UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN NORREGADE 10 DK-1165 COPENHAGEN K DENMARK w w w. k u . d k / e n g l i s h w w w. g re e n c a m p u s . k u . d k w w w. s u s t a i n a b i l i t y. k u . d k Sustainability Report 2017 UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN NORREGADE 10 DK-1165 COPENHAGEN K DENMARK w w w. k u . d k / e n g l i s h w w w. g re e n c a m p u s . k u . d k w w w. s u s t a i n a b i l i t y. k u . d k Sustainability Report 2017 BEYOND THE BUILDINGS Sustainability Report 2017 2 Beyond the buildings BEYOND THE BUILDINGS Sustainability Report 2017 INTRO 2 Beyond the buildings SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN: A TWO-PRONGED APPROACH Climate change, decreasing access to biodiversity and other resources as well as other global grand challenges require that we all work to minimise the consequences of our actions on the environment. Reducing our environ Working with the Sustainable Development Goals The UN Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015, provide a global and transdisciplinary vision for a sustainable global society, taking a systems approach to tackle wicked problems like climate change or global poverty. UCPH is focusing more and m The Road Ahead Sustainability is a never ending journey, and at UCPH, there is still a wide range of areas where we can better ourselves, both in the research, teaching, and operations. Our hope is that this publication the tenth of its kind - will provide insight into some of the target areas of t GREEN CAMPUS 6 Beyond the buildings REDUCING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT Today, the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) has approximately 50,000 staff members and students, who work and study in more than 60 buildings covering almost 1 million m2. The population roughly corresponds to the size of a Danish city such as Roskilde or Vejle. U In terms of energy intensity, laboratories are large consumers. Ventilation and advanced equipment such as freezers, incubators, centrifuges, scanners and more are all energy-thirsty, but vital for research. Similarly, the use of IT equipment and computer power with need for cooling is an ever-growi Beyond the buildings 9 North Campus City Campus Frederiksberg Campus South Campus 10 Beyond the buildings The University of Copenhagen in numbers Key figures 2017 results % Change from 2016 to 2017 % Change from Baseline (Year) Staff and students (number) 37,490 full time equivalents -2.3 % + 35.1 % (2006) Net area 497,600 m2 + 5.7 % + 12 % (2014) CO2 emissions incl. transportation 31,600 A university in transition Since the establishment of Green Campus in 2008, UCPH has worked collectively to reduce the environmental impact from its buildings. In 2014, the current strategy Green Campus 2020 was adopted by the University Board. The primary focus is continuously to further reduce ene Beyond the buildings 13 Emissions reductions: (Almost) mission accomplished Reducing emissions from the University of Copenhagens activities is one of the main ways to reduce the impact on climate change. Since 2008, the UCPH has been reducing energy consumption, thereby contributing to reduced CO2 emissions. This effort h More research and teaching with less climate impact There was a considerable decrease in CO2 emissions from 2016 to 2017 due to Denmarks and the City of Copenhagens efforts to transform the energy supply to renewable and sustainable sources, particularly biomass, wind and solar power. But Denmark al Transportation: A global challenge to further emission cuts Research and collaboration in the academic world continues to grow and to become increasingly globalised. Keeping pace, the ambition is to make UCPH more international, which is evident in the Universitys 2023 Strategy. However, increased i Energy consumption The University of Copenhagen has made a targeted effort towards reducing energy consumption for a number of years. Many of the most obvious initiatives have been implemented so growing activity levels and the addition of new energy-consuming laboratory buildings challenge the ambi In addition to campus and building related measures, several initiatives have addressed energy efficiency measures related to IT and green purchasing. Energy consuming laboratory equipment is a top priority, particularly Ultra Low Temperature Freezers of which the University has more than 500. Each Beyond the buildings 19 EXAMINING ENERGY USE Significant improvements have been made in the exam rooms on Frederiksberg Campus, cutting energy use and bills through energy efficiency measures. Now students can focus on their exam and enjoy adjusted LED-lighting, automatic solar protection, new windows and better acoustics. Beyond the buildings 21 tion in waste volume per full time equivalent. Waste and recycling The University of Copenhagen has significant resource consumption by way of purchases and use of products, materials and services. Resources such as raw materials and other materials cause a substantial environmental impact both dur A HEALTHY APPROACH TO WASTE reusing it in the production of biogas and fertiliser. The operations team at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences leads the way when it comes to increased recycling. The operations team has built a network of contacts in each department, who assist by adjusting WATER CONSUMPTION The University of Copenhagen has high water consumption, particularly due to the use of large amounts of water in relation to research. The water consumption per full time equivalent increased 3.5% compared to 2016, however with a 1.4% decrease compared to 2012. reduced further, i Beyond the buildings 25 SUSTAINABILITY IN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION Beyond the buildings 26 AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY RESEARCH In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, research supporting sustainable development necessitates collaboration that transgresses traditional academic borders. The University of Copenhagen has a strong focus on developing new approaches Research focused on sustainable development has steadily become more prioritised at all faculties within the University of Copenhagen. A UCPH current challenge is bringing the research from the different faculties together in order to bring a systemic understanding to sustainability challenges and t The Universitys activities create considerable value for society, and UCPH must become even better at demonstrating the value of research and education. Many of the worlds greatest challenges call for interdisciplinary collaboration. More focus should be given to utilising knowledge across disciplin Research Research Bruce Campbell Climate action to tackle food security Katherine Richardson UN Global Sustainable Development Report This research is focused on climate impacts in agriculture and GHG emissions from agriculture, but more importantly on the solutions. The global network of resear Research Research Jens Emborg Stabilising Kenya by solving forest related conflicts (STAKE) Dorthe Dahl-Jensen Analysis of ice cores with the objective of understanding climate change The research of STAKE focused on The Kenyan Forest Act (FA2005) aimed at improving natural resources management Incorporating sustainability into teaching Sustainable development is a component in many of the courses taught at the University of Copenhagen, and there is an increasing interest in sustainability among students through different interdisciplinary activities. In 2017, the Sustainability Science Ce Solid core academic skills and strong collaboration skills are prerequisites to enable UCPH to contribute to a sustainable and positive development in Denmark and globally. The University has a responsibility to contribute to resolving the major societal challenges as defined, for example, in the UN Teaching Teaching Jens Villiam Hoff Climate policy: From global to local level Maria Vang Johansen One Health international summer school Anthropogenic global warming and the consequences of climate change are some of the worlds greatest political challenges, and decision makers on all levels a Teaching Teaching Climate-KIC Climate-KICs The Journey Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) The Sustainability Science Centres MOOC on Sustainable Development In the summer of 2017 UCPH hosted Europes largest summer school for climate innovation and entrepreneurship. The revolving Climate-KIC summe UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN June 2018 www.ku.dk Layout Sustainia, who also provided advice for content and structure Photos University of Copenhagen, SLA/Jens Lindhe UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN June 2018 www.ku.dk Layout Sustainia, who also provided advice for content and structure Photos University of Copenhagen, SLA/Jens Lindhe Beyond the buildings 37 UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN NØRREGADE 10 DK-1165 COPENHAGEN K DENMARK www.ku.dk/english www.greencampus.ku.dk w w w . s u s t a i n a b i l i t y. k u . d k Sustainability Report 2017