Mayor's Low Carbon Prize
Supported by the NUS
Why is the Mayor's Low Carbon Prize a great idea?
LUEG membership is open to environmental managers in London's Higher and Further Education Institutions, we meet monthly and host dynamic, practical workshops which support progress to minimising environmental impact from campus, community and curriculum. We are the regional network of the
Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges|.
The majority of our members are based in Estates divisions and focus on campus activities to reduce environmental impact. We set up Environmental Management Systems which committ senior management to investing in staffing, training, and institutional objectives which demonstrate continuous environmental improvement.
We prioritise our work according to an Environmental Aspects and Impacts Register which reviews the activities, products and services of our institutions for their environmental impact. Therefore much of our work is around carbon reduction, waste reduction, elimination of toxic materials and enhancing and protecting biodiversity on our campuses. We ensure our institutions comply with environmental legislation. With the UK being the only country to have a Climate Change Act committing us to reductions in carbon emissions, this is a key focus along with a range of waste and biodiversity legislation. The UK's carbon reduction targets are challenging - 34% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 on 1995 levels. At the London level, the Mayor has set a target of 60% by 2025. By 2020, we shall be living in a low carbon economy, but how are we going to create it?
Our graduates are the leaders of tomorrow and currently have an environmental impact, both in their travel and their other daily life choices as students. Arguably, the greatest positive environmental impact that our graduates can have is being educated about the impact of their daily choices and being equipped with skills for the emerging low carbon economy. Campus environmental activities, such as providing recycling bins and sensor lights can support the student learning environment but it's education, teaching, learning and research on sustainable development and the restorative economy which will enable them to create the low carbon economy and thrive in it.
Student talent and innovation for the low carbon economy needs to be supported, encouraged and developed now. The Mayor's Low Carbon Prize does this by engaging with a corporate sponsor able to support an innnovative idea to market. Please encourage your students to take part and put forward their idea for a low carbon economy.
Dates of upcoming meetings and workshops
Workshops and General Meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of each month. Exec Meetings will be held immediately before every second General Meeting, from 11 October onwards.
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09:00 – 10:00 Exec Meeting
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10:00 – 11:00 General Meeting
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11:00 – 12:30 Workshop
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12:30 – 13:30 Lunch (please book in advance if possible)
14 February 2012 - Exec and general meeting
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Workshop on ISO and management systems
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Venue: King's College London
13 March 2012 - General meeting
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Workshop on space management
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Venue: Institute of Cancer Research, Chelsea Campus
10 April 2012 - Exec and general meeting
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Workshop on urban biodiversity
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Venue: Birkbeck
8 May 2012 - General meeting
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Workshop on sustainability strageties
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Venue: Queen Mary University of London
12 June 2012 - TBC
10 July 2012 - AGM and away day
The LUEG Film
If you would like to know what LUEG is all about and why you should get involved, check out the new LUEG film|!
Mission Statement
The Group sees a clear role for itself to contribute to achieving sustainable development in the Higher Education (HE) sector in Greater London and in particular in contributing to achieving HEFCE's vision which the Group shares :
"Our vision is that, within the next 10 years, the Higher Education sector will be recognised as a major contributor to society's efforts to achieve sustainability - through the skills and knowledge that its graduates learn and put into practice, and through its own strategies and operations" - Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), 2005
The Group aims to do this by:
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Promoting the principles and practices of Sustainable Development (SD) within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) via support to its members on a range of issues specified in the Terms of Reference.
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Identifying and sharing information from members and relevant partners to support the Group aims, including the potential for collaboration with relevant partners, potential funding and events of interest
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Raising and maintaining awareness of the potential for Greater London HEIs to contribute to SD amongst all Greater London HEIs, and with all their stakeholders and wider where appropriate.
All LUEG documents can be found here|. Please see subgroup links at the top right of this page.
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