See attachment for most recent ethical and sustainability policy. 


The students' union is committed to minimising the impacts on the environment of its operations and activities. The following Environmental Procedures refer to how the students' union staff, officers, student staff and volunteers can help the students' union implement and realise its Environmental Strategy (hyperlink 'Environmental Strategy' to: LUSUGreen_Strategy2013.pdf) and Environmental Policy (hyperlink 'Environmental Policy' to: environmental-policylusu2008final.pdf). Key areas of our operations have potential environmental impacts. Find out more (hyperlink 'Find out more' to: lusu-environmental-impacts-and-objectives.pdf) about the environmental impacts of your area of work. Also don’t forget to keep up to date with environmental events, campaigns and volunteering opportunities on our webpage.


STAFF SELF-HELP ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST:


1. What are the aspects (e.g. procurement, transport, energy, and disposal) and impacts (e.g. habitat/ wildlife destruction, global warming, air and water pollution, and landfill) of my operations / projects or of future projects?

2. What type & volume of resources does my project / operations consume?

3. What type & volume of waste does my project / operations produce?

4. Does this project / operation have a major negative impact on the environment or local community?

5. Is this project affected by environmental legislation (hyperlink 'environmental legislation' to: register-of-environmental-legislation.pdf).

6. Is it likely that any further legislative or contractual requirements will apply to this area in the future – what’s in the pipeline?

7. Can the students' union exert direct control over this?

8. Can the techniques and controls applied to the relevant activities, products, and services be improved to reduce the impact on the environment? E.g. sustainable procurement, alternative modes of transport, energy efficiency measures (shutting down equipment /lights etc, efficient appliances etc), reduce, re-use, recycle!

9. Is this operation/project of concern to other key interested parties (students/Estates/UPP etc)?

10. Are corporate values and commitments likely to be contradicted? (Have I looked at our Environmental Policy (hyperlink 'Environmental Policy' to: environmental-policylusu2008final.pdf), Fairtrade Policy and Commitments etc.)


ENERGY MANAGEMENT


Staff are requested to shut down their own electrical appliances within their office space, including PCs and peripherals, printers, scanners etc. (unless told otherwise by a member of the students' union IT team), as well as lighting, fans and Air Conditioning at the end of each day. In shared offices the senior member of staff is responsible for following the shutdown procedure (hyperlink 'shutdown procedure' to: Shutdown-Procedures-2013.pdf) ensuring equipment is shut down at night and during the vacation periods.


Light bulbs must be Lancaster University approved and comply with energy efficiency guidelines. Tungsten filament bulbs and individual lamps are to be avoided in the students' union's areas of operations. Additional fridges and up lighters are also not to be used within offices.


SNAP IT OFF!


Have you noticed a light that seems to be on constantly for no reason? This could be on campus, in town or at a local facility. It may be a light that you pass every day during daylight that is always on, drawing power for no reason! If this is the case, snap a picture on your smartphone or digital camera and text or upload the NUS Snap it off project. An e-mail will then be sent to the management team responsible for that area asking them to turn it off when not needed.


REDUCE


Try to use the reverse of scrap paper for notepaper. Only print out if absolutely necessary.


Paper supplies are stored in the printing hub on A floor of the Bowland office. Before ordering leaflets or flyers consult with the marketing team for advice regarding the number or order; this will save money and wasted paper. All staff should have their default printer settings set to DUPLEX. If you’re unsure if your settings are correct, please contact LUSU IT support. Printing double sided saves paper and energy and can save up to 75% on cost. Multiple pages can also be printed onto one sheet of A4 paper.


RE-USE AND RECYCLE


Internal recycling and general waste bins within the students' union building are serviced by cleaning staff.


Please segregate waste as per the following and place in one of the coloured bins located around the the students' union building in Bowland Main:


Paper, Newspapers & Magazines – (office paper, pamphlets, newspapers). This bin has a blue label.


Food and Drinks Cans and Plastic bottles – (Includes all metal cans; drink and food cans, and plastic bottles & lids). Please quickly rinse cans, tins and bottles and separate caps and lids as both these improve the efficiency of the recycling process. Far less energy is required to squash a bottle with its cap removed. This bin has a red label.


General Waste – (all residual non-recyclable waste. No electrical items or hazardous waste). Bin has a black/ white label.


ARRANGEMENT FOR RECYCLING OTHER ITEMS:


Cardboard (which should be flattened prior to recycling). Small quantities can be placed into the blue wheelie bin located in the A floor printing hub. Large quantities of cardboard should be taken directly to the nearest external bin store (Bowland Avenue), or a collection should be arranged with the information desk and Solutions Team staff.


Glass is not taken by the cleaners and will need to be disposed of directly to the mixed glass recycling bins in the nearest external bin stores (Bowland Avenue).


The nearest external bin store for the students' union is Bowland Avenue, adjacent to the conference centre entrance. External bins and bin stores are now clearly labelled for your convenience.


Under desk waste bins are not permitted in the Bowland main office.


Furniture is also regularly recycled on campus by local re-use charity Furniture Matters. Please arrange a collection of large/ bulky items from the office using the Facilities ‘planon’ system.


HAZARDOUS WASTE


Redundant electrical equipment (often referred to as WEEE) including computer equipment, cables and power plugs. All electrical items now constitute hazardous waste and must be disposed by contacting Jonathan Mills or Phil Longton in Facilities.


View the LUSU WEEE Recycling Procedures Document (hyperlink 'LUSU WEEE Recycling Procedures Document' to: procedure_for_WEEE_disposal.pdf).


