Green Scorecard & University League Update

10th September 2015

The EAUC welcomes the update from AUDE (below) on the development of an Estates-focused Green Scorecard in response to the agreement we both have with People and Planet. Background information on this can be viewed at https://www.eauc.org.uk/people_planet_green_league.

We are aware that it is unclear whether People and Planet will run University League this year. In the absence of this the EAUC is committed to ensuring a mechanism exists for the sector to continue to report and improve sustainability performance beyond the Estates scope.  We don’t want a vacuum to form around important aspects of sustainability for the sector such as student education and research, and the sustainability agenda to be weakened as a result. We are here to support our Members and we intend to do this.

We are pleased to be supporting AUDE taking the lead on the estates areas of sustainability and we look forward to further supporting them during the forthcoming consultation period. We see this work as the first phase in a multi phased whole institution approach to all aspects of university and college sustainability including teaching, learning and research, leadership and governance and partnership and engagement. We aim to work with the sector in the forthcoming months to ensure there is a mechanism to report continuous improvement across these non-estates areas. We will be working with sector staff and student bodies, as well as  our Members, to develop this. We will keep you informed as this progresses.

AUDE MEMBERS COMMUNICATION

Dear Colleagues

Re: Green Scorecard

The review of the sector’s estates sustainability reporting mechanism is nearing completion. This was commissioned by AUDE, in partnership with EAUC, and undertaken by ARUP. In summary a total of 7 workshops were held with 160 people attending.

Arup are completing the final stages of the assessment tool.  I expect to issue the first draft of the Green Scorecard within the next 2-3 weeks. We will welcome comments, and will seek to issue the final version following a period of consultation.

This toolkit will comprise of the specific areas as follows: 

1. Energy and emissions
2. Water
3. Waste
4. Adaptation
5. Procurement
6. Biodiversity

The data that will be used, is drawn from the EMR, and is therefore a minimal burden to Universities and in particular Estates Departments. The Green Scorecard can be used to develop each institutions’ plans and allow you to measure progress against these. It can also be used to target specific areas and benchmark performance against your own target/s. The steering group reflected the views of the workshops that this would be extremely useful to demonstrate the real progress that is being made in HE.

In addition there is an opportunity for a miscellaneous section and an overall score/review. The toolkit can be tailored so that each University can compare its own performance over time and against others as required. 

The Green Scorecard will allow Estates Directors to be clear about the areas that they can influence and target as part of each institutions’ environment strategy.  The Green Scorecard will also provide an extremely useful and standard tool to measure progress reflecting local issues/infrastructure and progress. 

Arup are finalising the documentation and this will be issued shortly amongst AUDE and EAUC Members for comment.

Phase 2 is for the EAUC to look at those wider areas of sustainability which sit outside of Estates which will include appropriate staff and student sector agencies.

The workshops were extremely helpful in identifying this as an opportunity for AUDE and EAUC to work together closely and coordinate these activities, for the benefit of the sector as a whole.

I would like to thank all those who attended the sessions and EAUC for their support in working so constructively with AUDE on this important development.