WERB news 4 Nov - Publications Unit - The University of Western ...

8 UWAnewsAnawardwinningbalancingactreducing energyincreasing recyclingThe University has topped the sector in reducingenergy consumption.A survey of 24 higher education institutions world-wide has putUWA at the forefront of energy management. The study byEnergetics (a corporate arm of Western Power) indicated thatUWA had progressed from two stars (representing 33 per centachievement in reducing energy consumption) in May 2000, tothree stars (representing 53 per cent) in August this year. Energeticshas assessed 767 sites world wide, 51 in the education sector.Of these 51 sites, 24 are higher education institutions.UWA’s rating of 2.4 is the highest recorded in the sector. Theaverage in the sector is 1.4.UWA’s environmental manager, Gordon Walsh, said it wasimportant that the very good work carried out by OFM staff,particularly Tony Humphries, John King, Stuart Townsend,Bruce Thompson and Russell Candy, with regard to energymanagement and environmental sustainability, was recognised.If it was anybody else, you might be worried. But asJeremy Smith is an anatomy and human biologystudent, on the brink of completing his PhD and anational award-winner to boot, it’s likely that he knowswhat’s best for his own anatomy.For the past few years, Jeremy has been sitting on a biginflated exercise ball instead of a chair, to work at his computer.“I’m a sprinter and I train hard. I found that sitting in anorthodox chair all day affected my back, which in turn affectedmy hamstrings. A physiotherapist suggested I try sitting on aball instead of a chair – and I’ve never looked back!” he said.His career will probably never look back either, as Jeremyrecently won the 2002 Junior Scientist Award from the Societyfor Reproductive Biology (SRB).He received the award for his paper, co-authored with hisPhD supervisor Associate Professor Brendan Waddell, on leptindynamics in pregnant rats.The hormone leptin is produced primarily by fat cells and isbest known for its role in regulating food intake andmetabolism. But leptin also plays several roles in reproduction,most notably as a signal for puberty onset and the promotion offetal growth. Jeremy’s work has focussed on the biology ofleptin during fetal and postnatal development.“The work we presented at the SRB’s Annual ScientificMeeting in Adelaide was on how the transport of themother’s leptin to the fetus changes during pregnancy,and how this transport is disturbed in a model of fetalgrowth retardation,” he said.Professor Waddell pointed out that Jeremy wasthe fourth winner of the Junior Scientist Award fromthe SRB from the School of Anatomy and HumanBiology since 1985.“This is an incredible success rate for a single Schoolgiven that the SRB is a national society (including NewZealand) and the big funding for reproductive biology researchover this period has been in Melbourne and Adelaide,”Professor Waddell said.“Where sound energymanagement systems can be putinto place, the real success tothe energy reduction program lies with every individual oncampus, as it is the lighting and computer use that is by far thegreatest factor effecting the energy consumption on campus,”Mr Walsh said.“Even though we are doing well, we must not becomplacent. We can still do better and that largely depends onindividuals turning off their computers and lights when they areleaving them for an extended period,” he said.The University’s recycling efforts are also improving. MrWalsh provided figures comparing equivalent energy saved byrecycling in July ( at the start of the new program), comparedwith August and September.There has been a steady increase in effective recycling. InSeptember we recycled 40.43 tonnes of waste (compared with14.5 tonnes in July), saving the equivalent of 525 trees (302 inJuly), 165,601 kWh of power (95,413) and 161 square metres oflandfill (93).THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA • 4 NOVEMBER 2002