Public Health Green Impact Information Page
During 2009/10 the Section of Public Health demonstrated its contribution to promoting greater environmental awareness by taking part in the University's Green Impact Scheme aimed at energy saving practices and reduction of waste.
This year Public Health has once again been awarded the Silver Award in recognition of its policies and we are committed to continuing to raise awareness and change attitudes in relation to ScHARR staff and environmental issues. We also received an additional Bonus Award for Innovation for 'Our Eco Come Dine With Us' initiative.
What is Public Health doing for 2012.....?
This year we are planning to register for the Green Impact Scheme once again and have lots of new and exciting initiatives planned including:-
- Installing 'Flushsaver' devices in the ScHARR toilets to reduce water wastage
- Setting up a Compost Recycling Bin in the ScHARR Common Room
- Consider starting an 'Incredible Edible Regent Court' vegetable garden in the courtyard
- Organising 'Come Eco Dine With Us' events whereby the Section is split into two teams and each team will then score the other on the eco credentials of the food brought in ie is it locally sourced, organic, seasonal, Fair Trade, low carbon, tasty, etc.
- 'Energy Fairy' Campaign whereby small prizes of Fairtrade biscuits are given out to staff who remember to switch off their equipment when away from their desks.
Photos from our recent Come Eco Dine With Us Event - Tuesday 21 February 2012
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Our first Come Eco Dine With Us Event proved to be a huge success and staff from the ‘South Wing’ of Public Health and other ‘guests’ from ScHARR enjoyed a delicious and extensive range of locally sourced, home baked, tasty and nutritional produce provided by the staff from the Public Health ‘East Wing.’
Some of the produce on offer included home made carrot and parsnip soup, curry and naan bread, locally sourced cheeses and chutneys, home baked French rustic bread, Yorkshire crisps, home made choc chip cookies, apple and blackberry crumble and rock buns and apples grown in Kent.
The ‘South Wing’ have agreed to host the ‘East Wing’ to a similar event at the end of April.
Environmental Issues - Top 10 Priorities for the Section of Public Health for 2012
Five most significant negative impacts:
- Excess electricity consumption – eg lights, appliances on standby.
- Excess paper consumption- using single sided paper, new envelopes for internal mail, printed instead of electronic resources.
- Excess unsustainable travel eg by plane, single occupant in car.
- Excess heating - rooms above normal temperature.
- Excess water wastage - flushing toilets with full flush.
Ten main Greening Opportunities:
- Staff / students turn off lights when not required and always on being last to exit a lit area.
- Staff to turn pcs off when away from desk for more than half an hour and use hibernate mode if less than half an hour.
- Staff / students encouraged to re-use old paper already used on one side for printing one sided documents (eg agendas etc + double sided printing for all other documents).
- Staff encouraged to re-use envelopes for all internal mail and to consider using labels on re-used envelopes for selected external mail.
- Staff to consider greater use of Skype and teleconferences instead of travel to meetings.
- Staff to be reminded of alternatives to sole occupant car travel to work (direct to university travel links re car sharing, cycling, walking routes).
- Staff to monitor temperature in work areas and regulate accordingly.
- Reduce water wastage (eg flush savers fitted in toilets + avoid excess use of running taps when washing hands or washing mugs).
- Reduce excess consumption of unnecessary products / packaging (eg tap water instead of bottled, use of re-usable drink bottles & sandwich wraps etc).
- Avoid waste by increasing recycling rates.
Public Health's Green Impact Team
Patrice Van Cleemput
Maxine Johnson
Catherine Grinold
Richard Cooper
Further Information
You can find out more about the Green Impact Scheme by logging onto:-
http://www.shef.ac.uk/efm/engineeringmaintenance/energy_carbon-mgt/behaviourchange/green-impact