Guidelines on good environmental practice adopted by the Wellcome Trust

Introduction

The Wellcome Trust's mission is to foster and promote research with the aim of improving human and animal health. Such research is increasingly demonstrating that our health is affected, not only by our lifestyle and whether or not we are susceptible to illness, but also by our interaction with the environment in which we live and the chemicals and other substances to which we are exposed in our everyday lives.

The Trust recognises that pollution can be a trigger for those susceptible to certain illnesses and, just as the research it funds aims to improve human health and wellbeing, the Trust also seeks to conduct its activities so as to minimise its environmental impact.

Guidelines

The Wellcome Trust will:

1. consider the potential environmental impact of any new planned activities or developments, work to minimise any negative impacts and, where possible, seek to make a positive contribution to the local environment

2. aim to reduce energy use and improve energy efficiency

3. aim to minimise the use of all consumable materials and use renewable and recycleable materials where possible

4. continue, where possible, to recycle office and kitchen waste and review what further measures can be undertaken

5. encourage all staff to adopt environmentally sound transport policies

6. raise awareness of the Trust's environmental activity among its staff.

These guidelines apply to the Wellcome Trust headquarters in London. They will also be made available to the Trust's subsidiaries, which will be encouraged to develop their own guidelines, to reflect the nature of the activities undertaken by the subsidiary and the conditions in which they are carried out.

Current application of the guidelines at Wellcome Trust headquarters

The Trust already takes account of measures to reduce waste by recycling:

all types of paper (including recycled photocopying paper), cardboard and newspapers (around 80 tons per year in total)
toner cartridges
cooking oil from the kitchen.

The Trust is also concerned to choose contractors with a good reputation in this area; the disposal company currently used by the Trust separates all waste into glass, paper, tins and plastic items, which are then recycled where possible.

The Trust's building management system (BMS) covers a wide range of procedures designed to save energy and regulate the use of resources, including:

controlling heating and ventilation, so that energy is saved when the building is unoccupied
lighting controls that switch lights off when offices are not in use (and using low-energy lighting where possible)
monitoring energy and water use
use of electrical water softeners to eliminate scale build-up and improve energy efficiency.

Environmental considerations were one of the key drivers in the planning and design of our new offices at 215 Euston Road. The plans have been assessed by an environmental consultancy under the new BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) 2002 for Offices performance system and were rated 'Excellent'. The energy-saving and sustainability measures contributing to this excellent rating are as follows:

chilled ceiling cooling system (more efficient than standard air-conditioning)
photovoltaic array (solar panels)
building management system (BMS) - including both automatic and manual override
triple glazing
use of environmentally 'friendly'/sustainable materials (such as wood from self-sustaining forests).

The Trust has also adopted a green travel plan (GTP), which promotes the use of more sustainable modes of transport by Trust staff and visitors. A recent staff survey found that 94 per cent of Trust staff were using public transport, cycling or walking, both to get to and from work and while out on Trust business. The GTP will aim to further improve this statistic and adherence to the plan will be monitored regularly.

The Trust hopes that the new offices will be a clear example to its staff, the local community and those whom it funds that it is committed to minimising its environmental impact where possible.

Responsibility for Trust guidelines

Responsibility for the implementation, monitoring and development of the guidelines lies with the Director of HR and Services. On a day-to-day basis, the guidelines will be administered by the Facilities Manager at the Trust.

If you have any questions on the guidelines, please contact Facilities: facilitieshelpdesk@wellcome.ac.uk.