The ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï’s efforts to create a green campus have turned to gold.
Winchester has been ranked as a Gold Tier ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï in the .
To achieve gold, the ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï scored positively in six out of the seven criteria which featured in a Freedom of Information request from the Uswitch researchers.
The ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï celebrated becoming hedgehog-friendly campus with a prestigious Gold award from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society in March 2022
Highlights of Winchester green credentials were:
The ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï has used 100 per cent zero carbon electricity since 2008.
It also has solar panels on nine of its buildings which generate approximately four per cent of the ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï’s total electricity consumption.
The ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï’s long-term aim is to move away from gas entirely and since 2020/21 it has cut its use of the fossil fuel by 20 per cent.
A grant of £3.12M from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in 2020/21 has seen the replacement of 35 gas boilers with low energy air source heat pumps.
Mat Jane, Head of Environment and Building Services at the ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï said: “This gold ranking highlights our on-going commitment to reducing the impact our campus has on the environment.
“We have cut our scope 1 and 2 energy emissions* by 67% relative to the size of the estate and achieved a 42% reduction in absolute terms.”
Gavin Hunter Chief Operating Officer at the ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï: “Mat and his team are to be congratulated on their hard work and the effective way that they have implemented a number of sustainability initiatives which, along with great engagement by students and colleagues, have helped Winchester achieve gold status in this survey.
“It’s now more important than ever that institutions such as the ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï continue to demonstrate that it is possible to reduce their carbon footprints by significant amounts.”
Winchester’s other green honours
Each year People and Planet (the UK’s largest student campaign network) releases a table ranking all UK universities by environmental and ethical performance. In 2022/23 Winchester ranked 33rd out of 153 universities. The ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï also finished in the top ten of all universities in the Energy Sources ranking of the league table.
The ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï has achieved a 70% recycling rate in the 2022/23 academic year.
In 2022 the ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï was awarded our Plastic Free ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï status from national charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS).
*Scope 1 emissions are directly from fuel vehicle fuel use, and/or chemical leakage. Scope 2 are indirect emissions from bought electricity, colling, heat and or/steam.
Pictured top: While model sheep safely graze...the green wildflower roof on The Stripe building at the ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï.
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