SOUTH WEST WALES
HIGHER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP
Working together to enhance services

PARTNERIAETH ADDYSG UWCH
DE ORLLEWIN CYMRU
Yn gweithio gyda’n gilydd i helaethu a gwella gwasanaethau

This webpage is available in Welsh and English

Project Milestones

The list below contains some of the key points during the SWWHEP Sustainability project:

  • September 2007 - Anna Rawlings EMS & Resources Officer appointed, who quickly developed a basic version of the Green Guide given out at the Fresher’s Fayres.  This was to address the need to inform incoming students of our recycling system which was an immediate gap in the institutions environmental awareness provision..
  • December 2007 - Mark Blackmore, Energy Co-ordinator appointed, firstly producing a baseline study of SMU’s last five years of energy use and focusing on the SWWHEP target year of 2005.
  • January 2008 - Computer Power Down survey, using the HEFCW Monitoring & Targeting software, of Swansea University LIS and awareness activities with LIS management and then LIS staff.
  • March 2008 - SWWHEP Sustainability staff assist with Environment Week across the universities before planning how to add value in future years.
  • September 2008 - Sustainability and ESDGC (Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship) Event for all Trinity Staff.  Held in Halliwell Theatre where  all staff had access to the green guide and received talks on both energy reduction and EMS implementation.
  • September 2008 - The printed full version of the Green Guide is launched.  This is given out to students in a revamped ‘Sustainability Section’ of the fresher’s fayres, with SWWHEP also bringing in partner organisations such as Veolia Waste, City and County of Swansea Recycling, the Environment Centre, First Cymru, SWWITCH and Traveline.  Awareness of the partnership is also raised with environmentally friendly and bi-lingual, SWWHEP branded cotton bags and reusable drinks bottles.
  • October 2008 - Energy audit of Hendrefoilan student village.  This later resulted in improvements to heating controls.
  • November 2008 - The launch of the ‘100 Day Energy Campaign’, which was a concerted effort to tackle energy waste across campus.  A series of SWWHEP branded posters were produced and combined with emails and events to produce a polished professional campaign reinforcing the SWWHEP logo and continuing the ‘Our environment…Sorted’ aesthetic developed for the Green Guide and previous marketing.
  • December 2008 - The ‘after-8 campaign’ - A high profile campaign to encourage staff to turn off any electrical appliances in their office before they leave work at the end of the day.  Staff who had turned their computers off on Friday returned to work Monday to find an after-8 on their keyboard.  Staff who had left equipment on had post-it notes highlighting their error.  The campaign caused a flurry of staff emails debating switching hardware off that had to have its own forum on the website because for the overwhelming emails on the subject which were greater in number than emails criticising the recent staff pay increase.
  • March 2009 - SWWHEP added value to a revamped Environment Week with activities across the universities,  including a higher profile at Swansea University with a dedicated marquee outside Fulton House for the week.  There was increased focus on the themes of Energy Monday, Travel Tuesday, Waste Wednesday, Tutor Tuesday and Fairtrade Friday.  There was again use of SWWHEP branded materials and the ongoing ‘Our environment…Sorted’ aesthetic to bring it all together and link it to other campaigns.  The SWWHEP website was also highlighted hosting a very successful online ‘Big Rubbish Quiz’ which built up awareness of the week and was launched on Waste Wednesday.
  • June 2009 - The big Rubbish Quiz winners presentation was paired with an awareness raising event  - This was the culmination of the quiz launched on the SWWHEP website in order to raise people’s awareness of recycling issues, as well as gauging peoples existing knowledge levels of the subject.
  • September 2009 - A repeat of the sustainability area at the Fresher’s Fayres.  This time it marked the release of the Green Guide Online.  Free gifts such as pencils, frisbees and trolley-coin key rings were produced in ‘Sorted’ aesthetic bearing the SWWHEP logo.  These had the website address on them and were handed out at the fayre to help promote the SWWHEP website further.
  • November 2009 - SWWHEP Energy Co-ordinator gave a workshop for businesses on behalf of the Dragon Innovation Partnership called "Decrease waste, Increase Profit".   BBC News website ran a story on the workshop and featured ‘ten top tips’ from it.  The SWWHEP partnership was credited with delivering the workshop on the BBC website.
  • January 2010 - SWWHEP worked in partnership with SMU students Union to run a 10:10 Campaign for staff and students at SMU.  This encouraged staff and students to cut their CO2 emissions by 10% in 2010.  SWWHEP branded merchandise was used and the ‘Big Rubbish Quiz’ was repeated on the SWWHEP Website.
  • April 2010 - An 8.1kw Solar Photovoltaic array was installed at Swansea Metropolitan University.  The tender, grant application, planning and project management from tender to final sign-off was facilitated by the SWWHEP Energy Co-ordinator demonstrating the value added by the project, as SMU would have not had the capacity to implement this project otherwise.  The panels have since been visited by Swansea College Electrical Installation Lecturers to feature in their teaching as they have not had access to an installation of this size before.  Overall the panels have saved the partnership 2.5 tonnes of CO2.
  • April 2010 - SMU get awarded the Green Dragon Level 3 for their Environmental Management System.
  • June 2010 - Decrease Waste, Increase Profit workshop held again for the Dragon Innovation Partnership this time in Llanelli.  This raised awareness of the partnership in Carmarthenshire and developed links with other organisations.