Environmental impact Low
Employer/employee ranking 27/47
Staff numbers 3,600
Energy reduction 9%
Recycling 36%

As a seat of learning, it is appropriate that Leeds Metropolitan University offers its young people an important lesson in being top of the class when it comes to being green.

A survey last year by the People & Planet student environmental group that put the university at No 1 in its eco-friendly league table shows it is getting its message across and it is the only university to make our top 50. Leeds Metropolitan has always been a trendsetter. In 2003, it became the first university in England to achieve the ISO 14001 international standard for environmental management.

And today, the university employs full-time environmental co-ordinators and regularly consults and informs staff on green issues.

Employees do say in our survey, however, that they feel environmental activities are fuelled by a desire for favourable publicity, giving a 43% positive green score, the lowest.

Nevertheless, they are encouraged to use public transport or share a car for travel to work (73%) and staff agree that colleagues think green on a regular basis (a 77% score).

The university operates a recycling and green purchasing guide for staff and has an agreement with a local company to recycle all of its redundant IT equipment. Also, about 85% of Leeds Met’s energy comes from renewable sources. Employees say they know where to put waste for recycling (85%) and agree that the university’s environmental initiatives are not a waste of money (88%).

In keeping with its greenness, Leeds Metropolitan has been awarded Fairtrade status. Its students’ union sells Fairtrade coffee, tea and chocolate products from its shops on campus.