Objective: Engaging all Faculty laboratories with two tools: LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) and 6R lab protocol, plus growing our Faculty’s ES Network within the lab users.  

Our aim is to reduce consumption and waste, share resources more effectively and develop more sustainable protocols. 

Training is available for all lab users within FBMH where you can learn about sustainable practices in research and lab spaces. Led by Dr Maggy Fostier, all lab users are highly encouraged to book onto the course. Find out more by reading our blog. Sign up to register via the training catalogue: FBMHS-LEAF002 Improving sustainability in the lab with LEAF and 6R. 

Register to be a LEAF champion for your research group or lab space and work towards receiving a LEAF accreditation. Sign up via our Qualtics form and our ES Project Officer will be in touch with the next steps. 

Objective: Engaging staff and students with the University’s targets:

• Reduce campus energy consumption by 10% by 2025 against a 2018 baseline – for individuals, this means switching off light/devices after use where applicable.
• Recycle 45% of campus waste by 2025 and develop/promote reuse schemes, such as the University’s Furniture Reuse store.
• Follow our green catering policy (prompts when you order food for an event) to limit food waste.
• Limit University annual emissions from business air travel to 50% of our 2018/19 level (pre the Covid-19 pandemic) with immediate effect. Several policies are supporting this target: travel decision tree, top fund policy, video conferences facilities.
• Develop a green procurement policy and resources to understand sustainable procurement.
• Easy Eco for All: Harriet Bickley, an FBMH mental health researcher for @mashproject, has created an eco-booklet to help staff & students live, work & study in an eco-friendlier way. The booklet signposts you to on & off campus resources such as recycling, waste reduction, ethical purchasing, green travel and wildlife reporting. Download the Easy Eco for All booklet.
• Maggy Fostier with graduates Natalie Clarke and Rea Georghiades and project student Belinda Groom have developed the 6R guide for home and campus to reduce plastics in our personal life. Along 6R guide for labs (first developed with a team of staff and students to green our practical classes -see Biochemist 2020 42(1):43), the 6R guides are great tools to help students and staff take their first step into sustainability. These 6R guides and their impact were awarded the UoM Making a Difference award in 2020 and were shortlisted as finalist of the UK Green Gown Award in 2020.
• We would like to set up a Faculty green champions network to actively engage with each target. Contact srbmh@manchester.ac.uk to register your interest.

Objective: Increasing the quality and quantity of existing green space, achieving a 10% increase by 2028 in urban green space, from 2018 levels.   

Engage staff and students with biodiversity both on campus and externally and promote the use of our green spaces for enjoyment, nature-based learning and well-being. Find out more about valuing nature on campus on our website  

iNaturalist biodiversity project

To help meet these aims, we have set up a Biodiversity on Campus project on iNaturalist, a free, easy to use app. The app allows you to upload photos of the wildlife, garden plants and trees. Your sightings will form part of a global database that can be used by scientists and the University to inform future actions to increase biodiversity and the conservation of species. 

The project is open to staff, students and public; anyone can upload an observation. 

To help get you started, we’ve created a quick guide on how to identify and record species using the app, featuring useful pictures and links.  

Want to find out more?

Contact the Social Responsibility and Public Engagement Team via srbmh@manchester.ac.uk. You can read more about our support for biodiversity in the Michael Smith quad blog. 

Objective: Embed sustainability in our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Deliver inductions on ES and sustainable development goals (SDGs) (general and discipline specific) to all students, develop activities to promote reflection on ES impact or SDGs and possible actions, and, where possible, make space for ES/SDGs-related projects in existing portfolio.

Objective: Promoting sustainable actions in our wider community (schools, community, organisations, and businesses) with the help of trained students. 

Objective: Promoting the Sustainable Futures platform and opportunities to study the impact of climate change, establish solutions to the climate crisis or improve our resilience. 

Objective: Educating and exciting those we can reach about existing and future solutions to tackle the climate crisis.