Within our University Strategy we have committed to minimise our wider carbon footprint. Two key areas of our wider carbon footprint are the day-to-day commute of all students and staff to our campuses and the term-time commute of students to Edinburgh.
We estimate that both these day-to-day and term-time commutes emit 7,000 tCO2e, 14,000 tCO2e in total. We will work with our community to support sustainable modes of travel, including walking, wheeling, cycling and use of public transport.
Our 2020 travel survey showed that 70% of staff and students walked, wheeled, cycled or used public transport to access our campuses. An incredible 90% of students at Merchiston used sustainable travel choices, as well as 80% at Craiglockhart and 70% at Sighthill. Our campuses at Craiglockhart, Merchiston and Sighthill have good public transport routes and facilities for active travellers such as bike storage, showers and changing facilities.
Since March 2020 we have seen a significant reduction in commute emissions while our student and staff community study and work from home. Our guidance and partnership links also support and provide information on options for all journeys from home.
Active travel
Edinburgh Napier University has gained almost £300,000 in grants to support active travel over the past ten years, including funding from Cycling Scotland, SEStran and Sustrans. The grants have supported projects such as the off-road path through Edinburgh College.
We're working in partnership with Sustrans to develop a network of Active Travel Champions throughout the University, and have champions in place at Merchiston and Sighthill. For more information on the role, visit the Sustrans website.
Cycling support
Cycling is a great way to get around Edinburgh and the city is home to an expanding network of cycle paths, making travelling by bike a convenient and sustainable option. Our Merchiston and Sighthill campuses currently hold the Cycle Friendly Campus award, which recognises the commitment we make to supporting our cycling community.
We offer support and advice on cycle routes, travel maps, bike locks, storage facilities and more. We also keep two emergency locks available at each campus security office if you forget to bring yours. You can get practical advice on how to cycle to campus by visiting our cycling page on My Napier, or emailing environment@napier.ac.uk for more information.
Staff Cyclescheme
We offer a Bike to Work scheme which allows Edinburgh Napier staff to buy a bike or e-bike up to £3,000 if they use the bike for travelling to and from work at least 50% of the time it is in use.
Other travel events
We run other travel events through the year to engage with students and staff and provide them with the information, support and encouragement they need to consider changing to more sustainable transport and travel options.
Annual Electric Vehicle Event
The Edinburgh Napier Transport Research Institute holds an annual electric vehicle event each October, with keynote speakers, exhibition stands and a range of electric vehicles on show, from buses and cars to vans and bikes!
Be Bright, Be Seen
We work with the City of Edinburgh Council to host Be Bright, Be Seen events across campus in the autumn. At our most recent events in November 2019, we organised pop-up roadshows on all three campuses for safety tips and free goodies for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. This was to remind people of the darker mornings and nights and to spread the message to be safe and seen when travelling. Around 100 people visited the stalls over the course of the three days.
Scottish Workplace Journey Challenge
We take part in the Scottish Workplace Journey Challenge in March each year to encourage staff and students to swap out car journeys for a more sustainable travel option. In 2020, our Edinburgh Napier community logged 488 journeys and travelled 4,927 miles, saving 679kg CO2!
Sustainable Travel Fair
In March 2020 we hosted a Sustainable Travel Fair across all three campuses, inviting partner organisations including Lothian Buses, Sustrans Scotland, JustEat Bikes, Home Energy Scotland and The Bike Station. Students and staff were invited to come along and discover alternative, more sustainable ways to travel to campus, with fun activities such as a smoothie bike and freebies. More than 300 people attended the events over the course of the three days.
