BU has been awarded EcoCampus Platinum status for improving its environmental footprint.
Staff and students have been working together to make BU a greener place through a variety of schemes across both campuses. Their hard work has been recognised through the EcoCampus Platinum Award and an ISO14001 certification for environmental management.
In celebration of the achievement members of staff and students involved in sustainability projects attended a presentation and light lunch. BU’s Vice Chancellor Professor John Vinney, Chief Operating Officer Jim Andrews and Sustainability Manager Neil Smith spoke at the event.
BU is one of only 25 universities to be awarded dual status of the EcoCampus Award and the ISO14001 certification, as of summer 2019, which are awarded following external audits. EcoCampus is a national environmental management system award scheme for the further and higher education sector.
BU is continuing to work towards its environmental goals. It is committed to minimising environmental footprint and maximising social impact through reducing waste and carbon emissions, increasing recycling and promoting more sustainable practices. Sustainability practice at BU is not just about recycling - it is embedded in every aspect of university life including research and teaching, and developing new eco-friendly teaching spaces and student accommodation.
Achieving the award was a collaborative effort involving every department and faculty, and has also resulted in a number of student-led initiatives, spearheaded by the Students’ Union at Bournemouth University’s (SUBU) Green Taskforce. The taskforce is made up of students who are passionate about promoting sustainability and being eco-friendly. They have been promoting green activities on and off campus, including cleaning up the local community and campaigning for biodegradable bags in the SUBU shops.
Vice Chancellor John Vinney said: “I’m proud as I reflect back on where we’ve come from over the last 10 years on this journey. It’s been amazing to get to this point, so thank you all very much."
“Our environmental footprint is all of our responsibilities – all staff and students and it’s only by working together that we’ve got to where we are today.”
BU’s Sustainability Manager Neil Smith took the lead on the campaign. He said: “I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved. This is just the start of the journey – once you’ve achieved this recognition, you can’t take your foot off the pedal because it’s all about continual improvement."
“I’m looking forward to working with BU colleagues to continue the improvement and keep the standard.”
You can also find out more about what BU is doing to promote sustainability and sustainability activities on the website.
Keep up to date with the work of the Sustainability Team by following them on Twitter.
