Environment news

A globe with a ribbon on it

It’s time to look at how gift giving spares a thought for loved ones but not the planet

Father’s Day, graduation ceremonies, weddings and birthdays…they all have two things in common: they’re coming up over the next few months and they involve gifts.

A bike in a flooded street

Researchers to assess effectiveness of eco-friendly flood schemes

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ academics are to explore the economic and environmental benefits of natural flood defences as part of a £467,000 research project.
photo of student's work: a fish emptying contents of small plastic toys

Students host first plastic art exhibition at government department to highlight the dangers of pollution

Students at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ are exhibiting their art in a government department as part of a project that looks to highlight the impact of plastic pollution.

New study aims to better understand the impact of invasive species on British rivers

A new study will examine the damaging impact of non-native river species including killer and demon shrimp aims to better understand their effect on the indigenous ecology and prevent the threat of an invasional meltdown.
solar panels in a field

Student helps solve scientific puzzle that could improve solar panel efficiency and increase their usage around the world

A º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ PhD student has helped shed light on a solar panel puzzle that could lead to more efficient devices being developed.

Postgrad student will travel to the UN headquarters to promote her disaster resilience research

A º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ PhD student will travel to the UN headquarters in Switzerland to promote her work which uses social media to engage people in emergency risk communication.

Experts secure £200,000 from the Department for Transport for research into greener travel

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded £200,000 for two projects which aim to make the transport sector more environmentally friendly.
St Bart's winning classroom design.

Winning outdoor classroom design for Leicestershire school is revealed

A group of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ students are set to see their ideas brought to life as their outdoor classroom design for a Leicestershire school has been selected to be developed by an architect.
wind turbines on a hill.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ and Surrey project to map energy and productivity

A researcher at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded funding by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to explore the role of energy in the UK’s productivity puzzle.
Different foods and a #Lboroexpert banner

Academic creates nifty food planner to help tackle national waste issue

A new food planner created at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ hopes to get staff, students and members of the public thinking more carefully about their meals in a bid to tackle the ever-growing national waste issue.
A house with energy coming out of it.

£1.6m grant to improve building façade technologies for better energy efficiency

A project to create new technologies to improve the energy efficiency of buildings is set to get underway as a group of researchers from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, the University of Nottingham and University of Exeter have been awarded a £1.65m grant from the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council).

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff.

Médecins Sans Frontières learns how to provide crucial water, hygiene and sanitation interventions in emergency situations

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been praised by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for the valuable training it provides that equips teams with skills to better assist communities in emergencies.
Pictured is an easter egg.

Easter eggs: hunting for a solution to excessive packaging

So which Easter tradition came first? The packaging or the egg? The answer is of course not that surprising (it’s the egg). The tradition of giving people eggs at spring time has roots in ancient pagan festivals and exists in the history of a range of religions.
graphic with illustrations of wildlife to promote Fruit Routes event

Fruit Routes event returns for the first days of summer offering activities for all to attend

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ and artist Anne-Marie Culhane have come together for the seventh year to bring the Fruit Routes project to campus.

Research aims to produce negative-emission fuels from industrial CO2

Scientists at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ have created a new chemical process which converts industrial CO2 emissions into useable green fuels and chemicals.
A field of solar panels.

Surviving climate change means transforming both economics and design

What could be more important than sustaining habitable living conditions on Earth?

Plants.

Wealth from waste – three ways pollution can be turned into something useful

Solving environmental problems usually just means cleaning up the mess people have made. But scientists are increasingly interested in creating something valuable from pollution.

photo of a presentation at the Centre of SMART conference at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London

Centre for SMART holds conference featuring industry-leading speakers

The Centre of Sustainable Manufacturing and Recycling Technologies (SMART) and Internet of Food Things (IoFT) Network Plus recently held an event at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London to discuss how the food manufacturing industry can take advantage of opportunities brought forward by the advent of the fourth industrial revolution (industry 4.0).

Environment Campaign: University launches new drive to promote game-changing environmental research and innovations

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is celebrating the academics and projects which tackle some of the most challenging areas of climate change, ecology, sustainability, technology and renewable energy as part of a two-month initiative to highlight environmental research.
A woman cooking with biomass and an electric alternative in the background.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ leads a UK aid programme to tackle climate change

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ and the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP) joined forces in leading a UK aid research project to find innovative, clean and modern alternatives to biomass fuels, such as charcoal and wood.

Research paves the way for faster more powerful and greener supercomputers

The next generation of supercomputers is a step closer after a team of physicists found a way to simplify the design of devices used in superconducting spintronics – a promising route to energy-efficient supercomputing.
A glass globe in the glass.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ to welcome VIPs for forum on sustainable development in Central Asia

On Monday 18th March, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ will welcome a host of VIPs from the UK and overseas for a day-long event focused on sustainable development within the Central Asian region.
photo of Green Flag and University staff and students outside Hazlerigg and Rutland buildings

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ flies the Green Flag at ceremony to celebrate environmental accreditation

Staff, students and members of the community gathered at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ last week to celebrate the Green Flag Award which the University received last year.

S. A. Agulhas II.

Weddell Sea Expedition: Science programme complete

At the start of January 2019, Dr Jeff Evans, a Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography in the School of Social Sciences, boarded the 134m-long S. A. Agulhas II – one of the largest and most modern research ships anywhere in the world.
Dr Jeff Evans with the S. A. Agulhas II.

Weddell Sea Expedition: ice runways, coring, penguins and more…

At the start of January 2019, Dr Jeff Evans, a Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography in the School of Social Sciences, boarded the 134m-long S. A. Agulhas II – one of the largest and most modern research ships anywhere in the world.