Hertfordshire in premier league of green universities

(11th June 2007)

The University of Hertfordshire has been ranked in third place out of more than 100 UK universities in a league table based on environmental performance. The 'People and Planet Green League 2007' was published in the Times Higher Education Supplement on Thursday (6 June 2007).

Hertfordshire was congratulated for its commitment to the environment along with Leeds Metropolitan University who came in first place and the University of Plymouth who came second.

Universities were ranked on criteria including whether or not they have a publicly available environmental policy, a green travel plan, whether they have full time environmental staff, how much renewable energy they use, if they carry out environmental audits and what percentage of waste they recycle.

People and Planet, a national student body who campaign on issues of poverty, human rights and the environment compiled the league table. Talking about the top three universities they said: “If all universities followed their example, Higher Education could - as it must - take its place at the forefront of society’s efforts to achieve sustainability.”

Michelle Dixon, Environmental Advisor at the University of Hertfordshire said: “The University is really embracing the environmental agenda. We have recently made major commitments to reduce our carbon footprint, implement an Environmental Management System and make our purchasing choices more sustainable. We are also well known in the sector for improving biodiversity on campus and for good waste management. Just last week we announced that we are to switch over to using 100% recycled paper for all our printers and copiers, amounting to over 26 million sheets per year. This is around 2000 trees worth of paper!

“We are delighted with the result but of course we are always looking to improve. Our key message is that everyone at the University has a valuable part to play in reducing our environmental impact. It is up to us all to make difference.”

To view the People and Planet league table visit: http://peopleandplanet.org/gogreen/greenleague2007

To read more about the University of Hertfordshire Environment Team and their activities visit: www.herts.ac.uk/sustainable

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