The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has released the latest Estates Management Record (EMR) on 19th August. These environment statistics are some of the most useful and telling when it comes to assessing where the Higher Education sector is with sustainable development and emissions red...
Read more →The University of Edinburgh in collaboration with a number of industry partners has published its report exploring ways in which to reach zero and low carbon targets through innovation in construction in Scottish Higher and Further Education. The project has been funded by the Scottish Funding...
Read more →Evidence is irrefutable – collective action to stop the climate crisis is needed now! Described as "a code red for humanity", the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that major changes due to global heating are inevitable and irreversible wi...
Read more →As extreme weather events driven by climate change become increasingly severe, and their economic impacts increasingly obvious, the UK approaches its leadership and hosting of the COP26 United Nations climate change negotiations in Glasgow beginning on November 1st. 2021. In more positive news, T...
Read more →Climate change education rethink needed to ‘avoid failing next generation’ Schoolchildren are being let down by poor climate education, despite being the generation that will feel the biggest impacts of climate change, experts have warned. In an open letter endorsed by EAUC sent ou...
Read more →The University of Bristol has become the first university in the world to achieve institutional Green Labs Certification. Each of their 990 laboratories have gained certification, through The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) Programme which mobilised staff and students and the wi...
Read more →The Green Jobs Taskforce published its report, issuing a call to action on how the UK can deliver a green industrial revolution with government, business and the education sector working together. Some of the key recommendations include: publishing a detailed Net Zero Strategy and using policy t...
Read more →Following on the success of the first-ever fully virtual EAUC global conference conducted in 2020, we were delighted to welcome over 280 delegates and speakers from 29 countries worldwide to enjoy a range of inspiring sessions at the Virtual Global Climate 2021 ran in partnership with the UN Environ...
Read more →Awarding Sustainability Excellence in Extraordinary Times 2021 Green Gown Awards UK & Ireland This year’s UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards’ Finalists, representing over 862,219 students and 156,000 staff, are leading the way with their commitment to the global sustainability agend...
Read more →The winners of the 2021 International Green Gown Awards were announced on 7th July 2021 in an online bilingual ceremony hosted by Carina Mutshele, Youth & Education Officer from UNEP Kenya and Gloria Ordóñez Valenzuela from UNEP Environment Latin America and the Caribbean. The International Green...
Read more →This year’s SocEnv World Environment Day theme is Ecosystem Restoration, a topic of urgent importance. Check out their website hub for resources and inspiration on actions everyone can take to help restore our ecosystems. In the UK and beyond, the Society for the Environment champions World...
Read more →WRAP’s first Food Waste Action Week alerts UK citizens to the link between wasting food and climate change Nearly half of those who saw Food Waste Action Week 2021 messaging reported either doing something different to reduce food waste or planning to in future. Building on 2021’s ...
Read more →Scottish colleges have come together to support a new, ground-breaking statement of commitment on the Climate Emergency. The Scottish Colleges’ Statement of Commitment on the Climate Emergency highlights how college staff and students are working together to achieve a more sustainable futur...
Read more →Following on the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) recommendation that colleges in England should submit their carbon reporting through the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR), we are now delighted to bring to EAUC FE members a SECR tool developed in partnership with Hillside Envir...
Read more →Times Higher Education (THE) released today (21 April 2021) the third edition of the University Impact Rankings which uses metrics based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) measuring institutions’ social and economic impact. We are thrilled to see that The Univ...
Read more →EAUC-Scotland are pleased to launch their annual report for 2020/21. This was the first year of a 3 year programme entitled: Accelerating action and leadership in Scotland’s universities and colleges in order to respond to the Climate Emergency, In a challenging year EAUC-Scotland has had r...
Read more →What is Race to Zero? Race To Zero is a global campaign to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth. Led by the High-Leve...
Read more →The EAUC Board is made up of 12 volunteer Trustees and Director with experience in the Further or Higher Education sector. Two long-standing Trustees reach the end of their tenure at the June 2021 AGM and so we will have TWO available Trustee positions. At the March meeting of the Board’s ...
Read more →New initiative - Global Guidance for Education on Green Jobs: Connecting Higher Education and Green Opportunities for Planetary Health from UNEP's Youth and Education Alliance is designed to increase demand for green jobs in the workforce and help create a stronger supply of necessary green and envi...
Read more →Net zero emissions targets have gained traction in the global effort to halt climate change. This new briefing from the COP26 Universities Network sets out the science behind net zero targets and the considerations that policymakers and industry leaders should take when adopting and implementing suc...
