Leeds cuts its carbon habit

A major scheme is under way to reduce the University’s reliance on fossil fuels, cut carbon dioxide emissions - and make greater use of renewable forms of energy.

The University’s Carbon Management Programme, approved in the summer, plans energy saving and transport programmes and a reduction in our reliance on coal and gas.

Hard-hitting movie An inconvenient truth has just been premièred in the UK. The film charts former vice-president Al Gore’s 30-year fascination with environmental issues and – since leaving office in 2000 - his efforts to help save the planet from irrevocable change. It’s a film environmental officer Dr Keith Pitcher urges everyone to see: “Global warming is fact,” he said.“Science has proved it. Now the question is what can we do to make our lifestyles more sustainable?”

Keith is behind a two-pronged attack aimed at dramatically reducing the University’s use of fossil fuels. The first is a determination to shift towards more sustainable forms of energy. New heating systems at Devonshire Hall and Bodington Pavilion are being developed using highly-efficient boilers which burn biomass pellets, created from energy crops, recycled wood waste and compressed sawdust.

At the same time, solar panels providing hot water and electricity are being installed on campus rooftops – on the IDEA building and Mechanical Engineering (pictured), with more to follow on the nursery and a new cycle storage area of the EC Stoner building. A larger project is also planned as part of the refurbishment of the refectory.

“They used to call it alternative energy,” said Keith. But it’s a term he finds rather patronising: “They saw it as all a bit novel, on the fringes, a bit ‘socks and sandals’.”

But - in every sense - the climate is changing.

Pressing reasons have forced renewable energy right into the mainstream: “If you drew a graph showing the UK’s use of our gas resources over time, it would show that we are past the peak and have started on the down slope,” said Keith. “Added to that are genuine concerns about the cost and security of supply.”

The second strand of the University’s environmental drive is based on reducing the amount of waste. A programme of seminars is being rolled out across campus to show staff how to make departments more energy-efficient. Through simple measures - switching off electrical equipment when not needed; using low-energy light bulbs; only boiling as much water as is actually needed - in some buildings electricity use has been cut by a fifth. Keith said: “We are at work for around 1760 out of 8760 hours in a year, so having equipment switched off when we are not here makes a huge difference.”

Here Keith is drawing on experience from working in California a decade and a half ago. “Large-scale renewable energy systems were being developed, and the energy companies found the best return on capital was to invest in energy saving and efficiency programmes.”

It’s a principle that works equally well on an individual scale: “People sometimes think they can’t or don’t know how to make a difference on their own - but if they take the attitude that ‘I will if you will’ then they can make lasting changes that are straightforward and real.”

The Carbon Management Programme has involved major investment - and the University has demonstrated its commitment to environmental issues by giving cash to carbon-saving and renewable energy programmes. There has been assistance and grant aid too. Scottish Power and the DTI have part-funded the latest solar installations and Future Energy Yorkshire, a Yorkshire Forward company, has worked with the University to help design and develop the projects. University researchers in the Faculty of Engineering have developed control software that will use data generated by the systems to further improve their performance.

The University has already scored some notable environmental successes:

• The amount of campus waste recycled has more than doubled since 2003;
• A transport plan prioritises initiatives to provide sustainable choices for staff and students;
• Leeds is ranked the top university in the region for environmental management and performance.

These have each contributed to a raised awareness of green issues on campus. “It’s about drawing the attention of staff and students to these issues, having an informed debate about it - and, crucially, pointing them towards changes they can make in their own lives,” said Keith.

It’s also about acceptance. “When I was a kid most houses had coal fires. In the sixties people moved on to gas central heating. Now energy is much more expensive and people are increasingly looking for renewable forms of energy both as a transition to a sustainable lifestyle and also to save money on their bills.

“We’re so far behind other countries. In Holland, Denmark, Spain and Germany it is commonplace to see solar panels on rooftops, community wind projects and biomass heating systems. In Sweden biomass accounts for 18 per cent of the country’s energy production.”

But Britain is slowly catching up. Many local authorities are setting tough targets for CO2 reductions, and demanding that new buildings source energy from diverse sources. “Grants are also available to people wanting to install solar panels or biomass boilers,” said Keith.

“The planning process is being streamlined and these systems can now easily generate 30 to 40 per cent of a home’s hot water.”

The sums are starting to add up for homeowners - and also for the University. And Keith is determined the University should lead the way.

“We want to be held up as an example of best practice,” he said. “If we can’t do it, then who can?”

Greener ways to get to work
Car sharing, cycling, walking and public transport are all ‘greener’ ways to get to work.

Cyclists can get their bikes security coded and registered on a national database for £1 on November 6. West Yorkshire Police and the University have organised the session outside the Parkinson building which runs from 8.30am-3.30pm. Keep your bike safe on campus by parking it in the cycle racks provided, these are more easily policed by security.

If you need a new bike, or want to give cycling to work a try, a new hire scheme to help staff borrow bicycles for commuting is expected later in the year and look out for future free bikers’ breakfasts advertised on Campusweb news.

Regular cyclist Professor Rik Brydson said: “Cycling in Leeds is generally quicker, relieves stress and provides important cardiovascular exercise at a very low cost to both your pocket and the environment.”

See Leeds Bicycle User Group website for more information at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/leedsbug/

More on the University’s car-sharing scheme is in a flyer in this month’s issue. More about sustainable transport see
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/estate_services/pages/06_corp/environ/06cenv5.htm

Photo: Dr Louise Jennings and Dr Keith Pitcher check out the solar panels on Mechanical Engineering