Resource use and impact is inseparable from that from energy, carbon and climate. The panel discussion / workshop will consider this is light of the shift from physical objects and services to digital technology using the data centre industry as a case study. I propose an interactive Q&A quiz as an introduction, a brief overview of the challenges and panel discussion to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities for business and end users (including the general public) while simultaneously showcasing the CEDaCI project. The panel will be comprised of project partners from across the data centre sector which will also promote women in tech and STEM.

Panellists:

• Julie Chenadec, Project Manager, Green IT Amsterdam

• Carolina Szablewski, Project Manager, WeLOOP Sustainability Consultants

• Emma Fryer, Associate Director, Data Centres, TechUK

• Astrid Wynne Rogers, Sustainability Manager, Techbuyer

Session lead: Deborah Andrews, Associate Professor in Design, School of Engineering, LSBU and CEDaCI project lead.

The topic will cover various generation of energy networks for buildings and outline the concept of Scandinavian ambient loop network, utilising waste heat as a resource for providing its energy need. The concept has a deep connection with wellbeing as it mitigates the need of burning fossil fuel and also absorbs low streams of heat which otherwise would be lost into the atmosphere creating urban height island effect. I will conclude the presentation with a short case study.

Under Kartik’s leadership, the Sweco building sustainability team has have delivered some of the most significant sustainable buildings in the UK and hence allocated three times BREEAM Company of the year (2014/2016/2017). Specialising in the sustainable design of the built environment, Kartik has over 16 years of experience in commercial, retail, industrial, military, educational and residential developments for new and refurbishment works.

Kartik plays key roles in prestigious projects, developing energy strategies that evaluate solutions relative to cost, logistics, energy and carbon reductions, green rating certifications, savings and payback time for new and existing master plans and buildings. He actively pursues innovative thinking in projects to achieve the highest sustainable performance: some of this thinking results in early design guides for architects as well as research and testing in practice. His involvement in academia through lecturing at the University of Bath (UK) provides another platform for him to develop new ideas and obtain insights to define practical, sustainable solutions for buildings further.

The GreenSCIES project aims to deliver low carbon, affordable energy to the local community in the London borough of Islington. The novel integrated heat, power and transport network is a smart system that connects flexible electricity demands (heat pumps and electric vehicles) to intermittent renewable energy (solar power).

The smart network facilitates the transition to electric vehicles and vehicle to grid supply to make the most of intermittent renewable energy and ensure end-users always get the best tariff. Heating and cooling are provided by heat pumps in buildings connected to a local network, which integrates thermal energy storage and waste heat recovered from local datacentres and the London Underground. Artificial intelligence underpins the system optimisation and demand side response.

The scheme will result in an 80% reduction in carbon emissions compared to today’s baseline (with gas boilers, chillers and grid electricity), addressing fuel poverty by reducing energy bills by up to 25%. GreenSCIES is in the detail design stage, once constructed the low carbon integrated whole energy system will serve 33,000 urban residents and 70 local businesses. The GreenSCIES concept is suitable to be replicated throughout the country and has the potential to become a world-leading example.

Session leads: Cat De Almeida Marques, Research Fellow, School of Engineering, LSBU and Graeme Maidment, Professor of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, School of Engineering, LSBU.

How can we learn from past energy generation and infrastructure design and move to a decarbonised and decentralised energy network? What are the current challenges and key energy technologies for deployment?

Lee is an Associate Director at Buro Happold. Currently, he is the Global Lead of Knowledge and Operations for the Building Environments group, which supports the advancement of the disciplines six strategic focus groups on: health, wellbeing and productivity, building performance, smart buildings, digital design, design for manufacture, and BIM for efficient production.

His specialisms include designing beyond standard environmental assessment, optimisation of heating, ventilation and comfort cooling strategies, building physics, and low energy design with zero carbon technology. He is an advocate of new technologies ahead of mainstream application, including: integrated structural ventilation, ground and water source heat pumps, community and district heating networks using alternative technologies. 

• Nureen Glaves - CEO of FeedMeGood Creator of How to be a Smart Food Shopper. Chef, Food Waste Guru, IKEA Live LAGOM Influencer

• Zoe de Grussa, Energy Saving Design Engineer, British Blind and Shutters Association

• Karl de Leeuw, Chartered Quantity Surveyor, Founder of Let’s Live Longer Now! and Author -The Health Spring Code

Hosted by IB Para-Mallam, Alumni Relationship Manager (Volunteering & Individual Giving, LSBU).

Nureen’s company, FeedMeGood, provides health and wellbeing services to housing associations, youth services, homeless schemes, the education sector and local councils. She also works with IKEA on the #LIVELAGOM initiative which focuses on sustainable living at home. Nureen will be discussing a number of her projects & initiatives as well as the carbon footprint of food shipping.