Read more →The launch of new guidance on Education for Sustainable Development in higher education, jointly published by QAA and Advance HE is intended to help UK higher education institutions to incorporate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) within their curricula. The guidance comes at a time of ...
Read more →King’s College London has fully divested from all fossil fuels almost two years ahead of schedule. Since making a commitment to a full divestment target in 2017, King's College London have steadily reduced the exposure to fossil fuels from 7.3 per cent in 2017 to zero in 2021. Professor Ev...
Read more →Green Gown Awards Celebrate Initiatives Playing Leading Roles in Addressing Climate Action In the first ever virtual ceremony, held on Wednesday 24th march 2021, the Green Gown Awards celebrated the inspirational work and projects of 74 Finalists in 12 different categories - showing the importanc...
Read more →Following the publication of the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy on Wednesday 17 March, we welcome the summary of key announcements prepared by our partners Aldersgate Group. The Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy offers a positive direction and comprehensive take on the measures that need ...
Read more →The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme have released the grant recipients of Phase 1 of the Scheme. A total of £33,312,689 has been awarded to the further and higher education sector. This is 4% of the total fund awarded of £932,248,184. Details of Phase 2 have been announced with a further £75...
Read more →New research by Teach the Future, which EAUC is glad to be supporting, has revealed that 70% of UK teachers have not received adequate training to educate students on climate change, its implications for the environment and societies around the world, and how these implications can be addressed.*1 ...
Read more →On the 12th – 14th April, 65 Enactus teams from across the UK will participate in the Enactus UK National Expo, which will be held virtually. Enactus believe that investing in students who take entrepreneurial action for others creates a better world for us all. Enactus develops university ...
Read more →On 3rd March (2021), Iain Patton, CEO at EAUC was invited alongside representatives from Education and Training Foundation (ETF), Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK), Leicester City Council and Greener Jobs Alliance to look at how green jobs can help tackle the expected rise in unemploym...
Read more →EAUC, Change Agents UK (CAUK) and SOS-UK are working together to support the Further and Higher Education sector create new and exciting fully-funded 6-month paid positions for 16-24 year old's this year through the government's Kickstart scheme. We are glad confirm that we can now accept new plac...
Read more →Climate Commission launch Climate Action Toolkit to help Vice-Chancellors, Governors and Senior Leadership Teams in universities in tackling the climate emergency The Climate Commission for Higher and Further Education Students and Leaders is delighted to announce the launch of the Higher Educati...
Read more →While no formal date and theme on what Go Green Week should focus on have not been announced yet, we know that some EAUC members have plans to hold a series of virtual events either in line with Go Green Week or alternatives of it. Based on members' plans and other events taking place this year, we ...
Read more →How can Carbon Offsetting help UK Further and Higher Education Institutions achieve net-zero emissions? The EAUC and the COP26 Universities Network are pleased to launch the new guidance on offsetting to support the development of further and higher education offsetting policies. The COP26 U...
Read more →We are pleased to announce that the Scope 3 emissions tool for the education sector - called the HESCET Tool - has been updated and is now available for use via your HEPA account. We encourage all member institutions to use the tool and look at the updated figures for input into the EMR (Estate Mana...
Read more →The fourth annual Global Goals Teach In has launched and will take place 22nd February – 5th March 2021! The annual campaign calls on educators to pledge to include the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs) in their teaching and learning throughout the two weeks. The 2020 camp...
Read more →AUDE has released it's Higher Education Estates Management Report 2020 and a statement alongside other key organisations on the necessity of the EMR data. This report represents the hard facts and accurate data for big choices in estates management and future investment. By bench marking institu...
Read more →The SDG Accord Report 2020, endorsed by UN Environment, paints a promising picture of the embedding of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in universities and colleges across the world, despite the global pandemic. The findings from the third SDG Accord annual progress report show awarene...
Read more →New report urges universities to have zero carbon emissions by 2035 and to rethink knowledge and teaching practices for the era of climate change The Higher Education Policy Institute (https://www.hepi.ac.uk) has published a new report, Beyond business as usual: Higher education in the era of cli...
Read more →Universities and colleges picking up the pace on sustainability, but must address curriculum reform More universities and colleges than ever from across the UK and Ireland have shown their commitment to sustainability over the last year. The 2020 Sustainability Leadership Scorecard Annual Report...
