Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Our organisation, water conservation and infrastructure

The University monitors and tracks its consumption of water and waste and has set goals to reduce use by 2030.

As part of the major UKCRIC project improving the resilience of infrastructure and cities, our sewage treatment and pilot hall facilities work to improve waste water treatment processes to meet EU quality standards.

We have policies on pollution, follow water conservation and efficiency standards and regulations in our new building projects.

Our Annual Environment Report outlines our water conscious planting programme, including a sustainability garden (see p18). This area has been set aside to showcase and develop sustainable gardening practices and targets for more water conscious planting (p11).

Education

The Water Theme at Cranfield University is home to two centres of excellence in education and research: Cranfield Water Science Institute and the Centre for Water, Environment and Development. The Centres offer postgraduate taught and research degrees as well as short courses on campus or in-company. The courses offered are listed on this web page.

Research

Our international research on water in 2021/22 included:

• Cranfield is part of NextGen Water. The project aims to contribute to a future European roadmap for water in the circular economy.
• Commentary on drought.
• Working with the water utilities, Cranfield looked at surface flow treatment wetlands for sustainable phosphorus removal and delivery of co-benefits.

One of our REF 2021 case studies focused on changing how risk is managed for safer drinking water.

Supporting local communities

SAFAD (Silsoe Aid for Appropriate Development) is a charity run by Cranfield students. Since 1969, SAFAD has sent over 340 graduate and postgraduate volunteers to almost 40 different countries in the developing world. Several new research projects were begun in 2021/22.

The Sue White Fund works alongside SAFAD. The recent Sue White Fund conference provided an update on many water-related projects (secure drinking water, minimising pollution from agriculture, precision irrigation, wastewater reclamation).

Cranfield University is also a founding member of WSUP (Water and Sanitation for Urban Poor). As part of World Water Week 2022, WSUP and Cranfield developed a new fun and engaging online game, the Water Balance Challenge, a provocative instrument to help people consider their choices and risks when in charge of water distribution in an urban environment.

We are tackling the challenges of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in rural communities in a rapidly changing global climate. This work is ongoing and led by Cranfield’s Alison Parker.

We are members of Water Resources East and have contributed towards their analysis of regional water security.

Community and outreach

A Cranfield garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show promoted the sustainable use of water, encouraging the UK’s 30 million gardeners to save water. This project was shortlisted for a Changing the World award in October 2022.

On campus we provide free drinking water. All students are given a discounted water bottle upon arrival. We are expanding the remit of our 'Energy Champions' to include water saving. We have included water conservation in our student welcome modules.

We are also trying to save water in our halls of residence. The Living Lab experiment 'Every Drop Counts' is part of the Urban Observatory network funded through UKCRIC which examines different infrastructure solutions, including the latest sensor technology.

More locally, Cranfield academics Hannah Ritchie and Sophia Bahddou talked to the local community about water conservation and about water and soil erosion at the Milton Keynes Soapbox Science event.

New business

We are developing the Nano Membrane Toilet which will be able to treat human waste without external energy or water.

The Water Theme at Cranfield University is home to two centres of excellence in education and research: Cranfield Water Science Institute and the Centre for Water, Environment and Development. We offer postgraduate taught and research degrees as well as short courses on campus or in-company. The courses offered are described on these pages.

The University monitors and tracks its consumption of water and waste and has set goals to reduce use by 2030. 

A three-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership project, in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), informed the RHS Sustainability Strategy, in which the charity commits to being water neutral by 2030, working alongside its supply chain. For more information visit the RHS website. A key output from the project was the Mains to Rains website. A garden developed as part of the project for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021 encouraged the UK’s 30 million gardeners to save water.