© CHUNYIP WONG/iStock via Getty Images
In 2020/21, a Land Economy PhD student had the idea for a Green Impact Excellence Project: “Comparing environmental footprints at the Department of Land Economy before and during Covid-19: Lessons for post-pandemic practices”. Unfortunately, due to their PhD workload and the impact of the Covid lockdown on the department, the project was put on hold. However, we continued to participate in the Green Impact award and were rewarded with platinum! 😊
In 2021/22 a member of our research centre CEENRG volunteered to relaunch the Carbon Footprint Project and conducted a survey of LE staff and students that would “help track and evaluate its carbon footprint, understand how these patterns has changed over the past year of the Covid-19 pandemic and inform future strategies of the Department towards the reduction of the departmental as well as our individual carbon footprints.”
The results provided a valuable insight into the existing level of awareness of environmental sustainability and wellbeing within the department and collated ideas on how we might better engage with environmental sustainability issues and initiatives across the University in future.
No further surveys were undertaken in 2023 and 2024 as we embarked on two Excellence Projects with the continued aim of improving environmental sustainability awareness and engagement first with our student group and in the second year with our staff (academic and professional services).
The Final Excellence Project Reports can be found on the LE Green Impact Webpages
This year we signed-up to complete the Green Impact workbook again.
During the difficult logistical process of relocating the entire department from 19-21 Silver Street into 17 Mill Lane was probably not the ideal time to use the Green Impact Challenge as a way of checking that our level of environmental sustainability awareness and practice had not waned (i.e. are we still platinum standard!?) but even so the continued Green Impact auditing process should help us to move forward as positively and sustainably as possible into our new temporary and then final accommodation.
So, a repeat of the 2022 survey was conducted in January 2025 by the Green Impact Coordinator (Sustainability Champion) and a data comparison made between the 2022 and 2025 surveys. The LE Green Impact Team does not intend to continue this project into 2026, but it’s hoped lessons learned from these surveys and the two engagement projects will actively inform the department’s environmental sustainability commitment going forward. A copy of the full LE Carbon Footprint Survey 2025 Report is available on request.
There are approx. 70 staff and 420 students in our department. The 2022 survey was completed by 31 colleagues (17 students and 14 staff). The 2025 survey was completed by only 15 colleagues (5 students, 5 academic staff and 5 professional services staff). Obviously, the response this year is disappointingly low, but seems to reflect a general apathy towards collectively supporting our Green Impact Award campaign, despite regular email requests for help and updates on the progress of the project.
Unfortunately, as in 2022, the low response rate does not allow for a full-scale use of the survey results in carbon footprint accounting for the Department as part of Green Impact. However, just as in 2022, “the survey results provide valuable insights into the main areas in which the Department and its student and staff members can achieve significant impact on carbon emissions reduction and increase in well-being.”
The survey is in two parts. The first six questions aimed at gauging awareness of departmental sustainability and wellbeing initiatives with a hope of gleaning how the Green Impact Coordinator/Wellbeing Advocate (they are the same person) can improve staff and student engagement with these initiatives. And the rest being the same set of Carbon Footprint questions as asked in 2022.
Two highlights are:
WELLBEING Of the 15 responses, 11 colleagues were aware of the Cambridge Zero initiative, and five were aware of the Cambridge Sustainability Hub. Seven were equally aware of the existence of both the departmental Sustainability Champion and Wellbeing Advocate roles, with five stating they would be interested in becoming a member of the Green Impact Team. Four people equally responded to being aware of the department’s Sustainable Business Travel and Sustainable Procurement/Food policies. Of the student responders most were aware of the opportunity to become either a College Green Officer and/or a Green Impact Student Auditor, as well as being involved in College Green Week in Easter Term. 