Read more →The Covid-19 pandemic caused unprecedented challenges for the entire world and the Further & Higher education sector was not spared the mayhem of disruption. We at EAUC wanted to better understand how the pandemic impacted the sustainability community and how we can better support members during ...
Read more →Last week, at the launch of Ofsted’s 2019-2020 annual report, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman, said: "And increasingly we see efforts to commandeer schools and the curriculum in support of worthy social issues and campaigns. In the last year, many of these calls have been about...
Read more →The Prime Minister has today (Friday 4 December) announced a new ambitious target to reduce the UK’s emissions by at least 68% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. This is an increase of 15% from the previous target of 53%, and is in line with the recommendations made by the Climate Change Commit...
Read more →It’s coming to the end of a tumultuous year and never has it never been clearer that we need to address the global challenges the world faces, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, justice and of course, health and well-being. So at the end of 2020...
Read more →The University of Glasgow has pledged to go ‘further and faster’ in its response to the climate emergency with a raft of new commitments, including a target for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The ambitious aim is one of a series of actions set out in a new strategy appro...
Read more →What can colleges do to tackle climate change? The recent plan to reach net-zero emissions unveiled by PM Boris Johnson last week comes as a confirmation that many colleges are leading the way. The FE Climate Action Roadmap for FE Colleges provides colleges with practical steps they can take in f...
Read more →Aston University has been crowned university of the year in the Guardian’s annual awards for its work eradicating the gap in grades between black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students and their white peers, as well as its emphasis on sustainability. In a year during which UK universiti...
Read more →Carbon neutrality by 2030, sustainable development at the heart of strategies, and strong support for the Finnish Government’s climate and biodiversity goals. All of the above is included in the plans of Finnish universities through 12 mutual principles on sustainable development and respo...
Read more →It was the final day of the conference today, and what a week it has been! We have been amazed and inspired by the range of plenaries and workshops from across the globe that we have been privileged to facilitate. Over the course of the week, we have seen over 1000 attendees from 18 countries (in...
Read more →Today was the penultimate day of the extraordinary five-day conference ‘Global Climate 2020’, and there was no sign of let up, with four plenary sessions and the live launch of Mock COP26. The morning started with the sustainability topic on everyone’s lips this year; the r...
Read more →The Prime Minister has set out his ten point plan for a green industrial revolution this week, which Government predicts will create and support up to 250,000 British jobs. The plan – which is part of the PM’s mission to level up across the country - will mobilise £12 billion of go...
Read more →Another day of thought-provoking content at the week long EAUC virtual conference Global Climate 2020. The morning plenary started with an in-depth look at student engagement on sustainability issues and the power this has for transformation within institutions. Liliia Akatova, a student at ...
Read more →Day 2 of the EAUC virtual conference ‘Global Climate’ was a continued success with a really strong international flavour to the day. The first plenary saw Magda Núñez, a student at USIL (Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola) in Peru, chair a session based on local climate and communit...
Read more →The Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE) and the EAUC - the alliance for sustainability leadership in education, are inviting tenders for the supply of the Sustainability Leadership Scorecard (SLS) tool, associated services and consultancy. See further details attached. Intereste...
Read more →The EAUC Global Climate Conference in Education started today, with over 1000 delegates enjoying the huge range of workshops and inspiring global plenary speakers. This year, students were offered the opportunity to attend for free, a hugely positive step to make sure they are getting a say ...
Read more →The UK’s National Infrastructure Strategy is due to be published very soon which will set the UK’s priorities and provide visibility for investors. But significant shortfalls in the government’s approach to infrastructure policy and investment risk holding back efforts to shift the...
Read more →Third year economics student Harriet Noy is determined to tackle single-use plastic and waste on university campuses. The entrepreneurial University of Birmingham student has launched a zero-waste student marketplace called Hazaar. Harriet is in the process of creating a tailored app to run this...
Read more →Thursday 5th November (2020) marked one year since the launch of The Climate Commission for UK Further and Higher Education Students and Leaders – the cross organisational initiative led by the Association of Colleges, EAUC (Secretariat), GuildHE and Universities UK. The event attended by...
Read more →The UPP Foundation has released two reports on the role of universities in the ‘levelling up’ agenda, and on addressing the forthcoming employment crisis Key findings of the two reports (‘Levelling Up Towns Report’ and ‘Covid-19 Jobs Report’) : The Governm...
Read more →A new report released this week is demonstrating good progress being made in the food sector in the UK across all three Courtauld Commitment targets – food waste, carbon and water – in a challenging year for food and drink. The Courtauld Commitments are a series of voluntary agreement...
