Home Education £700k to help York St John University fight climate change

£700k to help York St John University fight climate change

by Blessing Ubani
£700k to help York St John University fight climate change

YORK St John University has been awarded more than £700,000 to help it take a lead in tackling climate change.

The Government funding will allow it to install air source heat pumps to reduce the use of gas for heating and to put solar photovoltaic panels on roof tops.

It will also be able to introduce an energy storage system to store excess solar energy generated in the daytime for use at night.

A university spokesperson said it planned eventually to become carbon neutral and was on target to reduce emissions by 80 per cent by 2030.

They said the funding came through Salix Finance, a Government backed scheme to support sustainability projects in the public sector.

Nick Coakley, director of estates management & development, said the university’s focus was carbon neutrality and the funding would help it on that path.

“Our student and staff community cares about the environment and this is the right time to be thinking about our economy and the future of our planet,” he said.

“We all need to play our part in tackling climate change and are committed to minimising our impacts, and to promoting sustainable development wherever we can.”

He said the university exceeded its target of a 43 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020 by achieving a 48.9 per cent reduction during 2018-19, compared to a 2005 baseline.

“Our future targets are to further this reduction, aiming for a 65 per cent reduction by 2025 and 80 per cent by 2030. Our environmental performance is monitored across several fields including climate change, waste, and biodiversity.

“We maximise recycling and send zero waste to landfill and have an expanding biodiversity enhancement programme across all our sites.”

The news comes as York St John marks its first Green Week, in collaboration with the Student’s Union – a celebration of activists, businesses and alumni working to create a more sustainable future.

Original Article

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