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Putting it into Action

Sustainable Design

Table: Voluntary tools and guidance that can be used to address sustainability issues in the built estate

Address environmental/ energy/fuel poverty issues	Address all sustainability issues (including wider issues such as land-use and transport)
SAP is the Government's recommended system for energy rating of dwellings. The Standard Assessment Procedure is used for calculating the SAP rating, on a scale from 1 to 120, based on the annual energy costs for space and water heating calculating the Carbon Index, on a scale of 0.0 to 10.0, based on the annual CO2 emissions associated with space and water heating.	BREEAM is the Building Research Establishments evaluation tool that can be used (ideally) at the design stage and following development. Ecohomes is the equivalent for houses. Trained BRE assessors undertake building surveys to rate performance on measures such as materials used and the amount or embedded energy within them; efficiency of lighting and heating (including utilisation of natural lighting and ventilation); power generation and use of renewables and micro-renewables (e.g. solar PV, Solar thermal, geothermal); it also looks at issues such as land use. E.g. physical access issues and flooding and grey water recycling.
	Whole life costing for a building aims to avoid focusing on short term cost savings at the expense of longer term benefits. Good environmental practice usually goes hand in hand with good economic practice. Measures to reduce the consumption of energy and water not only benefit the environment by reducing emissions and conserving resources, but will also result in substantial financial cost savings over the lifetime of the building. The cost of energy and water are likely to rise significantly faster than Retail Price Index over the coming decades as resources become scarcer and environmental controls on utility companies increase. Cost savings that might seem marginal at today's prices could well increase considerably as these price rises come into effect throughout the life of the building
The Green Guide to Specification (BRE) is a publication providing guidance for specifiers, designers and their clients on the relative environmental impacts of over 250 elemental specifications for roofs, walls, floors etc.	OMSH House builders Toolkit has been created by WWF, sponsored by asset manager Insight Investment, to provide clear guidance for house builders seeking to address a wide range of sustainability issues. The toolkit, compiled by Upstream tackles a variety of concerns including climate change, community involvement, the sustainable use of materials, and waste. It is available free of charge.
	The Regional Sustainable Development Framework is used to highlight the economic, environmental and social impacts of policies, development proposals and other new initiatives within the region (s) and provide information which can help to improve them from a sustainability perspective. It can be used as the basis of an appraisal framework for a Strategic Environmental Assessment/Sustainability Appraisal which are increasingly being used for large and small developments
	Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessments are increasingly used to appraise the wide sustainability issues of developments at the design stage (e.g. master plans; and housing development) and provide useful recommendations and mitigation ideas to incorporate into the final design, for example access issues (such as ensuring there is good access by sustainable modes of transport) ;land use flooding issues (such as use of SUDS); energy issues (for example exploring integration of micro renewables into design; ensuring all houses are built to at least Ecohomes 'very good'; ensuring building materials have low embedded energy) etc
	Environmental Impact Assessment processes could be used more informally in improving the sustainability performance of developments (see comments made above for Sustainability Appraisals and Strategic Environmental Assessment.
Part L (1 and 2) of Building Regs The revisions to Part L set maximum carbon dioxide emissions for whole buildings. The regulations will apply both to the construction of new buildings and renovation of existing buildings (with a total surface area over 1,000m²). For new buildings, it is anticipated that Part L will reduce carbon emissions by 25% from 2002 standards which already reduced emissions by 15%. The net reduction of 40% from pre2002 is often used as an indicator of improvement	Considerate Constructor's Scheme this is a scheme developer's on which developers can register to demonstrate their consideration for local neighbourhoods and the environment and therefore contributes to a wide range of sustainability issues, for example, it encourages developers to use and procure resources wisely; reduce pollution associated with construction activities; limit noise and visual impact associated with construction; it also contributes towards the social dimension of sustainable development for example, it urges developers to respect neighbours; and to observe safety.
	Sustainable design and construction: Guidance for planners on preparing development plan policies at the local and regional levels. (Sustainable Homes forum).
envest2 is the new improved version of BRE's tool for environmental impact and whole life costs analysis for buildings.	Sustainability Works is an online software package. It is specifically designed to help housing professionals and their partners deliver sustainable development efficiently, from policy level to project delivery.
RETScreen Project analysis software is effective and free Canadian software. It can be used worldwide to evaluate the energy production and savings, lifecycle costs, emission reductions, financial viability and risk for various types of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies (RETs).	Life cycle analysis looks at the environmental impacts of a product throughout all stages of its production; use and disposal.