Read more →The University of Strathclyde is paving the way for sustainable institutions with a programme that has engaged thousands of students and staff to take positive actions. Since launching in 2019, Sustainable Strathclyde’s Jump programme has avoided nearly 16,000kg C02 emissions with program...
Read more →A new approach could reduce plastic waste in a laboratory by more than 500kg a year and result in considerable savings, scientists at the Roslin Institute at University of Edinburgh found. A scheme based on plastic reduction and reuse has resulted in savings of more than £400 over a three-month ...
Read more →Are you is interested in helping the EAUC-Scotland team develop their support for sustainability in Scotland’s Universities and Colleges? Do you know someone who might be? EAUC-Scotland are seeking two dedicated EAUC Members, one from the Higher Education Sector and one from the Further E...
Read more →Share your Sustainability Commitments LSE has today (21 October) launched its plan to tackle the climate crisis and announced it will be the first UK university to become carbon neutral, for all the emissions it currently measures. This status will be achieved through ongoing work by the Sch...
Read more →In its latest briefing out today, 'Upskilling the UK workforce for the 21st century', the Aldersgate Group calls for urgent action to plug the deficit in skills that currently undermines the growth of low carbon supply chains across the UK economy. The Group calls in particular for a new low carbon ...
Read more →Cyclists are right to wear face masks to protect against pollution and bus passengers and pedestrians should consider them too, new research by Nottingham Trent University shows. A study led by Professor Amin Al-Habaibeh found that cyclists, pedestrians and bus passengers are the most exposed to...
Read more →New EAUC and Change Agents UK Future Graduate Skills Study examined what ‘sustainability skills’ are, which of those are important for employability prospects, and how they could be best instilled in students and young people. This piece of research is particularly relevant as it comes ...
Read more →We are proud to announce this year's Green Gown Awards UK & Ireland Finalists, in association with UKRI After a tough judging session, the applicants have been whittled down to 74 Finalists across 12 categories. This year’s UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards’ Finalists, representing ...
Read more →SUEZ recycling and recovery UK’s Lifting the Lid Higher report published today (28 September 2020) offers unique insight into trends in student recycling habits, showing steady progress with opportunities to raise future performance and encourage greater sustainability throughout the higher ed...
Read more →The University of Strathclyde has launched a new Centre for Sustainable Development in support of the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The new Centre, launched on 1st October, brings together all of the University’s education, research and knowledge exchange...
Read more →Following extensive cross-industry and civil society engagement, the Aldersgate Group launched a new report today, Monday 5 October, setting out some of the key policy decisions that need to be taken in this parliamentary term to put the UK on a credible pathway to building a competitive, net zero e...
Read more →Salix Finance to deliver Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) £1 billion Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to tackle carbon emissions The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has launched a £1bn Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme as part of the Cha...
Read more →University plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2038. We welcome The University of Cambridge's aims to divest from all direct and indirect investments in fossil fuels by 2030 as part of the University’s plan to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2038, more than a decade...
Read more →​Change Agents UK and SOS-UK, supported by the EAUC, offer a supported Kickstart scheme designed for colleges and universities. The Government Kickstart Scheme will fund hundreds of thousands of high quality 6 month work placements for young people deemed to be at risk of long term unemployment...
Read more →Education plays a key role in climate action. Current and future leaders, and communities in general, need education to understand the complex moving parts of climate crisis, whose consequences offer a myriad of social and environmental challenges. Fortunately, efforts are underway to reform educati...
Read more →The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today (1st September 2020) launched a new publication, "The Little Book of Green Nudges", which aims to inspire up to 200 million students around the globe to adopt environmentally friendly habits and greener lifestyles. The book is UNEP’s first on behavi...
Read more →The Government has today (19th August) announced plans for new legally binding targets within the Environment Bill. They have outlined that there will be at least one long-term target in four priority areas to drive significant and lasting environmental improvements: cleaner air, cleaner water, l...
Read more →EAUC welcomes the Independent Commission on the College of the Future newly launched vision for the future of colleges across the UK: a new bold and ambitious strategic remit for colleges to empower people with opportunities for lifelong learning and support, to boost productivity, and to strengthen...
Read more →The Aldersgate Group launched a new report, Rebuilding to Last - commissioned from James Rydge and Dimitri Zenghelis at the Grantham Research Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science. This report provides one of the most in-depth economic analyses to date on the current economic s...
