Staff and student engagement

As Citizens of Change, we recognise that environmental sustainability is everyone’s responsibility. We recognise that it is a complex area, so we have a number of initiatives to enable stakeholders to identify opportunities to reduce their negative impact and increase their positive impacts.

University actions

Training

• We will achieve the Carbon Literacy for Educators Accreditation
• We offer Carbon Literacy Training to any students and staff and through inter-curricular delivery
• Continued roll out of the Blackboard staff training module.

Champions network

• Continued recruitment, training and support of the staff Environmental Action Coordinators and student Green Bubble members
• Local environmental action plans
• Each school/division is producing a bespoke LEAP, overseen by the College Leadership Team.

Initiatives

We have an annual programme of events and initiatives to promote engagement, including:

• Go Green Week
• Student SEED fund
• Workshops
• Volunteering opportunities

Read the staff and student engagement plan (PDF, 475kb)

Staff and students as Citizens of Change

The Green Bubble

The Green Bubble is the University’s student group that allows societies and students interested in sustainability to pitch ideas for and gain support for sustainability projects, discuss new initiatives and work with the local community to make both the University and its surroundings more sustainable. 

In conjunction with the Students’ Union and Sustainability Team, the Green Bubble empowers students to deliver sustainability projects, collaborate with other societies on events and help shape the future of sustainability at the University.

Environmental Action Coordinators/LEAPs

In 2021 we launched the Environmental Action Coordinators programme to help identify the most effective climate action to be taken at a departmental level through local environmental action plans (LEAPs). To date, there are 37 colleagues working on 23 LEAPs across the University.

In order to meet the University’s environmental sustainability targets, an inclusive approach is required to involve all stakeholders. Sustainability cannot be achieved using a ‘one-size-fits-all' approach, so LEAPs have been designed to allow schools/departments to work together and within their own areas to identify how their activities can best minimise their negative impact and maximise their positive impact on the environment.