Greenwich University Green Week is Just Around the Corner

Following the success of last year’s University of Greenwich Green Week, the event is back in February 2012 with lots of great green activities! At the Green Week Fayre stalls at the Avery Hill, Greenwich and Medway Campus, staff and students will be able to learn more about the different initiatives for sustainability at the University and hear from various local organisations, departments and charities. The focus will be on how we can reduce our carbon footprint, increase recycling, reduce waste and a whole lot more!

Here's a few photos from last year to get you excited:

Students testing the School of Engineering’s bicycles generating electricity to power household items

Tasty organic treats!

The Green Gnome was of course present. Can you spot him?

Inspired by People & Planet, who organise Green Week at various universities around the country, the Sustainability Team will be hosting this year’s event at Avery Hill, Medway and Greenwich. There will be stands and stalls from a variety of University departments, local organisations, University suppliers and local charities. One stall we are particularly looking forward to our very own SWAP STALL, where people can donate their unwanted pieces of clothing, books, accessories etc. for an item in exchange. We cannot wait to see what funky items people will bring and are sure that one gnome’s unloved jumper will be another gnome’s new favourite! (This is a great excuse to get rid of that unwanted Christmas present!)

Excited about the swap stall

Come along for fun and leave just a little bit wiser on what the University and you can do to 'go green!'

For full details see below:
 
Avery Hill Fayre – Mon 6th February – The Dome - 10am – 2pm

Greenwich Fayre – Tues 7th February – Queen Mary Undercroft – 10am – 2pm

Medway Fayre – Thursday 9th February – Pilkington Atrium – 10am – 2pm

Avery Hill – Monday 6th The Dome 10am - 2pm:

ABM Catering - Showcasing the sustainable foods on the University of Greenwich menuSchool of Engineering - Have a go on their latest bicycle powered contraption!

Greenwich Council - Promoting the greener travel alternatives in the borough.
Bicycle Powered smoothie maker - have a go at making your very own healthy drink while burning a few calories while blitzing the fruit!

Tapwater.org - Re-discover the glories of free water

Sustrans - Charity promoting the use of sustainable transport are here to promote the virtues of walking and cycling and hoping to persuade you to become an active travel campion.

Swap Shop - bring your unwanted Christmas presents and long neglected items of clothing and swap them for something else

Student Switch Off Olympics - Get involved in the first truly great sporting event of 2012 and save some energy while you're at it!

Bywaters - Ever wandered where all your recycling goes? Bywaters will have a range of items made from University of Greenwich waste.

Transport - want to save time, money and be more environmentally friendly? Of course! Come and find out about the cheaper and greener ways of getting to campus.

Community Garden & Allotment - Ever dreamed of living the 'Good Life' but not had the land to do it? Now you can grow your own at Avery Hill - come and sign up to get your hands dirty


Greenwich – Tuesday 7th Queen Mary Undercroft 10am - 2pm

ABM Catering - Showcasing the sustainable foods on the University of Greenwich menu.

School of Engineering - Have a go on their latest bicycle powered contraption!

Greenwich Council - Promoting the greener travel alternatives in the borough.
Dr. Bike - Courtesy of the Council you can come and have your bicycle fixed for FREE

Tapwater.org - Re-discover the glories of free water

Sustrans - Charity promoting the use of sustainable transport are here to promote the virtues of walking and cycling

Greenwich Bees - Camilla (our beekeper) will be taking a group of people to see the famous University of Greenwich bees at 1pm.

Greenwich Market - Greenwich market will be having a stall to show of the best of the traders green credentials.

Swap Shop - bring your unwanted Christmas presents and long neglected items of clothing and swap them for something else

Stockwell Street - Find out how the University is working towards making the new building as green as can be.


Medway – Thursday 9th Pilkington Atrium 10am - 2pm

ABM Catering - Showcasing the sustainable foods on the University of Greenwich menu

School of Engineering - Have a go on their latest bicycle powered contraption!

Tapwater.org - Re-discover the glories of free water

Sustrans - Charity promoting the use of sustainable transport are here to promote the virtues of walking and cycling

Swap Shop - bring your unwanted Christmas presents and long neglected items of clothing and swap them for something else
Transport - want to save time, money and be more environmentally friendly? Of course! Come and find out about the cheaper and greener ways of getting to campus.

University of Kent - Kent come along to show off all the things that they have been doing to reduce their environmental impact.
Canterbury Christ Church Universtiy - Canterbury are also coming along to show off all the things that they have been doing to reduce their environmental impact.

The Sun is Shining on the University of Greenwich

With the weather being dark and windy these last few days you may have thought it an odd title for this week's blog but I must tell you about our brand new solar array!

Last month the University of Greenwich installed an array of photovoltaic solar panels that will be powering some of the student residencies at the Avery Hill Campus. The panels have been installed in time to benefit from the higher rate of the feed-in-tariff before the incentive was reduced in December. They now have been generating electricity for four weeks (at a time with the shortest amount of daytime) and have so far generated: 1,106 kWh this has given the University a combined total saved/earned of £485. On top of this the electricity generated is enough to power five student flats for a week in Aragon Court, (electricity, heating, hot water, the lot!) and all in the gloomiest weeks of the year.

Panels being hoisted onto the rooves at Avery Hill

The completed array on Aragon Court

The panels have a lifespan of around 25-30 years and will be generating electricity for free as long as there is daylight. In fewer than ten years the panels will have paid for themselves and then after this point they will be generating an electrifying profit!

In fact the return on investment for solar is so good that we have seen a few people putting up arrays on their private property. Jon Hudson of the Building Services Team has a small array of 6.5 kW on his house and when John Bailey went back to the west country for Christmas he noticed his mum had popped five panels up on the roof there - not quite the 190 odd we have up on Avery Hill but enough to turn the meter backwards when all the lights are off.

Kevin Behn from Human Resources, who is currently looking forward to starting work on his new allotment and getting on with some D.I.Y, has recently installed some solar panels on his house - and just in time to receive the maximum feed-in-tariff rate. Kevin has managed to get eight panels on his roof, an array that should produce around 1700 kWh per year, and is expecting to see the panels pay for themselves in eight to nine years, after that he still gets the feed-in-tariff for a further 16-17 years and any electricity generated then will be producing a profit. Kevin added a cautious 'wait and see' on his estimations but said that he 'is more than staisfied' with the panels so far. Like Kevin we'll be hoping for a sunny 2012 here in the Sustainability Office and hoping that everyone's solar panels perform as well as we're predicting!

For those who are interested in finding out more about solar power and generating electricity and energy from renewable sources, the School of Engineering has a solar array consisting of five varieties of panel at the Medway Campus. The School have been testing the panels to see which ones produce the best yields when harvesting the sun’s energy. You can see the panels when you wonder up to the Wolfson Centre and can find out which panels you should be choosing more by contacting Ian Cakebread at the School.

Solar Wall of different panels at Medway

Launching in the next academic year is a new course that covers solar power along with a whole host renewable and sustainable electrical energy generation with the BEng Hons: Sustainable Electrical Power Engineering. This course will give graduates the necessary skills and attributes to take key roles within industry as professional engineers and give them an advantage in the growing clean energy sector. If you would like to find out more head to: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/ug/eleng/suseleceng