Introducing Colleges Sustainability Officer Jilly Mowbray
Jillian (Jilly) Mowbray is the recently appointed Colleges Sustainability Officer, and she works with nine Oxford colleges including Merton, advising on a range of environmental sustainability issues. Jilly supports the development of the colleges' environmental strategies and additional interventions to promote sustainability. She kindly gave an interview with the Development Office to explain what her role involves.
We’re thrilled to have you here at Merton, where were you working before and how does it compare?
I’m delighted to be here! My two previous roles were at local authorities, working on climate change and nature protection. Both appointments were newly created, just as my role as Colleges Sustainability Officer was, and so this experience, building and developing a new role, and carving out my place, has been unexpectedly valuable. One stand-out difference is the support I’ve received from the colleges and the University in general. At local authorities it can often feel that teams and funding can be a bit more stretched and tackling climate change tends to be lower on the agenda. Here at Oxford, though, climate change is higher on the priorities list. Everyone is keen to implement positive change, and to work together, and it’s wonderful to have this support and backing.
Why sustainability – what drew you to this field?
I’ve always had an interest in nature and our planet, and our effect on it. I was lucky to grow up relatively rurally, where I was thrown into the fields to play at a young age, so I have always had a closeness to nature. This was what led me to study geography at university. My first job was in the wine industry, which I was drawn to due to the importance of the environment – the terroir. After the pandemic, I felt it was time focus my career on an area I felt was important to take action on, so returned to study a postgraduate in Leadership in Sustainable Development at Queen’s University, Belfast.
How do you work with colleges on sustainability – what does your role involve?
I’m based in the Central University Sustainability team, and the role was created to meet colleges’ needs. Colleges were given the opportunity to ask for a share of the role, and nine signed up. I advise each college on an individual basis, as each college is at a different starting point, and I have been working with each college to determine where we begin. It would be great in the long run to work across colleges on big topics such as energy reduction and food waste. Going between colleges allows me to share information as to what colleges and Central are doing: it’s a fantastic vehicle for sharing knowledge and resources.
At Merton we’re working towards becoming net zero carbon and biodiversity net gain by 2035. These terms are thrown around a lot in climate crisis discourse, but could you explain this in nonexpert terms, and what this means specifically for the College?
The first key term is ‘Net Zero Carbon’, and what this means is reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as is feasible and then moving to offsetting to compensate for the remainder of these emissions. As implied by the term, greenhouse gases create a greenhouse effect, acting like a blanket keeping our planet warm: without them the Earth’s temperature would be about –18C. However, in the last 250 years we have been adding much more of these gases, or blankets, to the atmosphere and so increasing the temperature of our Earth. Therefore, we need to dramatically reduce the amount of greenhouses gases we put into the atmosphere. Alongside this, we can try to compensate for the greenhouse gases we emit by carbon offsetting. People typically think of planting trees when they think of carbon offsetting, but here in the UK we have better options, such as protecting and restoring our peatlands, as these hold huge amounts of carbon when not disturbed, due to the amount of organic matter stored in their soils. This is why it’s important to look for peat-free compost, or if possible, make your own.
The second key term, ‘Biodiversity Net Gain’ (BNG), is used in planning (for buildings), and refers to the assessment of the habitat on which building will take place and how to improve it by 10-20%. Outside the arena of planning, it can be more useful to think in terms of ‘nature positive’: looking at procurement and focussing on increasing biodiversity rather than depleting it. The Merton Meadows is a great example of how the College is working to increase biodiversity.
What, with your expertise, is the one thing the College can do that would make the most difference towards our goal?
One major area for all colleges to focus on is heating, especially when it comes to the use of gas. Electricity is the future, as the National Grid will, according to the government, eventually decarbonise. Gas is only ever a fossil fuel, so the switch from gas to electric heating is key. Thankfully, the buildings themselves at Merton may not be as heat inefficient as some fear: older buildings tend to retain heat, as they have smaller windows and thicker walls. In fact, it tends to be the buildings from the 1960s which are more problematic: built in a design-focused period, they tend to have thin walls and single pane glass, and as a result lose heat.
Working with nine Oxford colleges must present its challenges - how have you found it thus far?
It’s fascinating to get immersed in College life. Sustainability is a huge topic, spanning many areas, and so the challenge lies in working out what the priority is at any given time for each of the colleges I work with. Each college has its own needs and projects in motion, and I need to be agile in order to answer to their various needs and spread my time equally between them.
Do you notice similarities between the colleges' approaches to environmental strategies and/or any substantial differences?
Not all colleges have strategies as such, yet, but they have similar priorities: heating, food, and how best to use their land to increase biodiversity. What I do notice is that all the colleges I’m working with have drive: there is not much convincing needed, as they are all keen to make a difference.
Are there any actions or projects an Oxford college has undertaken that stand out?
Yes: Wolfson College have decarbonised their heating and now use no gas at all. They have seven large heat pumps spread across the College which form a district supply network providing their entire heating needs.
Merton’s work on their meadows is also a standout project. And getting the sheep in every year to provide a natural preparation of the ground to enable the wildflowers to thrive is a great initiative.
Trinity College are working on installing a ground source heat pump in their back quad. This is a major project, as ground source heat pumps require deep excavation. The fact that Trinity is undertaking this is testimony to their commitment to sustainable heat sources is evident in this project. Keble College recently installed a green roof on their bar, which is an efficient means of increasing biodiversity. These are just some of the projects undertaken. It will be great if the colleges can share the ‘how to’ of these projects - from giving tours to sharing best practice between departments.
Does the long history of Oxford colleges make them less agile in terms of adapting to new strategies?
Well, contrary to what you might think, not necessarily. The colleges have been around long enough to know the importance of adapting to survive. They have adapted over the centuries: during the Civil War, for example – and their long history serves them well. They seem to me willing to make changes regarding sustainability, and keen to make a difference outside their four walls as well as inside.
Have you been pleasantly surprised by any colleges so far, for example by their receptiveness to make changes, or by measures that they already have in place?
Yes I have: people are passionate about doing what they can to improve sustainability. They are keen and coming up with ideas. It’s generally the staff rather than the students, which is probably because the staff know the inner workings of the colleges better than the students do. For the students, being in an environment where sustainability is at the forefront will serve them well, as they will take that with them as they take their next steps.
It’s not only about organisations adapting to help in the fight against climate change; individuals need to do their bit too. If you could recommend three actions to take, what would they be?
All we do has an impact, and so it’s not surprising that sometimes this fact becomes overwhelming. But seemingly small actions in our daily lives all add up and can make a positive difference. We all know about reducing unsustainable travel, such as flights. Beyond this, I’d focus on decisions made in connection with shopping, food, and money. For shopping, it’s about where products come from: where they are made and whether the ethos of the company selling them is one that you agree with. Fast fashion is not sustainable, and so it’s a question of thinking whether we need all we buy, or if we can buy from better sources and keep items for longer. With regard to food, it’s about whether we can eat more seasonably, and, if we are meat-eaters, whether we can reduce the amount of meat we eat and buy only high-quality meat that has been farmed sustainably.
And finally, money: as they say, money makes the world go round, and it's no different with the climate, it’s just about where your money is kept. Does your bank invest in fossil fuels? There are websites to help you with finding out more, such as ‘Make My Money Matter’, which provide information on where high street banks invest their money. Changing our current account or savings provider to an ethical bank is a direct and achievable way to make a difference.
Jilly is in post for three years and is working with the following colleges as well as Merton: Keble, Linacre, Mansfield, Merton, Reuben, St John's, Trinity, University and Wadham. We look forward to our continued work with her.
