University’s green advances marked in league table

It climbed from 14th to eight in this year’s People and Planet Green League which measures universities on both their environmental and ethical performance.

It rates higher education institutions on a range of areas including ethical procurement, sustainable food, carbon, waste and energy management.

Last year Bradford University unveiled a new student village which was hailed as the most sustainable building in the world after achieving the highest ever score from BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment).

The Green, a £40m 1,000 bed development, was opened in September. The halls of residence have solar panels to heat up water, rain captured from the roof to flush the toilets and a screen in the kitchens showing students how much power they are using.

The university’s vice chancellor, Professor Mark Cleary, said: “The university is dedicated to sustainability and this announcement further demonstrates this. It has been a fantastic year for sustainability on campus with the opening of the Green; the sustainable student village in September and more recently winning a Greenbuild award for its new School of Health Studies building and being announced as Carbon Champion of the Year 2012.”

The tables award universities a first, upper or lower second or a third based on their score.

Sheffield Hallam, Huddersfield and Leeds Met were among the 45 universities nationally ranked as first class.

Leeds Met’s director of estates Sue Holmes said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive a first class award from People and Planet in 2012. We are one of only six universities in the country to have been awarded a first class in all six years that the awards have been running.”