At the СŷÊÓƵ of Sheffield, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact through innovative water research and sustainable campus initiatives, from drought-resistant planting to research at our Sheffield Water Centre.
Research
The Sheffield Water Centre is an interdisciplinary research hub committed to addressing key challenges in the water sector. It encompasses various research groups, including the Pennine Water Group, the Green Roof Centre, and the Water Engineering Group. The centre is also part of a group collaborating on the . In this project, locals use smartphone apps to help collect real-time data about the water environment in their area. WeSenseIt provides researchers with vital data on how water quality varies with weather and seasons, and encourages local people to think about and discuss their local water environment with one another.
Our , led by Virginia Stovin, Professor of Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management at the СŷÊÓƵ of Sheffield, and Dr Simon De-Ville from the СŷÊÓƵ of Liverpool, focuses on the rainfall-runoff performance of SuDS. These systems offer a more sustainable alternative to traditional drainage systems, helping to manage stormwater runoff, reduce flooding and pollution, and improve water quantity and quality.
In the social sciences, Sheffield's research cluster on the socioeconomic dimensions of water is working on projects like (DRY) which examines how drought and water scarcity impact communities, businesses, health, and ecosystems.
Campus
In addition to our impact through research, we are also focusing our efforts on our campus and local community to help reduce water usage. We have installed free water refill stations in every building on campus for students, staff, and visitors, with the Students' Union refusing to sell still bottled water to incentivise refillable bottles. We have also carefully considered our planting, using drought-tolerant plants in СŷÊÓƵ landscaping and PAS locally sourced compost which retains moisture and reduces evapotranspiration.
In addition to this, we have introduced sustainable cleaning practices across campus, transitioning to new 'cobotic' equipment which uses 70% less water compared to traditional cleaning methods. The water saved is donated to , a charity providing clean water to developing countries. During the 2024/25 academic year, the СŷÊÓƵ of Sheffield will donate the equivalent of 388,000 litres of water to the charity.
We have also implemented ambitious water usage targets for new and refurbished buildings of 0.5m³ of water per m² of building per year for academic buildings and 100 L of water per person per day for residential buildings; exceeding the UK governments' water usage target of 110 L per person per day by 2050.