Environmental sustainability at the Bodleian

The Bodleian Libraries support the University of Oxford’s Sustainability Strategy, which sets two ambitious targets: to achieve net zero carbon and to achieve biodiversity net gain, both by 2035.

We are working to embed a culture of environmental sustainability among all staff in the Libraries as well as activities and decisions in our day-to-day operations.

What have we done?

• Net Zero Carbon action plan: we have completed a piece of work across the Gardens, Libraries, and Museums (GLAM) in partnership with 3Adapt to develop an action plan by benchmarking our current carbon footprint and setting measurable targets.
• Carbon literacy training: we have a rolling programme of carbon literacy training for staff. All new starters are offered carbon literacy training as part of their induction.
• Colleague engagement: we have several Green Impact teams across the Libraries. The teams are a vital part of our sustainability improvements as they help to promote recycling, improve biodiversity and reduce our energy usage. We also run regular sessions on sustainability at team meetings and our annual staff conference.
• Staff portal: we have created a sustainability portal for staff, with advice on how individuals can action change in their working routines.
• Food and drink: our cafes embed sustainability into their catering offering, for example, by offering Rainforest Alliance coffee and plant-based menus.
• Weddings: we are part of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance, supporting our teams in creating environmentally conscious weddings.
• Buildings: we have solar panels installed at our offices in Osney and our Collections Storage Facility in Swindon.

What are we working on?

Our action plan across the next two years includes:

• Carbon reduction plans: delivering actions to reduce emissions relating to our buildings, exhibitions, travel and how we purchase goods.
• Biodiversity net gain: developing an approach to understand and reduce our footprint across our on-site and off-site operations.
• Climate risk and adaptation: build our approach to mitigate the impact of climate change on our audiences, staff, collections and buildings.
• Sustainability data: improve the quality and availability of data to support increased targeting of action and to measure progress against our goals.