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Annual Report 2010/11

Annual Report 2010-11

The Environment and Sustainability Team, together with the Sustainable Aston Working Group, have published their 2010/11 Annual Report.

This report provides an update on last year's document, detailing some of the projects and initiatives that have taken place in the last year. The report also outlines our goals for the year ahead.

The report is available to download as a PDF. For a brief summary of the report and our sustainability-related activities (for the academic year 2010/11), see below.

Policies and commitments

  • Aston University has published a Sustainability Policy which is underpinned by a number of more detailed area-specific policies and action plans.

  • A revised Carbon Management Plan has been published, in line with HEFCE guidance.  

  • Aston has been achieved the Gold phase EcoCampus award for our Environmental Management System.

Teaching, Learning and Research

  • Aston Business School have continued their work as part of the UN PRME (Principles of Responsible Management Education) project.

  • ABS have also been chosen as an exemplar case study as part of a Hefce project on embedding sustainability.

  • The Centre for Sustainability and Innovation made available a second round of research funding.

  • Construction on the new EBRI (European Bio-energy Research Insitute) facility has been started; joint funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Advantage West Midlands and Aston University.

Energy consumption

  • Aston ran the Student Switch Off for our third year and has just launched the fourth year (2011/12).

  • Aston has been making good use of our £250,000 of funding received from the Salix Revolving Green Fund.

Waste

  • We have appointed a new waste management contractor, which will allow us to reduce our costs and increase our recycling rates.

  • Mini-recycling centres have been extended around campus and across halls of residence.

  • We ran a 'Zero Waste from Halls' project, collecting unwanted items from students which were then donated to charity.

Transport

  • We have installed a number of electric car charging points on campus as part of the CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrators) project.

  • We have relaunched City Car Club on campus, offering a low carbon vehicle for short-term hire.

Community

  • We ran the Aston Go Green Awards competition for the second year running and also launched the Energy Champions network.

  • The Fairtrade Steering group ran a petition to encourage the University and Student Guild to purchase more Fairtrade cotton.

  • We held our second annual Go Green Week in February, with lectures, presentations, competitions and other activities.