The People & Planet Green League
Encyclopedia
The People & Planet Green League is a ranking of United Kingdom universities based on their sustainable practice. It is compiled by the student campaign group People & Planet
.
The Green League 2007 was published in the Times Higher Education Supplement on the 8 June 2007, to coincide with World Environment Day, and won a WWF
British Environment and Media Award for Best Campaign.
The Green League 2008, with a partially revised methodology, was published on the 3 July 2008, again in the Times Higher Education Supplement, and revealed significant improvements in sustainability, "galvanised by last year's inaugural league table".
The Green League 2009 was released on 18 June 2009 in the Times Higher Education Supplement.
The Green League 2010 was released on 10 June in the Times Higher Education Supplement, sponsored by Unit4 Business Software. Some institutions challenged their scores, and the definitive version is available on the People & Planet website. It revealed improvements, but People & Planet state "whilst some universities are on track to cut emissions by 34% over the next 10 years, the Green League also shows a severe lack of ambition and urgency across the sector more broadly".
The Green League 2011 is set to be released on the 7th June 2011 both on the People & Planet website and the organisations media partner, The Guardian
.
, but included in addition data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act from EMStats (Estates Management Statistics, submitted by each institution to the government) on recycling
, percentage renewable energy
, and carbon emissions per student. Whether the university had Fairtrade status was also included on a low weighting, as another indicator of a progressive institution.
For Green League 2008 the additions were made to the Methodology to further gauge a Universities environmental management and performance. The following was included when calculating the rankings:
Furthur changes to the methodology were made to Green League 2009 in recognition of the importance of carbon management. To demonstrate this importance it awarded points for:
In 2009 it also expanded to measure the "Environmental Impact of Students’ Union or Students’ Association" connected to the University.
This ever changing methodology demonstrates how People & Planet Green League is both adaptable to different environmental concerns and also to criticisms received on the marking criteria used.
, the University of Plymouth
, and the University of Hertfordshire
were the top three, whilst the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (part of the University of London
), the Royal College of Art
, Royal Veterinary College
(part of the University of London) came lowest out of the 105 universities ranked. Fifteen universities did not provide enough information to be ranked, and so were classed in the section "Did not sit exam".
awarding The People & Planet Green League with a British Environment and Media Award for Best campaign. The WWF
said of The Green League 2007 that: "It succeeded in dragging environmental issues from the fringes and making them a central concern for many Vice Chancellors."
The Green League has also received praise from various other individuals and environmental organisations. Chris Huhne
, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
, said:
“The Green League throws a spotlight onto the work being done in universities to cut emissions, and I hope it will encourage universities and students to redouble their efforts in the fight against climate change. It is the students in universities today who will be carrying on the work to build the low-carbon Britain of tomorrow, and it is vital that universities and Government set a good example."
The ranking also did not incorporate the amount of Environmental Research and Teaching, which while not directly contributing to any reduction in the university's carbon footprint
, does serve to educate the next generation, and may reveal a new way to increase sustainability. However, a high level of environment research does not seem to correlate with a sustainable university (for instance, Aberystwyth University, which runs a number of courses on Environmental Management, but gained only 97th position in the Green League). The University of Greenwich
is another institution which believed that the criteria for marking was too limited, and following several criticms Green League acknowledged that it needed to expand its indicators, which is has done so in the following years.
Another criticism is that much of the information is reliant on the institutions faithfulness; People and Planet did not have the resources to mount an independent audit.
These criticisms have largely been addressed by People and Planet, and this can be seen in the amendments which have been made in the measuring criteria which now includes many new areas of assessment which do address other areas of a universities environment.
as the greenest University in the UK and the University of Huddersfield
as the university making the biggest leap in the table from 71st in 2007 to a current position of 8th.
In the Green League 2009 Nottingham Trent University
were placed as the greenest University in the UK, climbing 18 places from last year.
On 10 June 2010, the Green League awarded degree-style classifications based on environmental management and performance. The institutions were assessed on their performance in the following areas:
As well as the Universities policies, their performance was also accessed based upon their:
The universities which scored highest were awarded a First Class Award, then a Higher Second, a Lower Second, a Third, and a Fail. There was also a section for universities which 'Did not sit the exam', and these were universities which did not supply their information and thus were not ranked.
The greenest university in the UK that year was ranked as the University of Plymouth
, which had increased five places since 2009.
on the 7th of June 2011.
