SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014

Transcription

1 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 This report is part of the University of Gothenburg s Annual report The Environmental Unit, University of Gothenburg

2 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Sustainable development is important to us; we always consider the long-term social, economic and ecological consequences and allow them to guide our operations. The principles of global engagement and strong civic responsibility laid down in Vision 2020 imply that the University shall work actively for sustainable development, as concretised in the environmental policy and the University s action plan for the environment and sustainable development. The University of Gothenburg has the ambition to be one of the most prominent universities in Europe for education and research within sustainable development and the environment. The university has been environmentally certified according to the international environmental standard ISO14001 and also registered to the EU s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) since The University works actively to both reduce its environmental impact, for example from the use of chemicals, energy consumption and travel, and improve the conditions for education and research within sustainable development. The efforts are based on the Action Plan for Environment and Sustainable Development The results of the work in relation to the aims for 2014 are presented at the end of this report. Research with a global focus In spring 2014, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published the last parts of its fifth large synthesis report on the climate. Three of the lead authors work at the University of Gothenburg: Deliang Chen, professor of physical meteorology at the Department of Earth Sciences, Ulf Molau, professor of plant ecology at the Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, and Thomas Sterner, professor of environmental economics at the Department of Economics. Thomas Sterner was the coordinating lead author of the chapter titled National and Sub- National Policies and Institutions. He gave several presentations on the report, both at the University and in other contexts, and stressed the importance of strong policy instruments, such as removal of fossil fuel subsidies and introduction of CO2 taxes. Sterner also arranged the conference Beyond IPCC Future Paths for Climate Research at the School of Business, Economics and Law, where several of the world s leading climate researchers discussed the need for new research areas following the IPCC s report. (8) 2

3 Marine litter In June, Expedition Skräpfritt hav (Expedition for a Rubbish-Free Sea) with researchers from the University of Gothenburg embarked on a sampling expedition through the Skagerrak/Kattegat area and the southern Baltic Sea to explore the magnitude and distribution of floating microplastics in our marine environment. The expedition ended in Visby during the Almedalen Week. According to Martin Hassellöv, project manager and professor at the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, the prevailing sea currents make the Swedish west coast particularly vulnerable to marine litter. The expedition found that the incidence of microplastics was as high in the Skagerrak/Kattegat area as in the world s subtropical ocean gyres, which are known to accumulate large amounts of marine debris. Plastics in the marine environment is a major problem because the material is broken down very slowly and becomes so-called microplastics, which then accumulate in animal plankton and small fish. Education for the future In 2006, the University of Gothenburg started labelling courses and study programmes based on environmental and sustainability aspects. In 2014, the Board of Education established new criteria for the sustainability labelling with an aim to increase the visibility and integration of sustainable development in courses and study programmes. From now on, the learning objectives for courses and programmes shall clearly state whether any of ten specified sustainability criteria are met. The criteria call for interdisciplinary perspectives and are based on criteria used at several U.S. universities. The first courses and study programmes were sustainability labelled according to the new criteria in connection with their registration in the University s course database in the autumn. In 2014, the Centre for Environment and Sustainability (GMV) was asked to support the integration of sustainable development in the University s education by developing and maintaining a web-based toolbox aimed to support the teachers in their work. Each faculty appointed a representative who together with the project group initiated the development of faculty-specific information about sustainable development suited for the toolbox. Student engagement As part of the course Environmental Management at the School of Business, Economics and Law, students were asked to estimate the financial return and environmental benefit from installing solar panels on the roof of their building. The project is based on the living lab concept, as the education and research are tested and applied on the students own physical environment. The project was developed in cooperation between the course instructors, the School s sustainability coordinator and the property owner, Akademiska hus. The School management then reached an agreement with Akademiska hus about a funding plan, and a construction permit has already been issued for the installation of 200 square metres of solar panels. The system is expected to be switched on in Handels Students for Sustainability (HaSS) and the sustainable development council at the School of Business, Economics and Law arranged a so-called summer academy where 15 students were enabled to travel to Albania and conduct a field study within the areas of sustainable tourism, waste management and property rights. The summer academy started with three seminars, each of which gave the students a theoretical orientation in the respective (8) 3

