Council leaders take opportunity to share learnings from University sustainability projects
Members of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council have visited Keele University to learn more about their ground-breaking research into climate change and renewable technologies.
The group included Cllr. Trevor Johnson, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Recycling, Dave Adams, the Council's Executive Director for Sustainable Environment and other senior officers.
The visit featured a tour of key sustainability sites at Keele, including the University’s Low Carbon Energy Generation Park and the Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) project. The group also learned more about other pioneering initiatives such as HyDeploy – a pilot trial which saw hydrogen blended into the University’s gas supply to evaluate the potential of this low carbon fuel source – and the HyDex programme, which is designed to support and foster the creation of a new hydrogen economy in the Midlands.
Cllr. Johnson, pictured fifth from left above, said: “Today’s visit has been a wonderful opportunity to see the breadth and depth of the sustainable energy research being undertaken at the University. What we have learned today will help steer our own sustainable energy plans.
“Sustainability is high on the Council’s agenda: we are members of the Staffordshire sustainability Board, along with nine other councils and, together, we aim to reduce the county’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, or before. We want to endorse the work being carried out by the University and will work collaboratively with them wherever we can to tackle the wider sustainability challenges facing us all.”
Julian Read, SEND Programme Manager, said: “It was great to welcome our local council to share our experience and discuss potential collaboration opportunities. It is vital that businiesses, local authorities and educators come together to share knowledge, resources and ideas to help address the impacts and causes of climate change."
“Since we started our sustainability journey Keele has become sector-leading in environmental education, as well as conducting world-leading research into environmental sustainability. We’re keen to share our experiences with other organisations to help advance their sustainability journey.”
Find out more about the research and work on sustainabilitybeing carried out at Keele University - keele.ac.uk/sustainability