Printer and toner cartridges. Please ensure any empty cartridges are placed in the metal cartridge bin (with pink label) located in the A floor printing hub in the Bowland main office.


Battery recycling. Please place any dead batteries in the battery receptacle located in the A floor printing hub in the Bowland main office.


Mobile phones can be recycled using the recycling postal envelopes available from the the students' union Welcome Desk.


View the the students' union procedure for Ink toner battery and mobile phone recycling (hyperlink 'procedure for Ink toner battery and mobile phone recycling' to: procedure_for_batteries_cartridges_mobiles.pdf).


For details on all other hazardous waste material (including flourescent tubes, CRTs, etc.) and relevant paperwork see the procedure for other hazardous waste (hyperlink 'procedure for other hazardous waste' to: procedure_for_hazardous_waste_disposal.pdf).


If you have any other queries please ensure that you check the students' union list of environmental legislation (hyperlink 'environmental legislation' to: register-of-environmental-legislation.pdf). Please also check the Facilities Waste Management webpage.


NEW RECRUITS AND INDUCTION PROCEDURES


It is important for all new the students' union employees to be properly inducted on the relevant environmental policies and procedures. It is the responsibility of managers in the students' union to ensure new recruits are aware of all operating environmental procedures.


All new the students' union staff will receive an induction folder containing the following induction document checklist (hyperlink 'induction document checklist' to: induction_doc1.pdf) which has a section covering the students' union environmental policy and procedures. Any questions can be referred to the Green Lancaster Coordinator.


PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES


It is the policy of the students' union that ‘in instances where all things are equal between suppliers’, the better-graded environmental and ethical suppliers will be used to source goods. Staff should ensure that preference is given, as far as practicable, to those products and services which cause the least harm to the environment. Please contact the Green Lancaster Coordinator for advice if unsure on the relative environmental impact of certain products.


For example, when buying the following items, the students' union IT will ensure it meets high efficiency and environmental standards by following the below specification guidelines:


Computers. First and foremost, longevity and modularity are the most important factors considered. A large proportion of the environmental impact of IT equipment comes from the manufacturing/ shipping, therefore purchasing a computer that is fit for purpose and can be upgraded in future is highly important. Most staff working in the students' union offices will be provided with desktop (tower CPU’s) so that there is ability to upgrade computer memory, processor and storage in future rather than purchasing a new unit. Laptops enable working flexibility, but tend to have limited scope for future upgrade. The environmental impact of battery units is to be considered too. Therefore, laptops are only issued if there is a specific need identified by the employee.

Display screens. the students' union owns 2 large screen displays in the welcome area and a shared facility (with the University) is installed within the students' union meeting room (these displays are in regular use). It is not intended that display screens will regularly be replaced as longevity and reliability have been key considerations in the procurement process in order to reduce lifecycle environmental impact. Products with the Energy Star label on the unit of packaging selected by preference as are low power LED type displays or similar.

Computer monitors. As with computers, longevity is a crucial consideration. All students' union staff are now equipped with large aspect, flat-screen (LED or similar) displays to minimise energy use. Products displaying the Energy Star symbol will generally be given preference when procuring new items. As the majority of the environmental impact comes from manufacture and shipping of these units, high quality displays have been sourced in order to minimise need for regular replacement.

The students' union is also committed to providing Fairtrade provision on campus. In partnership with Facilities, the students' union endorses the University Fairtrade Policy.


SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL


COMMUTING TO AND FROM CAMPUS:


The students' union supports the implementation and goals of the Lancaster University Travel Plan to reduce dependence upon travel by single-occupancy car, by encouraging greater use of walking and cycling, public transport and car-sharing. Employees are encouraged to walk, cycle or take public transport over private car use where possible.


Staff can also save up to 41% on the purchase of a new bicycle and cycling accessories through a flexible benefits cycle to work scheme. Under this scheme, employees will loan a brand new bicycle of their choice for a period of 36 months. Employees pay the value of the bicycle voucher selected by reducing their salary for the first 12 months of the loan period.


Savings: based on selecting a voucher for £1,000 a member of staff on £25,000 would save approximately £24.50 on the value of the voucher per month.


Staff can also consider the bargain second hand bikes sold periodically at the Farmers' Market by charity Cycles Recycled. Check the Green Lancaster Facebook Page for the dates and times of forthcoming events.


See here for more on cycling including, training, where to shower, and promotions.


Where cycling or public transport are not an option, Lancaster University also operates a car-sharing scheme. Staff who are car sharing for their daily commute to campus can apply for a special Staff Car Share Permit making parking on campus cheaper.


UNION BUSINESS TRAVEL:


Given our commitment to the environment, and given our close proximity to the West Coast Mainline, the students' union has committed to a policy of no-internal flights for business purposes.


Students' union staff can now claim for business cycle mileage as per the University policy. Please fill out a students' union payment claim form (hyperlink 'LUSU payment claim form' to: Payment-claim-form.docx) for this and detail the journey details and distance traveled.


When completing order forms for travel tickets, or filling out payment claim forms for tickets or fuel for journeys undertaken by public transport or private/hired vehicle, students' union staff must state the details of the journey taken (e.g. from/ to) and the total distance traveled in miles. In order to calculate travel distances traveled, please use Google Maps or similar.


IMPROVING ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE


The students' union is committed to constant improvement in environmental performance. If you have any ideas on how our policy and procedures could be improved or have a plan for a new environmental project that we could implement, please contact the Green Lancaster Coordinator. This policy and procedures document was updated in January 2014, but should e seen as a working document. If you identify any enhancement, please let us know.