NEWS A smart app for booking group study rooms – connected to sensors that control ventilation, heating and lighting only when the rooms are in use. This is one of the ideas for a more sustainable campus that students in the Master’s Programme in Environmental Science and Sustainability came up with during a project assignment.
Letting nature take care of itself when green spaces are not used is one way of promoting biodiversity on campus, Nadine Peels and Jenny Ojala suggests.
ImageAnna-Lena Lindskog“We think the university could involve, for example, engineering students to develop such an app,” says student Tuva Elingstam. “Just as we have looked at sustainability on campus, more programmes could be engaged in that work. It feels meaningful when you get the chance to make a real impact.”
As part of a course in the Master’s Programme in Environmental Science and Sustainability, students work in groups to explore different aspects of campus sustainability. They presented their projects during a poster session, attended by among others the university’s environmental coordinator.
One group investigated how biodiversity on campus could be improved.
Many would probably say that Umeå University’s campus is green, but how can biodiversity be increased?
“I thought the same when we started the project – that campus is very green,” says Nadine Peels. “But several of the green areas are large fields near the forest that are hardly used; they’re just open grass.”
In the Master's programme in Environmental Science and Sustainability students have worked in a project with different aspects of sustainability on campus. From left Selma Skoglund asking questions during the presentation, to her right Ilse Olsson, student, Heidi Burdett, programme director, and Lisa Redin, environmental coordinator at Umeå University.
ImageAnna-Lena LindskogIt’s also important that students and researchers can use nature as part of learning
The students suggest letting these fields grow freely into flowering meadows and only mowing them when needed for sports or student events. Their proposal is largely about doing less – allowing nature to take care of itself in selected areas. It doesn’t have to be neat flowerbeds and lawns everywhere. By for example leaving some leaves and branches on the ground and placing logs here and there, more plants and insects can thrive.
“One of the challenges is getting all stakeholders to pull in the same direction,” says Nadine Peels. “Akademiska Hus wants to keep campus tidy, while it’s also important that students and researchers can use nature as part of learning. Campus shouldn’t look like a wilderness, so the question is how we can still use all areas to promote biodiversity.”
"When students are asked about study space they think large tables, whiteboards and space to have lunch in are important" says Ilse Olsson. To her left Jasmin Mannelqvist.
ImageAnna-Lena LindskogMany students complain about the lack of group rooms where they can study together. They are often fully booked, but it’s also common that rooms go unused because those who booked them don’t show up.
Tuva Elingstam, Jum Krolikowski and Selma Skoglund analysed booking statistics – and were surprised to find that group rooms on campus are only used about 50 per cent of the time. Demand is high in the middle of the day, but mornings, late afternoons and evenings see many rooms empty.
“We’ve done a lot of research and talked to both students and university staff who manage the booking system and our buildings,” says Tuva.
A survey revealed that many students want more variety in room sizes, more comfortable furniture, rooms closer to where they have classes, better ventilation and, above all, a smoother booking system. The latter could be solved with an Internet of Things solution, the group suggests.
Sensors in the rooms could detect when people are present and adjust ventilation and heating accordingly, as well as lighting based on outdoor brightness. Linked to booking via an app, where you can quickly find available rooms on a map, this would make room use more efficient. A system that somehow rewards students for booking at less popular times could also help spread usage more evenly throughout the day, they reason.
"Investing in smart systems for study group rooms can also solve other problems in the buildings like ventilation" says Selma Skoglund. To her left Tuva Elingstam.
ImageAnna-Lena LindskogA third group focused on campus buildings. If Umeå University is to become climate neutral by 2045, carbon emissions from buildings must decrease much faster than they have so far, they conclude.
Renovating existing buildings is preferable from an emissions perspective compared to building new ones. However, the campus’s latest addition, Aurora – which houses exam halls among other things – can serve as a model, the group believes. Choices of materials, ventilation and energy solutions have earned the building the highest environmental certification, Miljöbyggnad Gold.
“Many conscious decisions have been made to increase sustainability in both the short and long term, from social and environmental perspectives,” says student Ilse Olsson.
Understanding the climate footprint of different campus buildings and identifying emission sources has been the biggest challenge in the project, she says. Many buildings will need renovation in the coming years. This means major costs, but also an opportunity to find more efficient heating and ventilation solutions that will help the university reach its climate goals faster.
The project groups also identified that students generally need more knowledge about sustainability and what the university is doing to promote biodiversity and sustainability.
“When we conducted our survey, many said they would like to learn more through signs and information boards,” says Ilse Olsson. “I think it’s important to learn about the building you’re in and connect it to something bigger – a global sustainability goal or the university’s own targets.”
Read more about the Master’s Programme in Environmental Science and Sustainability
Jum Krolokowski och Jurgi Irurieta has dug deep into how buildings on campus can become more sustainable, for example regarding energy efficiency.
ImageAnna-Lena Lindskog