Turning data into action Measuring and sharing your environmental progress Green Impact training - 4 Feb 2019

Today Why measure and monitor environmental targets and progress? Measurement - sources of data you can use Measurement - practical exercise (a bit of maths!) Sharing your environmental progress - examples and case studies Planning your next steps Lunch and networking

Why measure and report progress?

Why measure and report progress? G024 - …This could be communicating a reduction in energy consumption, paper usage, volume of waste sent to landfill, water consumption, or travel mileage, depending on the Department’s achievements. B003 - The Green Impact team has introduced itself to their department and regularly updates their colleagues about the positive changes they have made.

It helps you to… Know what you’re achieving, and you can share your success with colleagues, students, and management… Target your efforts on the areas with the biggest impact Learn what is and isn’t working, so you can adapt and improve what you do Help you to demonstrate your effectiveness / success, and raise awareness of problem areas

Staff Sustainability Survey 2018 Question: What might influence you to be more environmentally-friendly in the workplace? “Being aware of the consequences of our actions (whether environmentally-friendly or not)” “Some sort of performance indicators, to show how we are doing” “Hard statistics about sustainability posted in prominent places (e.g. by the entrance door) in buildings”

The University’s targets and annual reports

Sources of data

Techniques for measuring and identifying energy issues Real-time/historic date (Systemslink or equivalent) Meter reads Display energy certificates

Other techniques for measuring and identifying energy issues Walk-round/end of day audits Plug-in monitors Product data Web-based benchmarks

Techniques for measuring and identifying waste issues Mick George data

Other techniques for measuring and identifying waste issues Purchase records (e.g. paper, cups etc) Bin audits External resources + a bit of maths! (e.g. Defra conversion factors)

Techniques for measuring and identifying water issues Invoice/meter data Walk-round audits Product data Jug-based estimates! External resources + a bit of maths!

Techniques for measuring and identifying travel issues Annual staff travel survey Audits (car parks & bike racks etc) Questionnaires & surveys (e.g. surveymonkey)

Measurement – some useful approaches

Common ‘factors’ or benchmarking tools Money - £ Energy - kWh Weights – KG or tonnes of waste Volumes - m3 waste or water Distances - Miles travelled Other comparisons – Elephants, cups of tea What about trying to compare different environmental improvements?

Carbon Emissions – a great universal way of measuring environmental impact The amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, is usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). When you heat your house with oil, gas or coal, then you also generate CO2. Even if you heat your house with electricity, the generation of the electrical power may also have emitted a certain amount of CO2. When you buy food and goods, the production of the food and goods also emits some quantities of CO2. This can be measured in grams, KG or tonnes. CO2e – Used for showing the total equivalent climate-warming impact of lots of different gases (CH4, N2O) measured in CO2 ‘equivalent’. Usually measure in kg or tonnes

Using carbon emission to target your environmental efforts:

Putting it into context Using environmental metrics can be a useful way to decide on what areas to focus on which have the greatest environmental impact… Let’s try this on a global scale!

Carbon Emissions – making them tangible? The average Briton’s carbon footprint: https://realtime.realworldvisual s.com/?heading=GI%20trainin g&subheading=Test&gas=car bon%20dioxide&rate=0.00050 70202339494325& The University’s emissions from energy use: https://realtime.realworldvisual s.com/?heading=GI%20trainin g&subheading=Test&gas=car bon%20dioxide&rate=2.09145 8465041409&

Carbon Emissions – making them tangible? Emissions per day from one staff/student at the University Emissions per day from the whole University! https://www.realworldvisuals.com/emissions-comparator

Useful background reading Available for free online: https://www.withouthotair.com/

Practical exercise

10,000 x 48 x

Give it a go! Come up with a fact about the environmental impact of today’s training session… Carbon emitted from the lighting and equipment in the room. Carbon emitted from the travel to today’s event. Carbon emissions from the items we’ve used (and the waste we’ve produced). Carbon emissions of our teas, coffees and cakes!

www.realworldvisuals.com/energy- converter Useful reference www.realworldvisuals.com/energy- converter

Putting your data to use and communicating it - examples

Monitoring change – examples from Green Impact teams Philosophy waste audit Freezer reduction initiative at IMS-MRL MRC Epidemiology’s IT energy efficiency project UL ‘Project Phoenix’, recycling promotion initiative

Raising visibility CRUK polystyrene reduction and recycling initiative Paper use awareness at Greenwich House and Earth Sciences Clare College recycling intervention – before and after! Cup reduction at Obs & Gynae

Making it tangible

Making it tangible (2)

Feeding back on progress

Your takeaway from today… Think about one environmental issue you want to tackle in your department What data do you need to better understand and tackle the issue? How could you measure or estimate it? How could you show change over time? Who could you communicate it to, and how?

Suggestions to go away and do! Contact us for what data we hold Who else in your department could you liaise with? (Building manager, comms person, management) Do one practical measurement exercise Put a date in the diary to regularly review progress Feed back to your colleagues (and to E&E!) One issue at a time! Focus on one issue this year?

Any questions? Contact us… Website: www.environment.admin.cam.ac.uk Email: environment@admin.cam.ac.uk Email: travel@admin.cam.ac.uk Twitter: @CambridgeSust Facebook: /Cuenvironment Sign up to monthly ‘Greenlines’ newsletter www.environment.admin.cam.ac.uk/greenlines

Lunch!