Sustainability
Sustainability is an attempt to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the indefinite future and as such is definitely a governance issue. It includes:
DfES Sustainable Development website47
- Integration of environmental, social, human and economic goals in policies and activities
- Equal opportunity and community participation
- Conservation of biodiversity
- A commitment to best practice
- The principle of continuous improvement
- The need for good governance
The DfES has a sustainable development website. Some notable examples of sustainable approaches to campus development exist in Scotland's Queen Margaret University, Lauder College and John Wheatley College. Our case study on John Wheatley College outlines its intention to be a radical statement of the potential of alternative and carbon-free energy sources in a public building, setting new standards for educational and other public buildings in Scotland.
The LSC, in Building for Skills, has stated that from 2007 to qualify for LSC capital funds all capital projects will need to address the sustainable development agenda by:
- meeting, and preferably exceeding, the requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations
- ensuring that the completed development meets the criteria to achieve excellent Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ratings
- maximising the use of natural lighting and ventilation by using wind and solar power to generate light and heat and rainwater to reduce water usage; and
- embedding the principles of sustainability in the design of buildings and building systems
