From Strategy to Reality: Delivering Sustainability

Daniel Botterill & Michelle Dixon – Sustainable Resource SolutionsKatherine O’Brien – University of Hertfordshire

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From Strategy to Reality: Delivering Sustainability

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How can we build on strategy and policy good practice to achieve significant reductions in resource consumption and costs in the FHE sector?

• Where are we?• Where do we want to be?• How do we get there?• Funding and investment• Effective project management• High performance contracts and contract management• Communications and campaigns • Monitoring and reporting • Case Study: from strategy to reality at the University of Hertfordshire• Discussion: sharing experience in successful project implementation

Where are we?

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Where do we need to be?+

We now need to go beyond strategy and achieve measured and significant reductions in costs and resource consumption

HEFCE budget settlements and the need to reduce non pay costs • 41 institutions have seen real-term funding cuts • 15 institutions have seen cash cuts

The rise of the Green League and benchmarking – green reputation is becoming ever important

The Carbon Reduction Commitment – Early action metrics such as the Carbon Trust Standard

Capital funding for Universities will be linked to performance in reducing carbon emissions

How do we get there?Policy, strategy,

management systems

Improved Implementatio

n

Commitment, staff time

Opportunities assessment

Presenting the case effectively

Securing and negotiating funding and investment

Effective communication,

engagement and campaigns

Effectively managing projects

and contracts

Effective monitoring , reporting and

verification

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Gaining External Funding+

• HEFCE LGM• Revolving Green Fund• BREW Funding for public sector organisations• WRAP – capital grants programme for infrastructure

projects• Carbon Trust – CMEE projects, partnership for

renewables• Regional Development Agency Funds – LDA,

Yorkshire Forward etc

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Effective Project management+•Make the most senior member of staff available to manage projects

•Collaborating with others – don’t reinvent the wheelo NISPo Regional University Groups o Regional purchasing consortia and OGCo Collaborative contracts

•Make use of existing experienceo EAUC projects, resource bank and JISCo Extensive sector Initiatives

• Look for local and/or novel solutions o Local furniture re-use networks and charitieso Specialist facilities e.g energy from waste plants, MRFs

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Effective Contracts and Contractor Management

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• It is crucial to both have input during the tender stage and actively manage contracts thereafter

• Identify and track high risk sustainability contracts in your institution

• The specification is very important – set environmental criteria based on sustainability specifications

• State what you want, don’t be sold a standard service

• Ensure that sustainability staff are present for key contract interviews and are included in contract management meetings.

• Include penalties in the contract for not meeting sustainability criteria

Communications and campaigns Know your audience and relate to individuals

Make direct requests

People are more worried about loss than gain

Empathy and imagination

Make it normal ‘most people are doing something’

Keep reminding

Don’t talk about the future or people’s grandchildren!

Start small, get people interested

No fear without agency

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Communications and campaigns+A few other tips:

• Change your messages, use a variety of approaches

• Rewards, incentives, competitions

• Make people feel they are part of something bigger than them – clubs, groups

• Help people to feel good – congratulate over berate

• Link to existing issues and events within your organisation

• Be positive, make it fun!

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Monitoring, reporting and bill verification

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• Set clear reporting guidelines for reporting on key contracts – this will be especially important for waste contracts

• Include a requirement for monthly reporting as part of your key contracts

• Use reporting highlights as part of your communications activities

• Check bills and invoices, don’t just sign off

• You can save around 3% of your energy costs. May be done manually or through bill validation software. Check:– Correct cost breakdown, estimates, are the rates correct? is it roughly

what you expect? (make comparisons month by month over several years), how does it compare? check calculations, don’t be afraid to dispute.

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Rethinking Rubbish at Hertfordshire+Recycling rates increased from 30% to 70%

Total amount of waste produced has fallen by 20%

Waste management costs have been reduced by more than 30%

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Rethinking Rubbish at Hertfordshire+•Audit and opportunities analysis

•Flexible project management staff

•Compliance system has been designed and implemented

•New waste management contract has been developed and is being managed effectively

•Increase in the value obtained for rebates

•Recovered excessive costs and historic rebates

•New facilities and awareness campaign

•6 Year waste strategy and vision

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Sharing Ideas, Experience and Resources

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• What are the main barriers to implementing sustainability strategy and policy in the FHE sector? How do you think these could be overcome?

• What are your main successes with project implementation and how have you achieved them?

• What would make your life easier as environmental manager – any specific project tools or practical project assistance?

• What opportunities are there to collaborate with other Universities. What is already happening?

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Thank you for your time+

Michelle DixonSustainability Manager Sustainable Resource Solutions LTDMichelle.dixon@srs-eu.com

Daniel BotterillDirectorSustainable Resource Solutions LTDDaniel.botterill@srs-eu.com