ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, SUSTAINABILITY & ‘GREEN’ TRAVEL
Oxford University’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy was approved by Council on 15 March 2021. The strategy sets two ambitious targets: to achieve net zero carbon and to achieve biodiversity net gain, both by 2035. The strategy focuses on these ten priority areas: • Research - Increase research and engagement in environmental sustainability. • Curriculum - Offer all students the opportunity to study environmental sustainability, either within or outside the examined curriculum. • Carbon emissions from University buildings - Reduce carbon emissions related to our energy consumption to a minimal level. address the University’s principal biodiversity impacts through its operations and supply chain, and enhance biodiversity on the University’s estate. • Sustainable food - Reduce the carbon emissions and biodiversity impact of our food. • Sustainable resource use - Reduce • Biodiversity - Identify and the environmental impacts of our consumption and supply chain. • International travel - Reduce aviation emissions from University staff and student travel and offset the balance of emissions. • Local travel - Limit transport emissions by reducing the need to travel, encouraging walking, cycling and the use of public transport and managing the demand to travel by car. • Investments - Ensure that the University, as an investor, is part of the solution to climate change and biodiversity loss.
• Learning from the pandemic - Build on the experience of the pandemic and the potential shift to more environmentally sustainable working practices. The strategy is underpinned by the following four ‘enablers’: • Governance - Embedding environmental sustainability in the University’s governance and decision making; • The Environmental Sustainability Subcommittee, established in 2021 as a subcommittee of the Planning and Resource Allocation Committee (PRAC), is chaired by Dr David Prout, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Planning and Resources) and has representatives from across the University and student body. The Subcommittee holds overall responsibility for environmental sustainability at the University. • Reporting - Developing a system of annual reporting of carbon emissions and biodiversity impact within the first twelve months, which will be published in the University of Oxford’s Annual Review and financial accounts; • Funding - Establishing the Oxford Sustainability Fund, making £200 million available for sustainability initiatives over the next 15 years, to finance the programme of action required to reach net zero carbon and biodiversity net gain by 2035; • Offsetting - Establishing a policy to guide our use of carbon offsetting and biodiversity offsetting. Visit our Environmental Sustainability Strategy Q&A page for responses to some of the key questions regarding the strategy.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ESTATE
The University has a number of masterplans which allow for improvements in existing facilities and accommodate the demand for an increase in the size of the functional estate. • The Radcliffe Observatory Quarter provides high quality modern teaching and office-based research facilities that encourage interdisciplinary and collaborative work; Humanities faculties have moved together into the former Radcliffe Infirmary Building and the purpose-built Andrew Wiles Building brings together the Mathematical Institute from three separate locations • The purchase of the Park Hospital site allows for the expansion of the Old Road Campus as a centre for developing world-leading medical research alongside operational clinical facilities • There are opportunities to redevelop and refurbish buildings in the Science Area and Keble Road Triangle to meet demand for state-of-the-art laboratory-based teaching and research • The Begbroke Science Park offers considerable scope for expansion and growth allowing University research to develop hand-in-hand with industrial and commercial enterprise • The Iffley Road Sports Centre provides opportunities to develop new sports facilities comparable to those of other world-leading universities
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