People & Planet
People & Planet is a network of student campaign groups in the UK. It claims to be "the largest student campaigning organization in the country campaigning to alleviate world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment."-Organization:...
.
The Green League 2007 was published in the Times Higher Education Supplement on the 8 June 2007, to coincide with World Environment Day, and won a WWF
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
British Environment and Media Award for Best Campaign.
The Green League 2008, with a partially revised methodology, was published on the 3 July 2008, again in the Times Higher Education Supplement, and revealed significant improvements in sustainability, "galvanised by last year's inaugural league table".
The Green League 2009 was released on 18 June 2009 in the Times Higher Education Supplement.
The Green League 2010 was released on 10 June in the Times Higher Education Supplement, sponsored by Unit4 Business Software. Some institutions challenged their scores, and the definitive version is available on the People & Planet website. It revealed improvements, but People & Planet state "whilst some universities are on track to cut emissions by 34% over the next 10 years, the Green League also shows a severe lack of ambition and urgency across the sector more broadly".
The Green League 2011 is set to be released on the 7th June 2011 both on the People & Planet website and the organisations media partner, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
.
Methodology
The initial methodology (For Green League 2007) behind the ranking in the Green League was primarily based around the four demands of People and Planet's Go Green campaign, which attempts to make universities more environmentally friendlyEnvironmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....
, but included in addition data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act from EMStats (Estates Management Statistics, submitted by each institution to the government) on recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
, percentage renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
, and carbon emissions per student. Whether the university had Fairtrade status was also included on a low weighting, as another indicator of a progressive institution.
For Green League 2008 the additions were made to the Methodology to further gauge a Universities environmental management and performance. The following was included when calculating the rankings:
- the possession of an Ethical InvestmentSocially responsible investingSocially responsible investing , also known as sustainable, socially conscious, or ethical investing, describes an investment strategy which seeks to consider both financial return and social good....
policy - Water consumptionWater resourcesWater resources are sources of water that are useful or potentially useful. Uses of water include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational and environmental activities. Virtually all of these human uses require fresh water....
per head - The improvement in renewable energy, recycling, and carbon emissions from the previous year's Green League
Furthur changes to the methodology were made to Green League 2009 in recognition of the importance of carbon management. To demonstrate this importance it awarded points for:
- Institutions having carbon management plans
- How ambitious the percentage carbon reduction target
- Whether the carbon baseline of the plan includes: a) Procurement, b) Staff and student business trips e.g. flights to conferences and field trips, c) Staff and students commuting to university on a daily basis and d) Carbon emissions associated with the travel between students’ homes and the university at the start and end of term (including international students).
In 2009 it also expanded to measure the "Environmental Impact of Students’ Union or Students’ Association" connected to the University.
This ever changing methodology demonstrates how People & Planet Green League is both adaptable to different environmental concerns and also to criticisms received on the marking criteria used.
Green League 2007
Universities were given a First, 2.1, 2.2, Third or Fail rating. The league showed a large range of standards across the higher education sector. Leeds Metropolitan UniversityLeeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
, the University of Plymouth
University of Plymouth
Plymouth University is the largest university in the South West of England, with over 30,000 students and is 9th largest in the United Kingdom by total number of students . It has almost 3,000 staff...
, and the University of Hertfordshire
University of Hertfordshire
The University of Hertfordshire is a new university based largely in Hatfield, in the county of Hertfordshire, England, from which the university takes its name. It has more than 27,500 students, over 2500 staff, with a turnover of over £181m...
were the top three, whilst the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (part of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
), the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
, Royal Veterinary College
Royal Veterinary College
The Royal Veterinary College is a veterinary school located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. The RVC was founded in 1791 and joined the University of London in 1949...
(part of the University of London) came lowest out of the 105 universities ranked. Fifteen universities did not provide enough information to be ranked, and so were classed in the section "Did not sit exam".
Response
The Green League 2007 received a large amount of critical acclaim following it's publishing. This acclaim accumulated in the WWFWorld Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
awarding The People & Planet Green League with a British Environment and Media Award for Best campaign. The WWF
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
said of The Green League 2007 that: "It succeeded in dragging environmental issues from the fringes and making them a central concern for many Vice Chancellors."
