Sustainable triumphs: Green Initiatives at Oxford

In 2021, the University approved an ambitious Environmental Sustainability Strategy to achieve net zero carbon and net gain in biodiversity by 2035. To achieve these goals, the University committed to take action in ten priority areas. The work to deliver these commitments is being carried out all around the University, by a brilliant and devoted group of colleagues. And while there is so much more work to do, Green Action Week is a fantastic opportunity to stop for a little while and learn about some of the interesting and creative work that is being delivered by many staff members and students across all departments and colleges.    

Honey, the Saigas are back  

Research by biologist Professor Dame EJ Milner-Gulland and the Saiga Conservation Alliance has informed international conservation policy and interventions to help give hope to critically endangered Saiga Antelope. 

Following an abnormal mass mortality - that saw 88% of the Saiga Antelope population in central Kazakhstan die during a two-week period in 2015 – a study was initiated aiming to understand the causes of the event and identify potential interventions. The study found a bacterial infection, along with abnormally warm and wet weather, as the source of the dramatic decrease in the Saiga population. As a result, the government of Kazakhstan adopted standard procedures for disease surveillance, which informed the Saiga International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reassessment.

As a result of the conservation work, the critically endangered antelopes have made a comeback from what was feared to be the brink of extinction. Numbers of Saiga antelopes in their Kazakhstan heartland have risen to 842,000, as calculated in a 2021 survey.

Save the Saiga, research underpinning international conservation efforts

Lab gems

Laboratory buildings are responsible for over 60% of total energy consumption and carbon emissions across the University. Lab work consumes considerable resources and produces a lot of waste, some of which is difficult to treat, let alone recycle.

More than 25% of the University’s total indirect carbon emissions (from the supply chain) are from scientific and medical equipment and supplies, making it the single most significant contributor. However, the laboratory teams do not allow these facts to discourage or daunt them. Instead, they are taking action to address the environmental impact of lab work. To date, over 210 lab teams have participated in the LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) scheme. Many of which have reached the Gold Award standard.

The scheme supports labs in taking actions to assess and improve their environmental performance. These actions relate to procurement, energy consumption, resource use, waste, plastic use and more. A lab delivering the LEAF scheme can save an average of £3,700 and approximately 3 tonnes of CO2e a year.   

Learn more about LEAF

From pool waste to pool party 

Many types of sports require special equipment, most often plastic-based. The University Sports department pool at Iffley Road Sports Centre accumulates plastic waste from swimming equipment such as goggles, floaties and flip-flops. 

Kids are always going to have a nibble on pool noodles, goggles are always ending up on the lost and found and flip flops just break. Incidental pool waste goes to general waste and the items in the lost property collection was way beyond what the local charity shops in Oxford could use. – Stuart McCarroll, Finance and Business Development Manager at Iffley Road Sports Centre

Facing this waste resource, the Oxford Sports Department decided to look for a circular economy solution. The Iffley Road Sports Centre partnered with Leisure Loop, who specialise in processing these items and, in their words, recycling the unrecyclable.   

A collection point was established in the Rosenblatt Swimming Pool where people can drop their damaged pool waste and the pool team can dispose of lost or unwanted items. The waste is then collected and processed in a designated operation to become equipment once again, which is then sold in the sports centre’s shop.

Credit: Leasure Loop and Oxford University Sport

The operation is expected to be cost-neutral, and when other pools in the area join the scheme, it will become even more effective in terms of transport, carbon emissions and costs.

So next time you get to purchase Oxford branded flip-flops, you can do so knowing that it was manufactured from used and damaged items, offering a new life to the material. 

Going places without flying 

Oxford is an international university, and as such, travel is necessary for learning, teaching, and research. Aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions the affects climate and environmental degradation. While recognising that air travel is inevitable, the University’s Travel Policy aims to reduce the environmental impact of travel.

One team at the University was able to implement a minimum flight approach successfully, setting an example of how it can be done and enjoying unforeseen benefits from the shift. 

Four years ago, under the Covid-19 travel restrictions, the International Student Recruitment team within Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach developed a new strategy for international recruitment at the undergraduate level.

At the heart of this approach was a shift to online engagement with prospective students and staff from schools across the world, rather than in-person engagement. While most UK universities have since returned to an in-person approach, which requires numerous of flights, the Oxford team have continued to engage online only. 

This approach has proven to be more effective and contributes to meeting the University’s Sustainability Strategy. It allows the International Student Recruitment team to speak with a much wider array of prospective international students about studying at Oxford and allows for more in-depth conversations with potential students. Additionally, it offers prospective students the chance to meet with current international students and hear from tutors; all of which would not be possible during fleeting but carbon-heavy in-country visits. 

Online delivery also allows the team to reach important student supporters such as teachers and parents who also have their own dedicated webinars and content. For the members of the team, it allows a better work-life balance and the opportunity to spend more time engaging with prospective students instead of taking long tiring journeys.

In addition to the positive environmental impact of Oxford's new international recruitment approach, the team’s online activities, combined with the fact that all undergraduate interviews are now carried out online, means that the recruitment approach is also significantly more accessible.

Learn more about the experience of international prospective students 

The Oxford School of Climate Change 

What would you think if you were told that a group of Oxford students established an educational initiative that reaches 5,000 people worldwide annually? What if we told you that it is led completely by current volunteering students? This is the story of the School of Climate Change.  

Originally set up in 2018 by the Oxford Climate Society (OCS), the initiative was designed to be a 'Climate 101' course offering knowledge about climate change and environmental issues. It started small, with only about 20-30 students.  

Once the pandemic hit, the school shifted to an online format which created an opportunity to expand globally. Since last year, the school has been offered hybridly, enjoying the benefit of both worlds.  

At the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year, the School of Climate Change received over 5,000 applications with a record high reach. Participants come from over 100 countries, with about 50% from the global south.  

With the understanding that climate change is the biggest and most complex challenge facing humanity, the School of Climate Change covers a range of aspects offering comprehensive and, most importantly, reliable knowledge. Speakers and facilitators include academics, students, politicians and activists from Oxford and other places. 

The impact of the School of Climate Change goes beyond the participants. For example, a few teachers who, following their experience attending the course, set up a programme with the same objectives in their own schools.  

Despite the intensive work that rests on the shoulders of the OCS education team’s 15 members, the impact and feedback the school enjoys makes this remarkable initiative worthwhile.  

Very often, dedication to environmental sustainability makes us all very aware of the massive challenge we are facing, and we do not stop to appreciate what we’ve already achieved. It’s important to take the time to acknowledge Oxford’s sustainability achievements. The stories above, and Green Action Week itself, represent a few of these successes.