British university students are wasting almost £11million a year when they brew up and snack on fast-food.
The figure was released as Lancaster University launched a new scheme to help save the be green by teaching students the most carbon friendly way to make a pot of tea and snacks such as Pot Noodle - the iconic student meal.
The move, the first in the country, comes after it was revealed that the UK’s two million students waste around £10.8million-worth of electricity a year just by overfilling kettles and leaving them to boil longer than necessary.
Revolutionary wireless monitoring devices are being fitted in Lancaster University students’ kitchens to provide scheme organisers with details of energy use, with students ‘graduating’ when they successfully reduce consumption.
Students typically drink way over the UK average of four cups of tea or coffee a day, not to mention filling up on pot noodles and other quick snacks.
As part of the GreenLancaster campaign run in addition to conventional studies, students are being given instructions on the optimum levels of water required to prepare tea, coffee and Pot Noodles and tips such as reducing electricity use by turning the kettle off just as it starts to boil rather than waiting for the automatic cut-out.
They are also learning practical cookery tips to reinforce the message about how careful preparation can reduce energy consumption.
The monitoring device attaches to the mains electricity supply and monitors electricity usage on a wireless LCD display, allowing students to see their energy usage in real time. The equipment is unique as the high-powered central receiver allows the information to be sent to a central control room so scheme organisers can monitor energy use.
Fifty-two units are currently in use in Lancaster University campus flats, which involves 1,000 students, with the aim to roll it out to 1,000 kitchens on campus.
Ben Matthews of GreenLancaster, which is behind the Pot Noodle initiative, said: “This project is all about changing behaviour to reduce energy consumption and make the university a more environmentally-friendly place.
“By explaining to students what they can do to help and applying that to things which they can identify with, such as making a cuppa or a Pot Noodle, and showing them how simple it is to effect change, we are finding that they are more prepared to become part of what we are trying to do.
“They can even donate the Pot Noodle lids to our aluminium foil recycling scheme, which is raising money for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.”
Boiling a kettle uses 3kW but the amount of electricity used can be significantly reduced if the kettle is only filled with the exact amount required.
It takes as much energy to bring one saucepan of water to the boil as it takes to heat a small bedroom from freezing to 21°C.
Raising the temperature of water just one degree from 99° to boiling requires half as much energy again as it takes to heat the water from cold.
GreenLancaster was founded by Lancaster University Students’ Union and is funded by v, the national youth volunteering charity, and Lancaster University Facilities.
Its other environmental projects include selling recycled bicycles, creating woodland walks and students volunteering to help Lancashire Wildlife Trust and RSPB, generating volunteering opportunities for students as well as cultivating their own allotments.
Post a comment