4 area. The data for the study was collected in Himarë, Albania, through close cooperation with citizens and authorities. The results of the study were presented both locally and in Almedalen during the Almedalen Week HaSS continued its seminar series titled Why Growth, with an aim to critically assess the concept of growth and the modern economic system in relation to a sustainable development of society. Lunch seminars, panel discussions and workshops with various actors from business, industry and politics were arranged. At the initiative of the Sahlgrenska Academy Students for Sustainability (SASS), several of the University s lunch restaurants introduced meat-free days. The initiative was inspired by the worldwide public health campaign Meat Free Mondays, and besides the health perspective, SASS also pointed to negative environmental and climatic effects, unethical treatment of animals and global solidarity as good reasons to eat less meat. Interaction with others The University of Gothenburg is working intensely through its departments, faculties and the Centre for Environment and Sustainability (GMV) to ensure that knowledge and research findings in the field of sustainable development and the environment are disseminated and put to practical use in society. GMV serves as a shared platform that initiates, manages, administers and supports multidisciplinary projects and initiatives related to sustainable development and the environment. A primary task is to facilitate cooperation between various actors. More than activities involving external actors and focusing on sustainable development were carried out at the University in scientific articles addressing sustainability issues were published in 2014, a three per cent increase from The comparison with 2008 does not include emissions from boats or fossil energy (natural gas and oil), since these emission sources have only been measured since The comparison with 2013 includes boats and fossil energy, however. (8) 4

5 The role of higher education in sustainable development The University of Gothenburg participated in a conference in Peru arranged by the International Association of Universities (IAU). The conference was titled Blending Higher Education and Traditional Knowledge for Sustainable Development and was hosted by Universidad Cientifica del Peru, a higher education institution with a special assignment to cater to the country s indigenous people. The conference led to the formulation of a statement in which IAU emphasises the role and importance of higher education in sustainable development. Without access to higher education, individual countries will not be able to implement their development objectives. Vice-Chancellor Pam Fredman attended the conference and gave a presentation on the University s sustainable development. Fredman concluded that many of the participating universities are actively following the University s work and are asking for increased dialogue and sharing of experiences. The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development ended in November with a conference in Nagoya, Japan. The University of Gothenburg was represented by the head of GMV, Katarina Gårdfeldt. The participating nations signed a declaration where they committed themselves to continuing their work with education for sustainable development. This was formulated as a five-point programme, where one focus area is that all aspects and operations of higher education institutions shall be guided by the principles of sustainable development. The University of Gothenburg has a clear intention to fully comply with both the IAU statement and the Nagoya declaration. Network for cooperation The University of Gothenburg is part of the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN), which aims to disseminate knowledge globally and serve as a role model within sustainable development. Several world-leading universities, including Harvard, Stanford and Cambridge, are also active members of the network. In the Nordic Sustainable Campus Network (NSCN), the University of Gothenburg is heading a project to establish Nordic guidelines for strengthened sustainability work at higher education institutions. The University of Gothenburg is also part of CSR Västsverige, which is a network focusing on public and private corporate social responsibility. The University is an active member of the network s cooperation group for sustainable purchasing and procurement. Chalmers University of Technology is also part of this group and is, like the University of Gothenburg, environmentally certified. In 2014, the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology carried out both joint procurement processes and joint environmental audits. A web-based cooperation project on sustainable development and environmental management in higher education, led by the University of Gothenburg and the Columbus Association in Paris, was completed in As part of the project, four European and ten Latin American universities held online meetings once a month, shared experiences and arranged about a dozen seminars on environmental management and sustainable campuses. (8) 5

6 We are impacting the climate The University has a goal of reducing its total CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2015 compared with 2008 levels. So far, the CO2 emissions from energy consumption and workrelated travel have been reduced by 18 per cent. In 2014, all emissions from air travel continued to be offset in two UN-approved climate projects that meet the requirements for the Gold Standard quality label. In November, the University announced its first call for applications for funding from its new Climate Fund. The purpose of the fund is to collect part of the charges for climate offsetting and allocate them to internal projects aimed to reduce the University s climate impact. The applications were assessed by the University s climate committee, and five projects were granted funding and will be completed in Seminar series on the climate issue As part of the University s climate strategy, a series of climate seminars were arranged in At the seminars, researchers from various disciplines at the University, and from other higher education institutions, shared their views on the climate issue. The climate and the marine environment, global climate agreements, a fossil-free University, climate and health as well as how the media influences our view of the climate problem were some of the topics addressed. The seminar series drew a total of 400 participants. Award-winning climate efforts In June, the University received the honourable Excellence in Campus Award from the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) at a formal ceremony at Harvard. The award was a direct result of the University s comprehensive climate strategy and the results it has generated. The total consumption of electricity and heating was 212 kwh/ m 2, a one per cent reduction from The energy consumption has decreased by 16 per cent since The total carbon dioxide emissions from travel and energy consumption amounted to tonnes in (8) 6

