Case studies

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  1. Ensuring the sustainability of coffee using history

    Coffee is a global product that influences millions of lives. From crop to cup, its production faces challenges ranging from environmental conservation to economic equality. An expert on the global history of coffee, Professor Jonathan Morris is working with the industry to understand its heritage and ensure its sustainability. “I knew that if we were […]

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  2. Developing low-cost air quality monitors for Heathrow Airport

    Air pollution shortens the lives of some 40,000 people in the UK each year. Low-cost, highly accurate technology developed by the University’s researchers to monitor air quality at Heathrow Airport is now helping to tackle this urgent problem in more than 60 countries worldwide. “We know from the World Health Organisation that 88% of deaths […]

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  3. Leeds Beckett’s DEEP retrofit research project

    The Leeds Sustainability Institute (LSI) at the Leeds Beckett University (LBU) is leading a research project called the Demonstration of Energy Efficiency Potential (DEEP).  DEEP will investigate how thermally retrofitting solid walled homes in Yorkshire can reduce fuel bills, minimise carbon emissions and improve their energy efficiency. The project is funded by the Department of […]

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  4. New technologies address role of environmental pollution in decline of honeybees

    A team of academics from Kingston University including Dr Rosa Busquets, Dr Olga Duran and Dr Gordon Hunter, are working with Mark Gale, of not-for-profit company BeesMax and Surrey Honey Farm, on the development of new devices for monitoring pollutants within honeybee hives through funding from the BIG South London Voucher Scheme. At the start of this year’s […]

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  5. Amplifying the voice of consumers in advancing fair trade and sustainability

    Understanding and listening to consumers is essential to promote fair trade and sustainability, says a Kingston University expert who shared some of her research findings during Fairtrade Fortnight. Ethical consumer behaviour and sustainability expert at Kingston Business School, Dr Smirti Kutaula, has been examining buying behaviour and perceptions of fair trade and environmental issues in the […]

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  6. Working with NASA on improving global weather forecasts

    Researchers at the University of South Wales have been helping NASA to increase the accuracy of their weather predictions. In the first few months of 2020, the UK saw unprecedented weather patterns. In February, it experienced the highest amount of rainfall in any month since records began in the 1800s, and widespread flooding devastated local […]

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  7. Soil-based construction materials research at University of South Wales

    Research into soil-based construction is being carried out by Professor John Kinuthia of the University of South Wales (USW).   The Professor of Innovation and Engagement in Civil Engineering, who is Head of USW’s Advanced Materials Testing Centre (AMTeC), is looking into the development of sustainable building and construction materials which use natural, industrial, and […]

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