Guidance on lowering our carbon footprint at home

We all have a part to play the in mission to reduce our carbon footprint on campus and at home. The University of Roehampton is taking ongoing steps to reduce our carbon emissions where we currently source much of our energy from renewable sources, are taking steps to reduce use of heat and electricity and are investing in further projects to lower emissions further across the campus.

On an individual level we can all contribute significant steps to reducing our carbon emissions through establishing better habits. The guidance below from SOS-UK aims to outline changes we can all make as students and staff, through practical advice and courses to help us on our way.

Initial steps to lowering your carbon footprint

Report issues and share feedback

Sometimes a lack of facilities or faults with them can create barriers to sustainability. If you notice a broken light, dripping tap, missing bins or recycling posters, broken seal to your oven or fridge, then report it to a member of staff in your residence. If you have ideas about how to improve sustainability within your halls then share these too with your residence staff team or university sustainability team.

Switch off lights and appliances

Some communal spaces in your halls may have motion sensor lights but where you have control, remember to switch them off when not needed. If lights sensors are faulty, make sure to report them to a member of staff in your halls. Don’t forget bedside lamps, fairy lights and bathroom lights, too. Switching off your appliances and plugs at the socket is a great way to prevent energy wastage as items use energy in standby or sleep mode.

Don’t overfill the kettle

Don’t use additional energy or waste your time by overfilling the kettle with more water than you need. 200 ml is the ideal amount of water for a single hot drink.

Put a lid on your pan

Putting a lid on your saucepan significantly reduces the amount of energy required to cook your food and cooks your food quicker. Also try and use the right size hob/stove ring for the size of your pan, otherwise you are just heating the surrounding air.

Put layers on, not the heating

When the temperature feels a little cold, instead of turning up your heating straight away just put on a jumper or an extra layer. A jumper can add 3°C of warmth to your body. If your halls run a little

hot, make sure you’ve turned down the radiator or thermostat (if you can) before opening a window.

Put on full loads of washing

Washing machines and tumble dryers use a lot of energy and water. Try to put on fuller loads rather than lots of small loads; coordinate with flatmates if needed and 30°C is generally a good temperature to wash your clothes and will help them to last longer. For more information please visit the SOS website.

Rental guidance when searching for a more sustainable accommodation

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) All rented accommodation will have an Energy Performance Certificate which the landlord is legally obliged to let you see. The EPC has an A to G rating system, where G is the poorest level of energy efficiency and A is the best. You can search for your homes EPC online.

Signs of damp

When looking around a property, it’s important to look out for the tell-tale signs of a damp – smell, mould and condensation. A damp property is hard to heat and can have a significant impact on your wellbeing. Try and avoid damp properties or ask the landlord to take action. You can find more information on damp online.

Energy-rating of appliances

Appliances have a rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). The more efficient the product, the less it will cost to run. Find out more.

Heating

Heating is important to avoid problems of damp and to live comfortably. Check if the house is heated with gas or electricity, and ask the current tenants (if possible) how they find the heating.

Insulation

Insulation, including double glazing makes a home more energy-efficient, and therefore easier and cheaper to heat. Ask the landlord what insulation there is for the windows, walls and roof.

Gas safety certificate

If your property uses gas, your landlord must provide you with a copy of the Gas Safety Record. They must provide a copy to each tenant within 28 days of each check.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Landlords are required to have at least one smoke alarm installed on every storey of their property. The landlord must make sure the alarms work at the start of each new tenancy, and tenants are responsible for checking them and requesting new batteries or a replacement alarm.

Speak to current tenants

The best way to find out what a property is like, and how much it costs to run, is to speak to the current tenants. If you can, ask them what their experience has been.

For more information please visit the SOS website.

Learning master classes

SOS-UK offer masterclasses which take 5-10 minutes to complete online and cover a variety of sustainability topics, click on the links to take your knowledge further. 

For more information please visit the SOS website. 

Sustainable living webinars 

Please also review the SOS-UK webinars for further guidance to support your search for sustainable living accommodation. 

Getting to grips with energy bills: This webinar covered the topic of energy bills, including how to choose an energy supplier and/or tariff to meet your needs, how energy bills are charged, and some top tips for reducing your energy bills. 

Warmer homes and managing damp when renting privately: This webinar covered managing damp and mould in rented accommodation, and some top no- and low-cost tips for a warmer home when living in the private rented sector. 

House hunting for a warm home: This webinar covered the topic of house hunting in the private rented sector as a student, particularly focusing on how to make sure your next house will be warm, in good condition and free of damp. 

Watch our other recorded webinars, covering topics including moving into the private rented sector sustainably, the 2022 energy crisis, and careers in sustainability. 

Guidance to help you find sustainable food

The guidance below provides a list of pointers for making more sustainable choices in our food purchases.  To see the steps the University of Roehampton is doing to provide sustainable food, please review our content across our environmental sustainability pages. 

1. Choose plant-based foods that are seasonal, local or Fairtrade and/or organic wherever possible. Consider using a local veg box scheme, buying from a zero-waste shop on campus if you have one, and if not try setting up a buying group with friends to bulk-buy more affordable wholefoods. 

2. Choose better meat and dairy (if you aren’t vegetarian or vegan) that has beenproduced in the UK. If you do eat meat look out for organic and/or pasture-fed. Avoid processed meat products, only eat meat occasionally and change the proportion of meat-based meals to include a greater vegetable content. This applies whether you’re cooking at home, eating out or buying food on the go.  

3. Choose fish (if you aren’t vegetarian or vegan) that is sustainable by avoiding red-rated fish completely, and choosing green-rated, MSC, ASC or organic-certified fish wherever possible, and only eat it occasionally. This applies whether you’re cooking at home, eating out or buying food on the go. 

4. Choose Fairtrade options whenever possible.

5. Avoid overly processed food, drinks and snacks that are commonly sold in single-use packaging and provide little nutritious value. 

6. Use water fountains rather than buying bottled water or fizzy drinks. If these aren’t available on campus, campaign for them to be installed. 

7. Always carry a reusable water bottle and/or coffee cup and ideally a food container in case you come across some surplus food after an event, from a friend, or when eating out. 

8. Aim to only buy the food you need and if you have surplus freeze it, give it away to someone you know, or share it via an app such as OLIO. See Love Food Hate Waste’s Top 10 tips to reduce food waste. 

9. Grow some of your own food: on a food growing site on campus, at your local community garden or Community Supported Agriculture farm, or just in some pots on your windowsill. 

10. Buy food from local independent shops such as bakery’s and butchers, or directly from producers e.g. veg box schemes or food markets, instead of going to supermarkets. 

11. Get involved in national good food campaigns such as Good to Grow Day, Food Waste Action Week, Sugar Smart, The Big Lunch, Fairtrade Friday, Plant & Share Month, Sourdough September or Open farm Sunday. 

Source – How to lead the way of the climate and nature crisis through food from SOS.