To me the high level of awareness across all 10 sustainability initiatives probably stems from the continued success of the 2022-23 Student Inclusion Excellence Project. Whereas the 2023-24 Staff Inclusion Excellence Project was not as successful and a continued failure to engage with Green Impact and Sustainability/Wellbeing initiatives is a tough problem to solve. For example, 8 out of 15 responders admitted never looking at the departmental Environmental Sustainability/Green Impact webpages, and a further 6 out of 15 said they only occasionally refer to the webpages, if needed. In answer to the question “Would you like to receive a regular Sustainability Issues/ Green Impact email newsletter?” the response was a resounding No/Maybe, with only six saying yes. However, the response was far more positive regarding Wellbeing with 13 out of 15 responders confirming “Yes, they do like receiving the weekly Wellbeing Wednesday email newsletter.” It’s ironic that a department that prides itself on its environmental teaching and research credentials is seemingly not so interested in collectively working towards a more dedicated departmental environmental sustainability policy. However, the optimist in me hopes that it’s a clear indication that our continued Green Impact campaigning is doing it’s job and both staff and students are well aware of practical sustainability actions, and they are now seamlessly integrated into their everyday lives, so they don’t need reminding too often 😊 The more positive response to the Wellbeing Advocate’s initiatives is solid evidence that more should and can be done to support the wellbeing of all LE staff and students, in line with the University’s new focus on wellbeing and the implementation of a University Wellbeing Action Plan. |
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL The responses to the sustainable commuting/travel questions were not a surprise, as it’s well known that Land Economy has a particularly bicycle-oriented collective of staff and students, as the 11 out of 15 response to “which means of transport have you most used on a regular basis during term time since January 2024?” being cycling, confirms. However, out of term time car/taxi use increases and cycling decreases, while public transport use remains constant both during and outside term. By comparison in 2022, the most popular mode of transport during term time was walking (84%) and then cycling (74%) with only 19% using car/taxi. And outside term time the shift was again towards car/taxi use (up to 48%) and both walking/cycling notably less. 
Good news and possibly the historical result of the department being centrally located with very limited car parking space, but ample and secure underground bike parking. Also, the majority of responders have a regular commute to/from the department that is less than 30 minutes (the same as in 2022). Sustainable public transport is used but in a limited capacity with only a third of responders making more than 10 short train trips and no one travelling long-distance (more than 3 hours one way) by train since January 2024. The department is signed-up to the University’s Sustainable Business Travel Policy which is outlined on our Green Impact webpages and should be followed by all staff and students who travel (especially by air) when on University business (e.g. attending academic conferences and on research field trips). Two thirds of responders took between 1-4 (40%) and 5-10 (27%) short return flights since January 2024, and the 1-4 return flights were for University business. There are similar figures for long-haul flights with 40% taking between 1-4 trips and those trips being for University business. It’s a similar picture to the 2022 figures but there were less flights overall then, but probably due to the ongoing global covid restrictions at the time. So, sustainable travel, especially air travel is no real cause for concern for our carbon footprint and staff are encouraged to choose the most sustainable flight/accommodation options when booking through the University’s recommended travel provider – Key Travel. |
So this year’s survey has been a small not entirely representative percentage of LE staff and student responses, but still through comparison with the 2022 responses provides some valuable insights into how behaviours are changing in the wake of the covid epidemic as well as the continued global shift online from hybrid working to weekly shopping. The data clearly indicates that aside from global trends and influences on society’s behaviour, the department’s regular environmental sustainability and wellbeing initiatives are helping influence how people procure, consume and recycle everything they need in daily life, and some are prefering more eco-friendly options and are aware of the positive environmental impact of reducing energy usage and food waste, as well as travelling sustainably and caring about their personal wellbeing.
A reassuring result from our simple longtitudinal research project and a solid base of evidence to continue our collective efforts and investment of time, money and enthusiasm into Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing at Land Economy going forward.
Fingers crossed for gold/platinum! 😊
Survey conducted and analysed by Mrs Lynda Haines MA Ed
Green Impact Coordinator and Wellbeing Advocate
Images credits:
Image of Trinity Hall, Cambridge © Barry Davis/iStock via Getty Images
Image of bicycle © Graham Custance Photography/Moment via Getty Images
