With COP26 (the United Nations Climate Change Conference) now underway, Regent’s has been reviewing our own impact on the environment and the measures we have taken so far to help combat climate change.
As one of the world’s most cosmopolitan universities, with a cohort of students from all over the world, we have a unique ability to make a change and act as an example for other organisations.
Commenting on our commitment to the environment, Anna Hurst, Regent’s Environmental Task Leader said: ‘Over the last six years, we’ve reduced our energy usage on campus by 48%. This has been achieved by using a combination of measures including expanding and improving the building energy management system and replacing our lighting with LEDs in several parts of the campus.
We also have a commitment to recycling on campus, and our gardening team work hard to produce their own compost all year round. Our recycling rate for the last year was 51% and we’re looking to continue our reduction in energy usage and improve recycling rates even further.’
At Regent’s we are always looking to further reduce our impact on the environment and we are continuously developing our strategy in line with our commitments to becoming more sustainable. With the goals of the COP 26 conference in mind, we need to be a key part of the conversations, protect our own environment and reduce our carbon emissions as much as possible.
Our students are also keen to be involved in any movement towards a more sustainable future with many of them advocating for us to do more. The founders of the Regent’s Climate Society Sky Diaz and Katharina Meier are both current students and are working on developing a sustainability action plan.
Katharina Meier, co-founder of Regent’s Climate Society, said: ‘I believe that everyone should do their part in caring for the future. A university cultivating the future leaders of tomorrow can set an example to their students, and other universities on the importance of not only thinking but also acting for our tomorrow.
Regent’s University London becoming more environmentally friendly, might be considered only a small impact in a global context of who takes climate action. However, Regent’s has the power to become a paragon for other universities and advocate the importance of everyone taking climate action to a very diverse and international student body.’
If you’ve got any ideas about how Regent’s can reduce carbon emissions and you’d like to be a part of the story, please contact sustainability@regents.ac.uk.
You can read more about UN Climate Change Conference 2021 here.
