Nottingham Trent University has been named the UK’s greenest university after building a pavilion so efficient it produces more energy than it consumes.
The university was named as the country’s most sustainable by environmental campaign group People and Planet.
It won the title thanks in part to its new pavilion building on the Clifton campus, designed to generate excess clean energy which should save 8.4 tonnes of CO2 per year.
This is the equivalent of taking a return flight to Sydney, or heating an average detached house for 16 months.
It does so using energy efficient glazing, solar panels and LED lights which automatically switch off in sunny weather.
The building, which also operates as a study space, has an Energy Performance Certificate rating of A+.
A ‘Green Zone’ was also opened alongside it, which is free from smoking, vehicles and litter.
On the city campus, the Boots Library rooftop garden is among several initiatives to bring eco-friendly spaces into the city.
Trent beat the University of Brighton, Manchester Metropolitan University and Cardiff Metropolitan University to the top spot in the league table.
The ranking is based on environmental initiatives, such as its carbon reduction, recycling and education.
Dr Petra Molthan-Hill, one of the university’s lecturers, also won a Green Gown Award for her work with the Green Academy, which aims to integrate sustainability into the curriculum.
University Vice-Chancellor Edward Peck said: “Returning to the top of the People and Planet University League – alongside a plethora of other awards – shows what can be achieved when professional services colleagues, academics, and students work together on an issue in which they all believe.
“I am very proud of what is a genuinely collective initiative which combines commitment to principles with creativity around practices.”
Co-director, research and campaigns at People and Planet, Hannah Smith, said: “NTU is truly demonstrating what’s capable when a university community comes together to grapple with climate and social justice in real and practical terms.”