The Green League has also received praise from various other individuals and environmental organisations. Chris Huhne
Chris Huhne
Christopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire...
, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is a British government cabinet position currently held by Chris Huhne. The government department was created on 3 October 2008 when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his cabinet....
, said:
“The Green League throws a spotlight onto the work being done in universities to cut emissions, and I hope it will encourage universities and students to redouble their efforts in the fight against climate change. It is the students in universities today who will be carrying on the work to build the low-carbon Britain of tomorrow, and it is vital that universities and Government set a good example."
Criticisms
The methodology has been criticised for not fully incorporating all factors that can contribute to an institution's sustainability; for instance schemes soon to be implemented.The ranking also did not incorporate the amount of Environmental Research and Teaching, which while not directly contributing to any reduction in the university's carbon footprint
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
, does serve to educate the next generation, and may reveal a new way to increase sustainability. However, a high level of environment research does not seem to correlate with a sustainable university (for instance, Aberystwyth University, which runs a number of courses on Environmental Management, but gained only 97th position in the Green League). The University of Greenwich
University of Greenwich
The University of Greenwich is a British university located in the London Borough of Greenwich, London, England. The main campus is located on the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, a central location within the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site.-History:The history of the...
is another institution which believed that the criteria for marking was too limited, and following several criticms Green League acknowledged that it needed to expand its indicators, which is has done so in the following years.
Another criticism is that much of the information is reliant on the institutions faithfulness; People and Planet did not have the resources to mount an independent audit.
These criticisms have largely been addressed by People and Planet, and this can be seen in the amendments which have been made in the measuring criteria which now includes many new areas of assessment which do address other areas of a universities environment.
Green League 2008
The Green League 2008, included The Green League's recent changes to their assessment criteria and marking methodology. The results of this placed the University of GloucestershireUniversity of Gloucestershire
The University of Gloucestershire is a university primarily based in Gloucestershire, England, spread over four campuses, three in Cheltenham and one in Gloucester...
as the greenest University in the UK and the University of Huddersfield
University of Huddersfield
The University of Huddersfield is a university located in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.- History :The University traces its roots back to a Science and Mechanic Institute founded in 1825...
as the university making the biggest leap in the table from 71st in 2007 to a current position of 8th.
Green League 2009
The weighting of existing criteria has also changed to allocate more points for institutions improvements, rather than their absolute environmental performance. This is to level the playing field between institutions that vary greatly in how resource intensive their research subjects are.In the Green League 2009 Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University is a public teaching and research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as a new university in 1992 from the existing Trent Polytechnic , however it can trace its roots back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design...
were placed as the greenest University in the UK, climbing 18 places from last year.
Green League 2010
More universities than ever before participated in the Green League 2010, with 137 eligible for inclusion and of these 133 had provided enough information to be entered.On 10 June 2010, the Green League awarded degree-style classifications based on environmental management and performance. The institutions were assessed on their performance in the following areas:
- Environmental Policies.
- Environmental Staffing.
- Environmental Auditing.
- Ethical Investment.
- Carbon Management.
- Sustainable Food and Fair Trade.
- Student and Staff Engagement.
As well as the Universities policies, their performance was also accessed based upon their:
- Energy Sources.
- Waste.
- Carbon Emissions.
- Water.
The universities which scored highest were awarded a First Class Award, then a Higher Second, a Lower Second, a Third, and a Fail. There was also a section for universities which 'Did not sit the exam', and these were universities which did not supply their information and thus were not ranked.
The greenest university in the UK that year was ranked as the University of Plymouth
University of Plymouth
Plymouth University is the largest university in the South West of England, with over 30,000 students and is 9th largest in the United Kingdom by total number of students . It has almost 3,000 staff...
, which had increased five places since 2009.
Green League 2011
The Green League 2011 is currently being marked, and Universities are required to have submitted their data by Monday 14 March. The results will be released, in conjunction with The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
on the 7th of June 2011.
External links
- People & Planet Go Green League http://peopleandplanet.org/greenleague
- EMStats (Estates Management Statistics) http://www.opdems.ac.uk/
- The top ranking university in 2007; Leeds Metropolitan http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk
- The top ranking university in 2008; the University of Gloucestershire http://www.glos.ac.uk/pressreleases/Pages/green.aspx
- List of universities with Fairtrade status http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/get_involved/campaigns/fairtrade_universities/the_5_goals.aspx