The most widely adopted voluntary standard within buildings design and management is the Building Research Establishment’s family of BREEAM (BRE Energy Assessment Model) tools. These set stringent standards to which the energy and environmental performance of new or existing buildings is rated by trained BRE assessors. Excellent is the highest score, although all new builds (mainly over 1000 m2 ) should at the very least aim for a very good rating where there are explicit reasons for this. For new buildings, BREEAM should be considered from the building’s outset design stage.

Renewable Energy Options

The table below gives an example of costing renewable energy technologies and is an approach that can be used for a number of projects across all of the topics in this and other sections

	ACTIVE SOLAR	WIND	HYDRO	BIOMASS
TYPE OF INSTALLATION	Photovoltaic (PV) panels for electricity or water/evacuated air panels for heating/ hot water	Wind turbines providing electricity from small diameter 50w to large commercial turbines providing 0.5mw or more	Ranges from small microhydro turbine running off constant stream with a drop to large commercial dams and river installations	Straw, wood or various fast growing crops can be harvested for burning to create energy.
EASE OF INSTALLATION	Can be installed as part of roof (new build) or retrofitted Replumbing required for existing water tank only appropriate for south facing roofs with minimum pitch of 30º	Depends on size Larger installations require large foundations and should be sited at a distance from any dwellings	Easiest with small stream and high head of water requires pipework and concrete work to house turbine	Requires large amount of land sited near to fuel burning facility. 300500m² of coppice for space heating one dwelling
HEATING REGIME REQUIREMENTS	Solar panels most effective in summer (up to 80% of hot water supply). Best with low constant heating. PVs not effective for heating.	Provides renewable energy for electrical heating most effective in winter heating demand should be relatively Constant as there is an energy storage limitation.	Provides renewable energy for electrical heating most effective in winter. Energy storage limitations. More reliable than either wind or sun.	Best for hot water only rather than space heating. PVs not effective for heating. Effective all year round, but requires storage space (5m³ per dwelling per year for wood)
EMBODIED ENERGY PAYBACK	712 years	0.5 years	N/a (?)	Minimal
AESTHETICS	Problems of integrating panels on existing stock in urban/conservation areas	Needs careful siting in rural areas. Does not affect dwelling	Pipe work should be underground ideally turbine house and dams need integration with landscape	Monoculture cropping can look unsightly and out of place as well as restricting views . Fuel storage issues
FINANCIAL PAYBACK	10-15 years for water panels Photovoltaics do not payback over their lifetime yet	Depends on size larger installations pay back more quickly 7.5-12.5 years	Small scale systems can pay back within 7-8 years	8-10 years depending on size of scheme and species planted
LIFE CYCLE IMPACT AND HEALTH	Minimal health Impacts; Clean technology; Some environmental impact from products	Beating noise can be intrusive if sited to close to housing, otherwise clean technology; some environmental impacts from turbines	Minimal health impacts clean technology microhydro has minimal environmental impact larger schemes have more impact	Fuel must be burnt cleanly to avoid toxic emissions possible impact on biodiversity
MAINTENANCE	Life expectancy of panels 15-20 years; servicing required	Life expectancy of turbines can be 20 years or more; servicing required	Very long life expectancy turbines can run for 30-60 years; minimal maintenance	Requires intensive input for harvesting and maintenance of crops

Using Energy Efficiently

Reducing energy use

There is a wealth of information available on ways to reduce energy use. The starting point for assistance is the Carbon Trust, which provides free, practical help and advice on saving money by reducing energy use. The Carbon Trust’s website contains a comprehensive suite of fact sheets, technical guides, posters and other material. Some guidance is developed specifically for the HE and FE sector.

The Carbon Trust also provides support for individual organisations, including:

Free onsite energy surveys or detailed assessments of specific energy efficiency issues.
Design advice professional, independent and objective advice covering energy efficient and environmentally conscious building design. The service provides one day of general project consultancy, paid for by a cash-back scheme.

