Green Gown Awards 2014 - Best Newcomer - Goldsmiths, University of London - Highly Commended

Catching the carbon culprits; energy, lights, heat

“Catching the Carbon Culprits” is a holistic approach to preventing energy wastage. Heat was escaping through poor insulation and lights were being left on unnecessarily. The project’s most apparent benefits are its financial and carbon savings.

Since its commencement in 2009, Catching the Carbon Culprits reduced Goldsmiths’ CO2 emissions by 6,000 tonnes and reduced running costs by approximately £1,605,000.

The replacement of old equipment in favour of newer, more energy efficient technology also helped. Additional benefits to the Estates and Facilities team include fewer complaints from staff and students regarding the temperature of their work/ study environments leading to more productive staff.

The University has now reached its carbon targets and is on track to exceed larger targets. It also improved its positioning in the 2013 People & Planet Green League Table by 10 places because of the improvements and placed 40th in UI Green Metric Ranking of World Universities.

Top 3 learnings

1 Identify areas of wastage
2 Implement quick fixes immediately
3 Invest in new technology

What the judges say ...

A good application of a contractual methodology - new to the education sector and giving valuable, quantified outcomes. A very helpful case study.

What it means to win ...

“At Goldsmiths we are committed to reducing our impact on the environment through various initiatives managed by our dedicated Greening Goldsmiths team. To win a Green Gown Award is a fitting reward and recognition for all of the team’s hard work and dedication.”

Patrick Loughrey, Warden

Videos

• Catching the Carbon Culprits; energy, lights, heat (click to hide)