Heating and powering our campus is one of the University’s largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions and so work to improve the efficiency of these systems is very effective at reducing our institution’s impact on the environment. To this end, a major project the University is currently undertaking is the installation of a Combined Heat […]
Why is renewable energy important? As attested in UN Sustainable Development Goal 7, ensuring that our power is being generated renewably is a vital part of meeting climate goals, whether national, international, or across individual organisations (White, 2024). Here at Newcastle University, lighting accounts for around 20% of our energy use alone, but electricity is […]
What is Wind Power? Wind power is a renewable source of energy that harnesses the kinetic force of natural air flows. To do this, turbine blades are angled so that the passing winds push against them and transfer their energy into rotational movement. This movement then drives a generator that transforms the kinetic energy into […]
An Environmental Management System (EMS) assists businesses and organisations in improving their environmental performance and their operations that have an environmental impact. It is worth noting that an EMS can be implemented within any business or organisation, it is not dependant on the size or activity of the organisation/ business. An implemented EMS would be […]
There are many ways that energy is created across the world, and these are grouped into renewable and non-renewable energy sources. Non-renewable energy refers to natural sources that take thousands of years to form and produce harmful greenhouse gases when they are burned for energy. The most used non-renewable energy sources are coal, oil, and […]
The terms ‘Energy Price Cap’ and ‘Energy Price Guarantee’ appear almost daily on the news and social media. They seem very important but, unfortunately, these phrases are not well explained, and many people don’t understand what they are and what this means for them. This blog will help clarify these terms, allowing you to better […]
The Sustainability Team, based within Estates and Facilities, lead on environmental management and operational sustainability initiatives at Newcastle University. Established in 2006, our team’s remit has grown significantly over time, reaching across university activity and working with a range of colleagues to embed positive change. Key areas of work in our day to day include: The teams’ work focuses on eight key themes including: waste, travel, biodiversity, and carbon. So, who’s behind […]
Every year, around 400 million tonnes of paper and paperboard are produced, with numbers predicted to double by 2050. The paper industry is among the top five most energy-intensive industries globally and production requires significant amounts of water. Printing may seem like a small, everyday activity, but its environmental impact can add up quickly. Adopting more sustainable printing practices can help us to reduce waste, energy use, and carbon emissions across campus. […]
Last week we hosted the North East’s first LEAF Audit training workshop! The event was organised by one of our sustainability officers, Phoebe, and was open to all Universities in the region taking part in LEAF. Attendees joined us from Newcastle, Northumbria University and Durham University. This in person training session was delivered by Caitlin […]