University of Sussex rises in Ranking of World’s Greenest Universities

The GreenMetric Ranking of World Universities for 2019 places Sussex 13th overall in the world out of 780 participating universities from 85 countries. This is a rise of six places since last year’s table.

One of the greenest universities in the UK

In the summer of 2017, the University pledged to cutting its carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2025. In doing so, it began an ambitious journey to become one of the greenest universities in the UK.

A multi-million pound Go Greener programme has seen investment in the largest solar project in the UK higher education sector (with the installation of more than 3,100 photovoltaics on 29 campus buildings), as well as improved heating and cooling systems in key areas, and the installation of smart metering across the campus.

Energy efficiency

More recently, key improvements include an increase in the amount of electricity that is generated by the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit, which produces power and heating for the campus.

Energy efficiencies mean that energy consumption on campus has not increased at the same rate as the growth in student numbers.

These improvements are reflected in the GreenMetric table, which considers six criteria including setting and infrastructure as well as energy and climate change.

The University has also improved its transportation methods, with a reduction in the number of cars and motorbikes coming on to campus, as well as an increase in the use of electric zero-emissions vehicles by staff and students.

The other three indicators are waste management; water usage; and education and research.

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Article published in Brighton Journal on 23/12/19