The challenges that society faces around a sustainable future cannot be confronted alone. We believe that, by working in partnership, the entire NewcastleGateshead conurbation can be made into a global exemplar of effective approaches to attaining sustainability in long-established cities.
Collaborating with a range of local authorities and enterprises from across the region, NIReS engages with businesses and the wider society in considering the issues surrounding sustainability, helping them to understand the opportunities that Newcastle upon Tyne and the surrounding areas offer in terms of tangible solutions and initiatives to address sustainability challenges.
Newcastle has come a long way from its industrial heritage of coal mining and ship building to being awarded the status of the UK’s most sustainable large city, according to influential think tank Forum for the Future, which bestowed the accolade on our city in both 2009 and 2010. A key element of our approach to sustainability is the development of a Living Lab, which will build on the established credentials of Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead.
As part of this initiative, our exploration of the potential for geothermal energy on the University's Science Central site is leading the way in investigating this potential low-carbon, cost-effective energy source.
The development of the University's state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion facility at Cockle Park Farm is helping farms become more sustainable by creating energy from waste.
On the global stage, NIReS is providing much of the scientific support for the Planet Earth Institute, who are charged with organising many of the round-tables in the build-up to the 'Rio+20' Earth Summit, at which world leaders will gather in the summer of 2012.
To mirror this round-table process, we will be holding a series of events in November and December 2011 for staff and students across campus as well as secondary schools across the region. These events have been formally endorsed by the Planet Earth Institute, and the outcomes from the events will be taken forward into the formal Rio+20 preparatory process.
To further showcase the world-leading research that the University is undertaking, we have recently announced a collaboration with national organisation TippingPoint, who offer a range of activities centred on exposing artists from all art forms to the challenges of climate change, working in tandem with the scientists at the forefront of the subject.