Practice what you teach

The University of Manchester, UK, aims to reduce its carbon emissions by 40% by 2020, an ambitious target enclosed in their strategic plan Advancing the Manchester 2015 Agenda. They have joined the Carbon Trust's Higher Education Carbon Management Programme with the aim of measuring their carbon footprint and setting targets. The Carbon Management Programme (CMP) produced a carbon management plan (CMP) that was approved by the University's Planning and Resources Committee and has now been endorsed by the board of governors. Around 40 smaller projects will be financed through the long term maintenance fund or a ring-fenced Revolving Green Fund that together aim to reduce annual carbon emissions by 20%. A new building for the School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science (SCEAS) will be constructed. Heating and cooling to the laboratories will be provided through pipes embedded within the pre-cast floor slabs. The large surface area of the heat emitters within the building allows for the use of low-grade heat.