at UCLan” Andy
said “ UCLan were lucky enough to have
Barbara Crowther Fair Trade Foundation
Director of Policy & Communications
speak at our SU one evening, offering
an insight into how the FairTrade label
is going further to change trade for
good” and added “not to mention
plenty of free samples of food and drink
being distributed across campus”.
Following hot on the heels of FairTrade
Fortnight the Great UCLan Bake Off was
held on Monday 11th March in Foster
Learning Zone, judges were celebrity
chef Paul Heathcote, University pastry
chef Louise Gardner and SU campaigns
officer Lee McNeal. Classes included
cupcakes, traditional bake, Fairtrade
bake, flora bake and a show stopper.
The 4 entries in the Fairtrade class had
to provide receipts to prove that some
or all items were Fairtrade.
FM Hospitality & Marketing Manager
Jackie Cunningham said “We were
really pleased with how this event went
on a number of levels; the 1st year
event students who helped organise it
did a terrific job giving them plenty of
first-hand experience and we raised £62
for the Harris Bursary and Comic Relief”
SAVING REAL ACRES IN REAL PLACES
Janet Breakell is the University’s Print
Buyer, this year when getting quotes for
print work Janet noticed that one of her
local suppliers ‘NB Colour Print Ltd’ from
Chorley, Lancashire had made the effort
to stand out from the crowd in terms of
their green credentials. NB Colour Print
Ltd had chosen to ‘Carbon Balance’ their
operations with the World Land Trust.
Gavin Banks of NB Colour Print said
“the firm has always maintained a focus
on corporate social responsibility using;
FSC and/or PEFC certified and Carbon
Balanced Papers from North West
Paper, eliminating all volatile
compounds from our printing processes
and introducing an industry defining
waste management programme, but
we wanted to stay at the cutting edge”
he continued “So we were excited to
hear of the Carbon Balanced
Publication Printer accreditation”
The scheme recognises excellence in
environmental performance across the
entire spectrum of a print company’s
operations and services. Status is granted
to printers who have mapped their
operational carbon footprint to defined
boundaries, a verified third party checks
the calculations and this impact is
balanced (offset) with the World Land
Trust. Gavin continued “emissions are
checked every 6 months to give an ongoing
snapshot of our development”.
Janet says “the great thing is that NB
Colour Print don’t built the cost of the
balancing into their prices so they remain
competitive and this means that I am
often able to choose them over their
competitors because their operations are
carbon balanced” Janet continues “in
fact one of their competitors has recently
started to follow suit which gives
customers like me even more
opportunity to reduce our organisation’s
indirect carbon emissions”
The World Land Trust’s Carbon Balanced
projects offset emissions through the
purchase and protection of tropical forests
under imminent threat of deforestation
and the restoration of degraded land.
Through the land purchase of ecologically
important standing forests under threat
of clearance, carbon is locked that would
otherwise be released. These protected
forests are then able to continue
absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.
Referred to as REDD (Reduced Emission
from Deforestation and forest
Degradation), this is now recognised as
one of the most cost-effective and swiftest
ways to arrest the rise in atmospheric CO2
and global warming effects.
Sarah Buckland, University Environment
and Sustainability Manager said “The
University isn’t keen on carbon offsetting
as a rule, choosing to reduce its absolute
carbon emissions instead but this is a really
good example of some useful action an
organisation can take for those
unavoidable carbon emissions” she
continued “I like that carbon balancing
with the World Land Trust is protecting an
existing carbon sink whilst protecting
species diversity from destruction and
perhaps we need to feel less guilty about
using well sourced paper that is
biodegradable, recyclable and renewable”.
Further Information is available at
www.carbonbalancedpaper.com and
www.nbcolourprint.co.uk
Reg. No. 2113
• Did you know that we dispose of over 235,000 coffee cups on campus each year?
Why not switch to a re-usable cup? •

Green Team GreenTeam@uclan.ac.uk
Supporting Sustainable
and Active Travel
With help from our Bicycle User
Group (BUG) we have seen significant
improvements to our existing range of
cycle facilities. Here are just a few
examples:
• Old rusty equipment lockers replaced
in Greenbank Cycle Compound
• Maudland Cycle Compound for 20
bikes opened in November 2012
• A Doubling of UCLan’ s portfolio of
bike lockers with more to come!
• New covers for the Library cycle racks
UCLan were also successful in obtaining
a grant from Lancashire County Council
from the Local Sustainable Transport
Fund (LSTF). This will provide additional
cycle lockers south of campus. If we are
successful in our next application to
LSTF we hope to purchase additional
cycle shelters to protect bikes and
cyclists from the elements.
Earlier this year saw the addition of ‘The
Eyes’ poster at many of our cycle racks.
The idea was adopted from a study at
Newcastle University, which has seen a
reduction of bike thefts by 62% since
installing these posters.