7 Travel-free meetings The work to increase the knowledge and use of videoconferencing technology continued in The University registered 167 new users of Jabber Video, which enables staff members to participate in videoconferencing from a computer, tablet or videoconferencing facility. University staff participated in a total of travel-free meeting hours. Travel-free meetings contribute to reduced environmental and climate impact, economic savings and more time for work, family and leisure. Ten years in the forefront In the autumn of 2014, the University of Gothenburg celebrated its 10-year anniversary as an environmentally certified university. Students and staff were invited to watch the 10 best environmental films of the millennium and in October over 250 people celebrated the anniversary in the University auditorium. In late October, environmental auditors from SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden paid a visit to review the University s environmental management system. The review was a recertification audit where the assessors looked at whether the University s environmental management system has led to a reduced environmental impact in the last three-year period. The audit report points out that the University takes the environmental work seriously and that management and staff are displaying a high level of engagement. The auditors concluded that the University of Gothenburg s environmental management system is effective and is leading to continuous improvements. The University s new support system for risk, incident and non-conformance management, GURIA, has been developed to facilitate systematic improvement work in the areas of work environment, security and the environment. In 2014, pilot tests were conducted at the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Sahlgrenska Academy. The system is for example used to report and manage incidents and non-conformance and to submit suggestions for improvement. The system will be implemented across the entire University in Since managers at various levels have a key role in the University s environmental management work, there was a continued focus on training of this staff category in Fifty-one managers (33 women and 18 men) completed the training on the University s environmental work, bringing the total number of managers trained since 2011 to 131. (8) 7

8 ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES, ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2014 Objectives The University shall promote research within sustainable development in accordance with Vision The University shall increase the integration of sustainable development in education in accordance with Vision The University shall strengthen its interaction with the surrounding community within sustainable development in line with Vision The University shall increase the number of activities and collaborative projects in sustainable development together with the students. The University shall ensure that everyone in a managerial position with responsibility for personnel has undergone training in environmental management. The University shall actively promote staff training in sustainable development. The University shall reduce carbon dioxide emissions from travel and energy by 20 per cent by 2015 compared with 2008 levels. The University shall reduce energy use by 10 per cent per square metre by 2015 compared with the 2008 level. The University shall increase the proportion of purchases and procurements (measured in economic value) for which social, ethical and environmental requirements are set. The University shall reduce the total quantity of waste by 10 per cent by 2015 compared with the 2009 level. The University shall increase the proportion of waste from which materials are recovered or which is composted by 10 per cent by 2015 compared with the 2009 level. The University shall reduce the number of incidences of chemical products included on the SIN List by at least 5 per cent by 2015 compared with the result in The University shall minimise the number of incidents leading to adverse consequences for the environment and work to minimise the consequences of any incidents. Outcome and indicators 231 scientific articles addressing sustainability issues were published in 2014, a three per cent increase from Six per cent of the courses (143 of courses) and 11 per cent of the study programmes (28 of 252 programmes) addressed sustainable development. 1 In 2014, the University arranged activities with a focus on sustainable development, a 30 per cent increase from activities and collaborative projects within sustainable development were undertaken with the students in 2014, a 46 per cent increase from per cent of management staff (51 of 229) completed environmental management training in of the participants were women and 18 were men. 131 managers have completed the training since per cent (1 203 persons) of all University staff participated in some form of professional development within sustainable development in 2014, a two percentage unit increase from The total carbon dioxide emissions from travel and energy consumption amounted to tonnes in 2014, a one per cent reduction from The total carbon dioxide emissions have decreased by 18 per cent since The total consumption of electricity and heating was 212 kwh/ m 2, a one per cent reduction from The energy consumption has decreased by 16 per cent since of all procurements (measured in economic value SEK 607 million of SEK 746 million) included environmental requirements, a seven percentage unit increase from The total amount of generated waste was tonnes in 2014, an eight per cent increase from The total amount of generated waste has decreased by 21 per cent since The proportion of waste from which materials were recovered or which was composted was 39 per cent of the total waste, a two percentage point reduction from The proportion of waste from which materials are recovered or which is composted has increased by eight percentage points since The number of incidences of chemical products included on the SIN List was 1 734, an 11 per cent increase from The number has increased by 15 per cent from Two incidents with adverse consequences for the environment occurred in preventive activities were undertaken to reduce the number of incidents with adverse consequences for the environment. 1. Since new criteria for sustainability labelling were introduced in October 2014, these results cannot be compared with previous years. 2. The comparison with 2008 does not include emissions from boats or fossil energy (natural gas and oil), since these emission sources have only been measured since The comparison with 2013 includes boats and fossil energy, however. Positive outcome for the year Negative outcome for the year No change (8) 8