Working towards a lower-carbon CEP

At the Centre for Environmental Policy (CEP), we are committed to reducing the carbon footprint of our department while supporting wider environmental, social and health benefits.

Our approach aligns with the College-wide Sustainability Strategy and UK legislation, and focuses on three key areas:

Measure → Reduce → Compensate

1. Measure

We will monitor CEP’s carbon emissions to understand where our biggest impacts come from.

This includes:

  • Measuring our Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
  • Estimating our Scope 3 emissions as far as possible, including emissions from business travel.
  • Reviewing our carbon footprint regularly to identify opportunities for further reductions.

2. Reduce

Our priority is to reduce CEP’s carbon footprint wherever reasonably possible.

We will review our approach at least every two years and consider new opportunities to reduce emissions.

Travel

We will prioritise the lowest-carbon travel option available while recognising the need for staff and students to attend essential activities in person.

Where possible, we will:

  • Use video conferencing instead of travelling.
  • Choose rail over air travel for short-haul journeys where in-person attendance is necessary.
  • Consider incentives and carbon budgets to support lower-carbon travel choices.

Food

When providing or purchasing food for CEP activities, we will consider its impact on:

  • Climate and the environment
  • Water and food security
  • Human health
  • Animal welfare

As general principles, we will prioritise vegan, local and seasonal food, while minimising single-use plastics.

3. Compensate

Some carbon emissions may be difficult to avoid completely.

For these hard-to-avoid emissions, we will consider contributing to credible carbon offsetting schemes, ideally those that align with the EAUC Carbon Coalition standards.

Our approach

Our carbon management approach is therefore based on a simple principle:

First measure our emissions, then reduce them as far as possible, and compensate for those that cannot reasonably be avoided.

We will continue to review our progress and look for new ways to reduce CEP’s environmental impact.