Sustainability is a guiding principle that underpins all our Capital Programme projects. Find out how we’re helping to reduce the University’s carbon emissions and environmental impact.
Our plans to support sustainability
We are helping to:
- reduce our campus carbon footprint
- enhance biodiversity across our campus
- reduce food waste.
To do this, we are:
- building better – our new West Slope development is being built to construction standard: 'BREEAM Excellent'
- using less energy – our Network Replacement Programme will help in our ambition to decarbonise
- using space more efficiently
- procuring services – our catering contract is expiring providing the chance to further our commitment to food sustainability on campus through competitive tendering, as more contracts near renewal stage, we will seek opportunities to embed our sustainability values.
Key programmes
Sustainability is embedded into the following key programmes:
Building better
Whether it is a new development or a refurbishment project, we look for ways to make our campus more sustainable.
Our new West Slope development, is being constructed to the BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Methodology) level: Excellent.
The BREEAM standard measures the sustainability of the final building, as well as the materials and processes used during its construction. Our West Slope development will utilise sustainable technologies such as solar panels and water recycling. We will also use green roofs to encourage biodiversity as well as using lawns and planting to soften the landscape and create opportunities for wildlife to thrive. Although some trees will be removed as part of the development, the overall number of trees on campus will increase when West Slope has been completed, with five being planted for every two trees that are removed.
We are working towards decarbonising our University – this includes reducing our digital footprint and carbon emissions and reaching our Zero Carbon target in 2035. As well as making our new-build projects sustainable, we will seek opportunities to improve our existing infrastructure to make it more efficient.
Efficient use of space
The world of work has changed forever, and we’re evolving too. The PS Places Programme will help optimise our unique and incredible campus by:
- providing the spaces, technology, and policies to support sustainable ways of working
- enabling colleagues to connect, collaborate and deliver for the University
- creating spaces that are magnets, not mandates.
Procurement
A total of 3,255 people took our catering survey at the end of 2022. The feedback from this will help shape the future of catering provision, especially when we start to look for a new partner (from August 2023).
You told us that you're concerned about the environment and want a partner that shares Sussex’s vision. In the survey, almost two-thirds of respondents said they were very concerned (22%) or concerned (40%) about the environmental impact of the catering industry.
The survey also found the issues that mean most to you, and that you are prepared to pay more for, are:
- ensuring that food is sourced locally
- offering recyclable or compostable takeaway materials
- serving sustainable products (like fair trade coffee).
At a workshop held in January 2023, led by the University’s sustainability team, a range of possible ways to reduce meat demand were also discussed. Read Sustainability Manager Sam Waugh’s blog about reducing demand for meat on campus.
Find out more about what our community think is crucial for the future of food on campus.