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Paper Collection, Cost Reduction, Eco-Lectures and Other Initiatives by the HSE Community
© Daniil Prokofyev/ HSE University
HSE University does many things to reduce its impact on the environment. However, students and staff often are not aware of these activities. HSE University Life shares how the university is trying to reduces energy consumption and waste, and also how HSE students can play their part in this.
We consume less energy and other natural resources
In recent years, the university has began to consume less energy and natural resources. In order to reduce heat loss and electricity consumption for heating, windows, doors and facades in most HSE buildings, have been insulated, and door closers installed. Incandescent lamps have been replaced with energy-saving ones, meaning fluorescent lamps have now been installed in almost all HSE rooms, while newer buildings are only equipped with LED lights.
Saving water is another area of HSE activity. To do this, worn shut-off valves are being replaced in the plumbing system and ceramic valves installed.
University cars now consume less fuel. Thanks to an improvement in transportation logistics, we have managed to almost halve the use of fuel and lubricants. In 2018 an average of 4053 litres of gasoline and 2726 litres of diesel fuel were consumed per vehicle, while in 2022 these figures were 2834 and 1787 litres, respectively.
We collect recyclables
Students and staff of all university buildings can help to sort waste. In 2022, the HSE University managed to collect more than 33 tons of waste paper and more than 15 tons of scrap metal and get more than half a million roubles in exchange for recyclables.
Every employee can return waste paper for recycling at HSE University. To do this, collect unwanted paper in a box and put it outside the door of your office. Staff members from the Office of Administrative Buildings will pick up the box, take it to the waste paper collection point in the building, and then onwards to the recycling collection point.
Student and staff support
Many of HSE's most successful environmental projects have been created by students and university staff.
One of the longest established student organisations, Green HSE, develops eco-initiatives, has introduced separate waste collection in buildings, conducts excursions, film screenings and lectures, and publishes material on environmental topics. In total, last year students collected 5.5 kg of bottle caps, 180 kg of batteries, and 93 kg of waste paper.
In order to reduce the volume of used disposable tableware, members of Green HSE held an eco-performance that helped collect more than 400 coffee cups and created an installation in the central atrium of HSE University on Pokrovsky Bulvar.
HSE staff members, as part of the #ECO_HSE project, implemented by HSE Professional Development Programme for Administrative Staff with the support of Green HSE, Office of Staff and Student Benefits and food operators at HSE University, launched the ‘In a Cup’ campaign, when you can use your own cup for drinks you buy. Some cafeterias provide discounts to people doing this. In addition, some of the HSE cafes have switched to using napkins made of recycled paper.
The list of cafes and cafeterias taking part in the campaign can be found here (in Russian).
We hold lectures on ecology
Last year, HSE University launched a series of lectures ‘Eco School: Tomorrow’s Competencies, Today’s Projects’. This is a joint project between the HSE Institute of Ecology, the All-Russian Society of Nature Protection and the Technological Platform ‘Technologies of Ecological Development’.
The project regularly hosts lectures aimed at promoting an eco-friendly lifestyle. The schedule can be found in the Eco School group on VKontakte.
HSE University Vice Rector
HSE University considers the environmental agenda to be extremely important. We constantly strive to improve the environmental infrastructure of the university, implementing a whole range of measures to save resources, collect recyclables, provide environmental education, etc. In addition, HSE staff and students are fully aware of their responsibility for the environment and make every effort to minimise any harm caused to nature.