Warwick achieves 34th place in this year’s Green League
The University of Warwick has achieved 34th place in this year’s Green League after rising 95 places since last year.
The Green League is an annual UK competition which ranks UK universities in order of highest environmental and ethical performance. It is run by the student campaigning society People & Planet.
A statement from Warwick Students’ Union (SU) on Thursday 25 November announced the ranking on Facebook. They thanked student and staff for working towards a more environmentally-friendly Warwick.
They commented: “While there is still much to be done in the area of sustainability, we are grateful to the University for already approaching the SU to discuss how it can raise its environmental efforts further, offer support to the SU’s sustainability actions, and improve its own rating again in next year’s league.”
While there is still much to be done in the area of sustainability, we are grateful to the University for already approaching the SU to discuss how it can raise its environmental efforts further.
Warwick SU
The Green League takes into account issues such as reducing carbon emission, following environmental policy and encouraging staff and students to behave in a more eco-friendly manner.
Nottingham Trent University came top in the League followed by the University of Brighton and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Warwick came joint 34th place with the University of Edinburgh and was ranked number 7 within the Russell Group universities.
Warwick scored particularly high in auditing and Environment Management Systems (100%), staff sustainability (63%) and carbon reduction (63%).
However, Warwick scored 0% for workers’ rights and water reduction. Overall Warwick scored 50.8%.
Since last year, Warwick has begun several new environmental initiatives: the Green Champions network which raises awareness about sustainability across Campus, Warwick’s UniCycles and the Environmental Sustainability Fund which will give £5,000 to the student projects which aim to improve sustainability at Warwick.
[The League] has become over ambitious and so complicated in the information it seeks.
Peter Dunn, Director of Press and Policy
The University currently have 15 societies focused on green themes. It also launched the new degree Global Sustainable Development in October 2016.
Cameron Clarke, a second-year English with Creative Writing student, commented on Warwick’s ranking: “This is somewhat unsurprising given that the University is systematically replacing poorly insulated 60’s constructions with new state-of-the-art buildings.”
However Peter Dunn, Warwick’s Director of Press and Policy, questions the usefulness of the League in measuring the University’s environmental impact. He stated: “[The League] has become over ambitious and so complicated in the information it seeks.”
He added: “until now, it hasn’t really been able to take into account how large universities and campus universities will inevitably fare worse in their calculations – however they may perhaps have found a way of taking that into account this year.”
This comes in the same week that the SU’s Environment and Ethics Officer, Sam Carter, resigned.
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