Sustainability initiatives

Details of the School's work to reduce its environmental impact through sustainability initiatives

The University has committed to become zero carbon by 2040. The University's Climate Strategy 2016 lays out a comprehensive whole institution approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation to achieve its ambitious targets.

The Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability enables the University to understand, explain and deliver on its vision to make the world a better place.

Social Responsibility and Sustainability

School initiatives

The School is committed to reducing its environmental impact. Unfortunately, research has a heavy reliance on single use plastics, water and electricity, using 3-5 times more energy and resources than other areas of the University. 

There are several School sustaiability initiatives, including a School-wide Sustainable SBS group and various individual building groups operating across the School. 

Ultra-low freezers

Many of our ultra-low freezers (ULTs) now operate at -70°C rather than -80°C. 

This reduces:

  • the strain to the freezer, prolonging the life of this expensive commodity, and
  • power consumption, by on average 25%.
Some equipment from the Equpment Reuse Hub

Equipment Reuse Hub

To donate usable equipment for rehoming in other areas of the School.

Equipment reuse hub

Sustainable Campus

Supporting applications to the Sustainable Campus Fund:

  • Old inefficient ULTs have been replaced by energy efficient ones.
  • Replacement of halogen lights with energy efficient LEDs to the Glasshouse, Grodome and Plant Growth rooms saving 80 tonnes of CO2 per year.
  • Replacement of the chiller in the Plant Growth Facility saving over 40 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Sustainable Campus Fund

Habitat restoration

Two areas of our external estate have undergone restoration of their natural habitats by planting wildflower meadows outside Waddington and behind Ashworth Labs.

For more information, follow the Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences (IMPS) Outrech on Instagram.

Follow @Imps.outreach

Photo of the wildflower meadow behind the Ashworth Complex
Wildflower meadow behind the Ashworth Complex

Sustainability awards

Supporting the participation of various teams in the University Sustainability Awards.

We have laboratories operating at bronze, silver and gold.

Sustainability awards

Get involved

Become a Sustainability Champion, volunteer for the School-wide Sustainability Group or individual building groups.

Please contact us to share your ideas to increase sustainability at SBS, get involved in the School sustainability group, or get in contact with building-specific groups.

This article was published on