Zoe will be discussing how she became aware of ‘Sustainability’ through her BSc Engineering Product Design Course at LSBU and how this inspired her to continue her work in academia. Zoe passed her PhD Viva earlier this year which was a sponsored research programme in collaboration with the British Blind and Shutter Association. Zoe will explain how these simple products – blinds and shutters – can be considered sustainable as they can offer environmental, health, well-being, and comfort benefits to the people that live and work in buildings.

Did you know that atmospheric methane is 80 times more damaging than CO2 during the first 20 years it hangs around in the atmosphere? To unlock this Karl de Leeuw will discuss how cutting atmospheric methane is now the most important item not yet on the climate change agenda and how to resolve it!

In this session, LSBU’s Estates team will examine LSBU’s carbon reduction journey relatingto scope 1 & 2 emissions since 2010. In 2010, in consultation with HEFCE, universities were asked to agreereductions in Scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions. LSBU pledged to reduce our emissions by 34% by 2020 basedupon a 2010 baseline of 11,694 tCO2.

To achieve this, LSBU has reduced both its electricity and gas consumptions to levels which enabled us to achieve this target by August 2017. This success has continued, with current level of carbon reduction being 54%.

On the 27th June 2019, the UK became the first major economy in the world to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. This will require the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Going forward this target of zero emissions will prove very challenging as this also includes scope 3 emissions.

Join us as we share our details about how we achieved our results, discuss our working partnerships with internal and external stakeholders and consider some of the challenges LSBU and other institutions facewe face as we move forward into the next phase of this ambitious but crucial target.

Session leads: Chris Barnes, Maintenance and Energy Manager, Estates & Academic Environment, LSBU.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were ratified by 193 nations in 2015. They area commitment to end poverty, deliver improved health, education and gender equality … and much more.

They are supported by 169 targets and 232 indicators. This is problematic for measuring impact below the national level. This discussion shares a new approach to measuring global goals at a local level. It has just completed a case study with the Environment Agency, who will adopt the LSBU research models from April2021, for example on their £5.2Bn flood schemes that will help reduce the negative consequences ofextreme events.

The UK Government plans to adopt the LSBU SDG measuring approach – the Cabinet Office has indicated that the new models developed by LSBU could be used to assess all infrastructure investments in future and provide a mechanism to get the greatest ‘bang for the buck’ for people, planet and profit.

Paul Mansell will chair a panel discussion and a Q&A session that explores how the Environment Agencyare measuring their Carbon impacts and how this can be linked to the LSBU research work.

Session lead: Paul Mansell, Doctoral Researcher, Nathu Puri Institute, School of Engineering, LSBU and Katherine Ibbotson, Programme Carbon and Cost Manager, the Environment Agency.

A paradigm shift describes a profound change in a fundamental model or perception of events. Can the simple act of changing your route home or wearing odd socks when your normal practise is that they should always match lead to the paradigm shift we need now on the planet as we deal with climate and environmental change? I would argue that yes it can and its why creativity, in any subject is more important now than ever. By taking you through the steps it took to create pollution absorbing sculptures in London from simple sketches and creations using everyday objects, I hope to show you the power that ‘thinking with hands’ has and how it won’t simply help the planet and Her inhabitants but also make each of us future proof in a technological Brave new World.

Session lead: Jasmine Pradissitto, Artist and Visiting Lecturer, School of Engineering, LSBU.

The presentation is about how LSBU’s School of Engineering teaches the wider contexts that engineering has an impact on. Contexts such as the environment, local and global economies, and the importance of engaging with local communities as part of the design process. One of the many ways that this is achieved is through participation in national competitions that focus on sustainable development in real-life scenarios. The presentation will give examples of LSBU engineering student successes in these competitions. The aim of these competitions is for the students to develop teamworking skills and to develop innovative and appropriate engineering solutions that contribute to the sustainable development of a real community. They provide an exciting opportunity to work for a real client; placing engineering and design theories learnt into practice.

Session lead: Alessio Corso, Head of Division, Mechanical Engineering and Design, School of Engineering.

This debate will seek to examine and gather information, views and opinions on how the current global covid 19 crisis will impact the sustainability agenda generally and specifically based on the various conference themes.

Some of the questions posed will include:

• Where does sustainability now feature as a priority

• Is covid-19 and sustainability one of the same?

• What has covid-19 revealed to us about society?

Panellists:

• Hannah Northrop, Lecturer in Planning, LSBU

• Dr Hugh Atkinson, Distinguished Research Fellow, The Schumacher Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Bristol

• Mark Turner, Local Authority Development Manager in Planning

Chaired by: Jaya Gajparia, Education for Sustainability Course Director, School of Law and Social Sciences, LSBU.