“Barry Sharp, from BTP's London North
Area Crime Team, said: "Research shows
that this sign has had some promising
results at Newcastle University”
Working in partnership with UCLan
Security and Lancashire Constabulary
our aim is to reduce the number of cycle
thefts from across the University and
make cycling a safe option for
commuters to the University.
Forthcoming Events
Lancashire Cycle Challenge
UCLan is taking part in the
Lancashire Cycle Challenge.
Lancashire businesses will compete
against each other to see who can
get the most staff to ride a bike
between Monday 17 June and
Sunday 7 July.
It’s not about who can cycle the
most miles, but who can encourage
the most people to give cycling a
go. It’s all about participation –
which workplaces can get the most
people to ride a bike for just 10
minutes or more.
There are lots of fantastic prizes on
offer to tempt your team; from
cinema tickets and local restaurant
vouchers, to bike gear to support
your cycle journey. Check it out
www.lovetoride.net/lancashire
• More information and documents now available on our sustainable
development sharepoint pages or www.uclan.ac.uk/sustainabledevelopment •

Green Team GreenTeam@uclan.ac.uk
RUBBISH MATTERS
A waste audit, conducted by our waste
contractors Blakeleys in November 2012,
revealed that only 2% of our waste is
disposed of to landfill. Thanks to the
efforts of our staff and students the FM
Recycling Team are able to collect and
recycle plastic bottles, card, paper , tins
and glass as well as batteries from our
recycling bins across campus. Waste that
is disposed of as general waste is sorted
at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in
Wigan, which is able to recover
additional materials for recycling
(principally paper, card and plastics). Any
residual waste which cannot be recycled
because of contamination is used for
Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). Currently,
this is used at a combined heat and
power facility in Germany. MRF’s are
under pressure from Government to
improve the quality of recyclables that
are recovered and we can help. The
audit showed that our general waste is
contaminated with food waste and
particularly coffee grounds from our
coffee machines. FM waste and
recycling team and Catering are now
looking for solutions to reduce the
amount of our general waste that is
contaminated with coffee grounds.
The audit also revealed that disposable
coffee cups make up a significant
proportion of our waste and most
cannot be recycled so why not consider
using a re-usable mug?
Students Donate
for Charity
The University have been working
alongside the British Heart
Foundation to reduce unwanted
articles ending up in landfill.
Student donations at the end of the
academic year 2012 have raised
more than £11,000 for the British
Heart Foundation. The scheme has
again been promoted in Halls of
Residence this year .
• Follow us on twitter @UclanGreenTeam •

Green Team GreenTeam@uclan.ac.uk
Campus as a Living Laboratory
Facilities Management (FM) increasingly
assists & works with students and
researchers to support their learning in
a collaborative manner. Ruth Taylor,
Energy and Carbon Management
Officer, said ‘Working effectively
together at different levels and in
different disciplines we are able to pool
our resources and provide support
within the University to add value to the
student experience with the view of
enhancing students’ ability to use
information effectively and especially
with regards to buildings, energy
efficiencies and renewable generation
and for them to actually see the
technologies in action!’
Recent examples of these collaborative
projects:-
• Y4 Building Services students visited
UCLan plant rooms where CHP engine
have been installed as it relates to
their module
• Y3 Architectural Technology student
completing their dissertation about
solar arrays.
• Project assignment looking at
potential energy savings measures
involving JB Firth Building.
• “Are Solar Voltaic Systems cost
effective in the UK, given its climate?"
• An MSc in Energy and Environmental
Management, student carrying out a
research project to evaluate whether
students keep inefficient electrical
consumption habits within UCLan
Halls of Residence.
• Providing evidence for the Students’
Union for a NUS Green Impact award.
• Students on Electrical Theory and
Technology module, to evaluate a
building's supply and distribution
network within the Library.
• MSc renewable Energy course
evaluating the CHP system in the
Victoria building.
FM has also provided facilities and
support for a major research project,
carried out by UCLan’s School of
Computing Engineering and Physical
Sciences in our Samuel Lindow Building.
Researchers have developed intelligent
control strategies to address energy
waste and loss. The controls help to
optimise load control, increase and
improve energy efficiency and/or
maximise the benefits of renewable
energy. The paper regarding this research
has been through peer review and
accepted for publication in a leading
Elsevier Journal: Energy and Buildings.
"Intelligent Multi-Agent System for
Building Heat Distribution Control with
Combined Gas Boilers and Ground Source
Heat Pump". A copy of which can be
found at http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/7827/
FANCY A PICNIC?
Ariel photographs of the University’s
Preston City Campus highlight how
lucky we are to have so many green
corridors between our buildings when
compared to surrounding
neighbourhoods. The FM Grounds Team
have been encouraging biodiversity on
campus for many years by for example;
choosing nectar rich plants and phasing
grass cutting carefully to support insects
& species of orchids. The team have
planted 41 trees over the last 2 years.
