Goldsmiths’ Carbon Trust Project

Facts and figures

Goldsmiths has joined phase three of the Carbon Trust’s Higher Education Carbon Management programme. The programme is designed specifically for universities and higher education colleges and provides practical advice on cutting carbon emissions and reducing energy costs.

Putting it into practice

The Carbon Trust Project is owned by the Estates and Facilities team and has academic and SMT sponsors. A Core Project Team supports the project, although it is recognised that everyone at Goldsmiths has a role to play.

The Students’ Union is already carbon neutral and their environmental efforts have seen them win national and local awards. They are closely involved in the Carbon Trust Project and there are opportunities for knowledge sharing and learning on both sides.

Goldsmiths aims to reduce its carbon emissions by 15% over the next three years. To illustrate how it plans to do this, a Strategy and Implementation Plan (SIP) has been drawn up. The SIP outlines activities including, reviewing building usage and reducing energy consumption in specific buildings, such as the Ben Pimlott Building, to introducing energy awareness campaigns and adopting a procurement policy promoting low-carbon goods only.

The Warden of Goldsmiths, Professor Geoffrey Crossick, added his support saying:

“For Goldsmiths, engaging with the Carbon Trust’s Higher Education Carbon Management Programme is of the utmost importance, not only for the reputation of the institution and its financial well-being, but also because it engages with the commitment and concerns of our staff and students.
We have identified an urgent need to understand our carbon impact and the impact of all our activities as an organisation. And with the help of the Carbon Trust we are increasing our understanding more and more each day.”

Successes

• The Core Project Team worked with the Carbon Trust to help implement actions outlined in the SIP.
• Goldsmiths partnered with Steer Davies Gleave, in conjunction with TfL, to develop a travel plan that set out a range of measures and initiatives to promote sustainable travel choices and options for students. We aim to use data from the survey to help track travel patterns and methods, which will be useful in measuring energy consumption from students' commutes to and from campus.

Contacts
More information on environmental topics and plans for Goldsmiths can be found on the Greening Goldsmiths web pages. If you have questions or queries about the Carbon Trust Project, please contact Richard Grove, Energy and Environmental Manager.