Reducing energy costs

The main barriers that reduce the uptake of energy efficiency measures are generally considered to be lack of capital, lack of staff time and the fact that departments are generally unaccountable for energy costs. But the increasing profile being given nationally to rising energy costs and the impact of energy use on climate change means that these barriers need to be tackled across the organisation in order to achieve real energy efficiency savings.

Despite the strong drivers from fiscal and regulatory measures, and the financial impact of rising energy prices, the direction of energy use from FE system buildings is likely to be upwards for the foreseeable future. This is because educational establishments are becoming more and more energy intensive, particularly because their use of energy-intensive IT equipment is greater, and they use more energy intensive equipment for research. Consequently older buildings incorporate air conditioning or cooling equipment to ensure acceptable ambient temperatures, while newer buildings may incorporate these services as standard. In addition, working hours are often longer, and buildings are used more intensively and, in some cases, for community use outside normal operating hours.

The importance of continuing to improve energy efficiency is therefore critical to minimise unnecessary rises in energy usage. Larger energy users may be able to reduce their energy costs, or obtain grants or loans through which they can make investments for longer-term energy savings opportunities.

There are a number of ways to obtain exemption from the Climate Change Levy: for FE organisations, the most relevant exemptions are applied if energy is provided through a good quality combined heat and power scheme, or if the energy is provided from renewable sources. There are a range of grant schemes that may provide some financial support towards installing these types of installation, such as through the DTI’s Low Carbon Building Programme or from local or regional funds. Community-related projects may also benefit from the Energy Savings Trust which has a wealth of information and experience in related areas.

Conserving Water

Good practice in water management takes the following steps:

Establish levels of water use using water meters, with regular monitoring.
Eliminating leaks checking for underground water losses, taps left running, taps dripping, urinals flushing continually, etc.
Reducing unnecessary water usage such as wasteful or inappropriate grounds watering or overzealous wash-down of hard standings.
Monitoring progress relating to water consumption over time.
Recycling grey water and rainwater

There is a wealth of information about ways to reduce water use available from the government-funded organisation Envirowise.

Envirowise

Produce guidance fact sheets and technical support documents about how to approach and implement water savings initiatives, from easy, no-cost actions through to ways to invest in cost-effective savings.

Early actions to minimise water use can include the following types of actions:

Encourage good housekeeping and efficient use of water in all areas;
Fit flush controls to urinals in gents’ toilets
Fit percussion taps to turn off water automatically in washrooms; and
Fit pistol grip controls to hosepipes.

More specific information is also available through Envirowise including events, workshops and site visits.

The Environment Agency

Publishes a range of free literature relating to water conservation and demand management. The information includes details of implementing a water management plan in buildings, cost benefits of investing in water efficient technologies, opportunities from investing in greywater recycling systems, and case studies.

Reducing Waste

The Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges has produced an online Waste Management Guide that is targeted directly at FE and HE (FHE) providers. The guide does not attempt to provide comprehensive advice on managing every possible waste arising from FHE organisations, but aims to provide a framework for building a waste management system and then provides useful signposting to other sources of more detailed information where appropriate. It gives guidance on developing a structured approach to waste management within an educational environment, advice on arranging and contracting for disposal of waste, and information about different types of waste likely to be encountered for disposal.

There are a number of main steps to developing and implementing an effective and sustainable approach to waste within the management of your buildings and estates:

Assess your current waste how much waste is produced, what types of waste are produced, which departments produce which types of waste, where is the waste disposed to
Identify opportunities for savings use the waste hierarchy to identify where waste can be eliminated, reduced, reused, recycled
Establish priorities for action to establish some “quick wins”, which activities would achieve the greatest results (e.g. volume/weight of waste, value of disposal costs saved); the fastest results and which would have greatest impact on staff and learners?
Set targets, agree data collection requirements
Implement waste minimisation and waste management actions
Monitor progress
Review the results, identify successes
Promote achievements, implement continuous improvements to the waste management plan

Encouraging Biodiversity

This guidance provides an overview of the key drivers and issues relating to biodiversity that can be a reference for FE providers and for those with curriculum responsibilities in your organisation. It describes how biodiversity can be fully integrated into the management of your estate and how it can also be incorporated into the overall learning provision relating to sustainable development.