Some of these trees have been planted
by UCLan pre-schoolers and members of
the gardening club at English Martrys, a
primary school that shares one of our
boundaries.
The orchard that the children’s
gardening club helped create is starting
to take shape, this often unnoticed
stretch of sunny grass to the side of
Greenbank and Whitendale Hall is now
dotted with fruit trees. There are plans
to develop a meadow in the centre. Get
out your picnic blankets and eat lunch al
fresco this summer!
Grounds Manager David Genther said “
It does sometimes become necessary to
cut down larger trees on campus, most
recently 7 mature conifers on
Harrington Street had to be taken out
because they had grown too big for
their location. Their shallow roots meant
they had the potential to damage
property in the vicinity” David added
“We do however plant new stock
elsewhere on campus that is more
suitable for the space, last year we
planted 23 fruit trees to provide fruit
for students and staff alike”
Environment and Sustainability
Manager Clair Challen said “we’ve
recently published a Biodiversity Action
Plan (BAP) to support our existing work
on campus, the plan identifies the
species we have on campus already and
highlights further ways we will try to
develop suitable habitats for both
wildlife and all of us to enjoy over the
coming years”.
Let us know what elements of our
Green Campus you enjoy or have
recently discovered by emailing the
greenteam@uclan.ac.uk, or tweet
photos of your picnic lunches to
UCLangreenteam.
• So far in 2013 by using a Carbon Balanced printer for some of our printing
189m2 of critically threatened tropical forest has been protected •

Green Team GreenTeam@uclan.ac.uk
Only Free range eggs at UCLan
Just a few miles down the road from
Preston’s city campus is the beautiful
Forest of Bowland where at Hougher
Farm the Collinson family have been
producing free range eggs for over 3
generations, which for the last 15 years
have been supplying all the eggs used in
UCLan catering.
John Collinson who took over the
running of the farm from his father is
committed the highest standard of
animal welfare and rears the birds
himself, making sure that every night
the 20,000 or so hens are shut in in a
naturally vented house and let out every
morning to roam and produce
consistent top quality eggs.
The eggs are even inspected by John
himself before being packed and
because he is only 10 miles from the
campus it means all the eggs we use are
guaranteed to be the freshest they can
be and fewer food miles are used.
All the eggs are Freedom Food
accredited and Lion coded so
traceability is never an issue.
Sustainability has a significant role
within the University and we aim to
include sustainable development in all
of our practices.
It is this level of dedication that has
enabled UCLan to be awarded the “Good
Egg award” by the Compassion in World
farming organisation. Set up in 2007 the
award celebrates companies that have
committed to using only cage free eggs
or egg products. To date more than 30
million laying hens are set to benefit from
the award winners policies.
It takes more than 6 billion laying hens to
produce the eggs required for the global
egg market, with over 60% of hens kept
in industrialized caged systems. Eggs are
sold either in their shells or are used by
restaurants and food manufacturers in a
wide range of processed products from
soups and sauces to ready meals, cakes,
biscuits and desserts.
So you can be sure that whether the
eggs are baked in to one of our
homemade cakes, served on a VIP
dinner or just to adorn your bacon
buttie they are the very best.
For more information on John Collinson
please visit his website at:
www.bowlandforesteggs.co.uk/
If you would like to see what other
“Good” awards there are please visit
the Compassion in World farming
website at: www.ciwf.org.uk/
Green Teams Rewarded
The first year of our behavioural change
project Green Impact (Universities and
Colleges) can already be considered a
success. Laura Williams, NUS Green
Impact Project Officer stated that the
University has done well in encouraging
over 20 teams to register as UCLan
Green Teams. ‘Our network of
Sustainability Champions within the
Schools and Services has been the key to
the early success of the project’ said
Environment and Sustainability
Manager, Clair Challen ‘..and I want to
personally thank them for their efforts
in persuading colleagues to register for
Green Impact and encourage green
habits within their work spaces’. Green
Teams submitted their on-line
workbooks in mid April. Six volunteers
(both staff and students), having
received environmental auditor training,
audited the workbooks to check for
compliance. The training, approved by
the Institute for Environmental
Management and Assessment (IEMA),
together with hands-on environmental
auditing experience provides students
with real-world work experience. Clair
said, ‘This is a just the sort of
opportunity which UClan want to give
students so that they can boost their
employability chances and it also raises
their understanding of environmental
issues’.
The audits showed that teams have been
working hard; 6 teams will be awarded a
Bronze award at the Award Ceremony
on Friday 5th July, 12 will be awarded a
‘Working Towards..’ certificate and 2
special awards will be presented for
Environmental Hero and Innovation.
As well as rewarding staff the award
ceremony will be an opportunity for
teams to share good practice and to
assist with an evaluation of the project.
• Got an environmental suggestion? Send to GreenTeam@uclan.ac.uk •