Edge Hill has been ranked as a top tier university in a Uswitch study of the sector’s commitment to being green.
The University has been commended for a variety of eco-friendly credentials, including the use of solar PV and thermal panels and initiatives like the car share and Cycle to Work schemes.
The news comes as Edge Hill celebrates the first week-long Sustainability Festival, designed to engage students, staff and the wider community to explore how to live and work more sustainably.
Steve Igoe, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said: “We are committed to managing the environmental impact of our activities, encouraging students and staff to help us reduce our carbon footprint and working together towards the national net zero target.
“To be ranked in the top tier in this study by Uswitch is encouraging, especially as it comes at a time when we are already highlighting the importance of sustainability with our new festival.”
The second annual study by Uswitch involved a Freedom of Information request which asked 132 universities about procurement of energy and green policies. Edge Hill also scored highly thanks to its Hedgehog Friendly Campus status, campaigns to reduce food and energy waste, recycling, the introduction of Sustainability Champions, the Sustainability Festival which runs from 1-5 November, and SustainNET, a network community set up to advance sustainability.
The installation of ground source heat pumps and the use of CHP (combined heat and power) was also highlighted, and the green status of the University’s energy supplier and tariff were also taken into consideration.
Sarah Broomfield, energy expert at Uswitch, commented on the positive news. “It’s great to see that some universities are going above and beyond when it comes to sustainability.
“Having renewable installations on campus and schemes in place to produce more of their own renewable energy shows that they are leading by example in trying to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.”
Edge Hill University has a series of Policies, Strategies and Plans in place to improve its environmental performance and is working hard to contribute towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
November 5, 2021