The EAUC’s practical guide on Biodiversity on Campus

The EAUC’s practical guide on Biodiversity on Campus set out a three-stage approach to taking action on biodiversity which you should apply in your organisation:

Creating:

new habitats and wildlife opportunities
greater awareness of biodiversity across the FE organisation
benefits for staff and learners
new partnerships within the FE organisation and with the wider community

Enhancing:

wildlife
local biodiversity
the work and study environment for staff and learners

Maintaining:

wildlife habitats
healthier campuses
interest in environmental issues

Guidance on developing biodiversity action plans can also be found on the Business and Biodiversity Resource Centre’s website, on which there are a number of publications relating to biodiversity and sustainable development.

Purchasing

By working through the sources of guidance below, you will gain a better understanding of how your procurement actions can make an important contribution towards advancing sustainable development within your organisation. The sources below provide guidance on identifying opportunities for increasing the sustainability of your procurement choices.

Action Sustainability

Action Sustainability is a Social Enterprise set up to lead and inspire sustainable procurement. It supports and facilitates the Strategic Supply Chain group, a leading authority on sustainable procurement whose members are Directors and Senior Managers from the UK's leading private companies, government departments, professional institutes and academic organisations. It provides the latest thinking on sustainable procurement and is a good place to start.

Forum for the Future's ‘Sustainable Procurement Process’

Forum for the Future has developed a flowchart “The Sustainable Procurement Process” It shows the key steps involved in improving sustainability of procurement, as follows:

Reduce demand
Specify sustainability
Favour sustainability
Improve suppliers

Forum for the Future is working with a number of public sector organisations, including councils and NHS trusts, to develop and implement a greater quality of sustainable procurement.

OGCbuying.solutions

OGCbuying.solutions, the trading arm of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), is one of the latest public sector organisations to join Forum for the Future. Over the next three years Forum for the Future will be working with OGC buying.solutions to increase its sustainability credentials and improve the sustainability aspects of the goods and services made available to the public sector under its contracts. Working in partnership, Forum for the Future will be developing OGC buying.solutions’ Sustainable Development strategy, reviewing its policies and creating a sustainable procurement toolkit for category and contract managers, to ensure sustainability is built into procurement processes.

Transport and Fleet Management

Supporting initiatives

The Energy Savings Trust is the main source of information, advice and support on ways to improve your transport management.

The Energy Saving Trust works to cut greenhouse gases and air pollution from the road transport sector. It promotes cleaner, lower-carbon vehicles and fuels, eco-friendly driving techniques and low-carbon transport alternatives. It offers a free fleet consultancy to any organisation running at least 50 vehicles, to provide practical advice on how to reduce fleet costs, cut vehicle emissions, improve social and environmental relations, and minimise traffic and parking problems.

Sustrans, a leading sustainable transport charity, works with schools to establish cycle routes and improve public transport.

Engaging with staff and learners

Much of the emphasis will involve your organisation focusing on engaging with staff and learners to encourage them to take a more sustainable approach to their mobility. This could include:

best practice urban design on and off campus to minimise the need for cars
reducing the need to travel e. g. using videoconferences
car sharing this may need better planning for meetings, events etc
improving access to alternatives to the car
walking or cycling particularly where trips are only one or two miles in length
integration with public transport working with local transport providers to ensure clean, safe, reliable and accessible public transport that is closely integrated with the FE estate
providing subsidised public transport / cycle purchase support
fleet management audit
encouraging advanced car driving techniques which can reduce fuel consumption by up to 25%

Additional options could include considering adopting highly fuel efficient cars for the organisation’s fleet such as alternative fuels, electric hybrid. You should also take care to address the issue of your “grey fleet” this refers to staff who use their own cars on official business.

Environmental Management Systems

The government-funded organisation Envirowise provides a range of documents guiding the preparation and implementation of writing environmental policies. Although mainly targeted at industrial companies, the guidance is of relevance to the Learning and Skills sector as well.

As a general rule, it suggests that the policy should contain statements on the following criteria:

a commitment to continuous improvement
recognition of compliance with relevant environmental legislation as a minimum level of performance
the education and training of staff in environmental issues and the environmental effects of their activities
the monitoring of progress and review of environmental performance on a regular basis (usually annually)

The policy statement can include any areas of relevance. For the FE system, areas will include energy, waste, water and transport.

You should also read the Section on Leadership and Management. This will help you understand where an EMS can sit within the wider sustainable development priorities for your organisation.