From Strategy to Reality: Delivering Sustainability

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From Strategy to Reality Delivering
Sustainability
Daniel Botterill Michelle Dixon Sustainable
Resource Solutions Katherine OBrien University
of Hertfordshire
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From Strategy to Reality Delivering
Sustainability

• How can we build on strategy and policy good
  practice to achieve significant reductions in
  resource consumption and costs in the FHE sector?
• Where are we?
• Where do we want to be?
• How do we get there?
• Funding and investment
• Effective project management
• High performance contracts and contract
  management
• Communications and campaigns
• Monitoring and reporting
• Case Study from strategy to reality at the
  University of Hertfordshire
• Discussion sharing experience in successful
  project implementation

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Where are we?
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Where do we need to be?

• We now need to go beyond strategy and achieve
  measured and significant reductions in costs and
  resource consumption
• HEFCE budget settlements and the need to reduce
  non pay costs
• 41 institutions have seen real-term funding cuts
• 15 institutions have seen cash cuts
• The rise of the Green League and benchmarking
  green reputation is becoming ever important
• The Carbon Reduction Commitment Early action
  metrics such as the Carbon Trust Standard
• Capital funding for Universities will be linked
  to performance in reducing carbon emissions

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How do we get there?
Policy, strategy, management systems
Commitment, staff time
Opportunities assessment
Improved Implementation
Presenting the case effectively
Effective monitoring , reporting and verification
Securing and negotiating funding and investment
Effective communication, engagement and campaigns
Effectively managing projects and contracts
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Gaining External Funding

• HEFCE LGM
• Revolving Green Fund
• BREW Funding for public sector organisations
• WRAP capital grants programme for
  infrastructure projects
• Carbon Trust CMEE projects, partnership for
  renewables
• Regional Development Agency Funds LDA,
  Yorkshire Forward etc

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Effective Project management

• Make the most senior member of staff available to
  manage projects 
• Collaborating with others dont reinvent the
  wheel
• NISP
• Regional University Groups
• Regional purchasing consortia and OGC
• Collaborative contracts 
• Make use of existing experience
• EAUC projects, resource bank and JISC
• Extensive sector Initiatives
•  Look for local and/or novel solutions 
• Local furniture re-use networks and charities
• Specialist facilities e.g energy from waste
  plants, MRFs

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Effective Contracts and Contractor Management

• It is crucial to both have input during the
  tender stage and actively manage contracts
  thereafter
• Identify and track high risk sustainability
  contracts in your institution 
• The specification is very important set
  environmental criteria based on sustainability
  specifications
• State what you want, dont be sold a standard
  service
• Ensure that sustainability staff are present for
  key contract interviews and are included in
  contract management meetings.
• Include penalties in the contract for not meeting
  sustainability criteria

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Communications and campaigns
Know your audience and relate to
individuals Make direct requests People are
more worried about loss than gain Empathy and
imagination Make it normal most people are
doing something
Keep remindingDont talk about the future or
peoples grandchildren!Start small, get people
interested No fear without agency
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Communications and campaigns

• A few other tips
• Change your messages, use a variety of
  approaches
• Rewards, incentives, competitions
• Make people feel they are part of something
  bigger than them clubs, groups
• Help people to feel good congratulate over
  berate
• Link to existing issues and events within your
  organisation
• Be positive, make it fun!

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Monitoring, reporting and bill verification

• Set clear reporting guidelines for reporting on
  key contracts this will be especially important
  for waste contracts
• Include a requirement for monthly reporting as
  part of your key contracts
• Use reporting highlights as part of your
  communications activities
• Check bills and invoices, dont just sign off
• You can save around 3 of your energy costs. May
  be done manually or through bill validation
  software. Check
• Correct cost breakdown, estimates, are the rates
  correct? is it roughly what you expect? (make
  comparisons month by month over several years),
  how does it compare? check calculations, dont be
  afraid to dispute.

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Rethinking Rubbish at Hertfordshire
Recycling rates increased from 30 to 70 Total
amount of waste produced has fallen by 20 Waste
management costs have been reduced by more than
30

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Rethinking Rubbish at Hertfordshire

• Audit and opportunities analysis
• Flexible project management staff
• Compliance system has been designed and
  implemented
• New waste management contract has been developed
  and is being managed effectively
• Increase in the value obtained for rebates
• Recovered excessive costs and historic rebates
• New facilities and awareness campaign
• 6 Year waste strategy and vision

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Sharing Ideas, Experience and Resources

• What are the main barriers to implementing
  sustainability strategy and policy in the FHE
  sector? How do you think these could be
  overcome?
• What are your main successes with project
  implementation and how have you achieved them?
• What would make your life easier as environmental
  manager any specific project tools or practical
  project assistance?
• What opportunities are there to collaborate with
  other Universities. What is already happening?

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Thank you for your time

• Michelle Dixon
• Sustainability Manager
• Sustainable Resource Solutions LTD
• Michelle.dixon_at_srs-eu.com
• Daniel Botterill
• Director
• Sustainable Resource Solutions LTD
• Daniel.botterill_at_srs-eu.com