Read more →Last week, EAUC held its annual AGM virtually, and it was a great success! If you missed it, you can find a video recording and other documentation including the AGM presentation, 2019 Annual Report and Summary, and other AGM papers here. We were delighted to announce the election of two new b...
Read more →Announcing the 2020 International Green Gown Awards Winners The winners of the 2020 International Green Gown Awards were announced on 8th July 2020 in an online bilingual ceremony hosted by Sonya Peres, Climate Commission Officer from EAUC and Carina Mutschele, Youth & Education from United Natio...
Read more →EAUC's CEO Iain Patton outlines civic principles for universities and colleges emerging from the lock-down to ensure they are better prepared for the Climate Crisis: While we recognise the misery and hardship that the pandemic has caused for many people, we also recognise that the recovery from t...
Read more →The Climate Commission for Higher and Further Education Students and Leaders is delighted to announce the launch of the Climate Action Roadmap for Further Education Colleges today. Produced in partnership with award-winning management consultancy, Nous Group, the Roadmap outlines clear, feasible...
Read more →Today’s commitment made by the government to invest over £1bn into a ten-year school rebuilding programme has been welcomed by the students who have been calling for educational building retrofit to form a key part of the economic recovery from Covid-19. On 11 May 2020, Zamzam Ibrahim (NUS Pre...
Read more →An overwhelming majority of Climate Assembly UK members say Government, employers and others should support changes to the economy and lifestyles which help achieve the UK’s net zero emissions target. The interim briefing from the assembly, Covid-19, recovery and the path to net zero, offe...
Read more →Richard Curtis CBE, Paul Polman, Michael Izza and leaders of more than 100 renowned companies, charities, universities, and trade associations call on the UK Government to ensure the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are at the heart of UK Covid-19 recovery plans The Sustainable Dev...
Read more →Today is World Environment Day which sees the official launch of Race to Zero, the global COP26 campaign, which EAUC through the work of the Global Climate Letter is endorsing. The campaign aims to mobilize leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, investors for a Healthy, Resilient, ...
Read more →The Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), with the UK and its Italian partners, announced on Thursday 28th May the new dates for the COP26 UN climate conference, which will now take place between 1 and 12 November 2021 in Glasg...
Read more →The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has released the latest Estates Management Record (EMR) today (Thursday, 14th May). These environment statistics are some of the most useful and telling when it comes to assessing where the Higher Education sector is with sustainable development and e...
Read more →As the world emerges from the crisis of COVID-19, governments will introduce recovery packages to boost economic growth, including in the UK. These will have a highly significant impact on the UK’s future prosperity, including its potential to meet its legally mandated net-zero emissions oblig...
Read more →University of Oxford has announced landmark plans to divest formally from the fossil fuel industry. As well as divesting its endowment from fossil fuel companies, the University has also asked its endowment office, Oxford University Endowment Management (OUem) to engage with fund man...
Read more →SDG rankings – who, what, when, where, why? Times Higher Education (THE) released their Global Impact rankings on Wednesday, 22nd April, timed well with Earth Day. This is the second year of reporting for these relatively new rankings, and the findings are always interesting for the sector....
Read more →On the 6th and 7th April, the top 27 Enactus teams of Next Generation Leaders from Universities across the UK competed virtually in the 2020 Enactus UK National Expo. The dynamic, energy-filled online event brought together virtually over 1,000 university students, academics, and senior UK busin...
Read more →The Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Agriculture (DEFRA) have announced the plastics ban on straws, stirrers, and ear buds will not take place this month. The ban was due to come in at the end of April, but has now been pushed back until October due to the coronavirus pandemic. A ...
Read more →The Natural Capital Committee (NCC) has released advice on using nature-based interventions to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The NCC advises the government on natural capital, such as forests, rivers, minerals and oceans. Set up in 2012, with a brief hiatus in 2015, the Committ...
Read more →We have TWO available trustee positions for election ahead of our 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM). Only Educational Members can apply. This year we’re looking for motivated and dynamic Trustees and are seeking applications that are: Sustainability Professional / Practitioner Fro...
Read more →With COP26 postponed until 2021, the extra time gives the UK an opportunity to deliver greater success in the talks, says the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) Chair Philip Dunne. However, they warn that it is vital the delay does not lead to the climate crisis slipping down the list of priorities...
Read more →The COP26 UN climate change conference set to take place in Glasgow in November has been postponed due to COVID-19. This decision has been taken by representatives of the COP Bureau of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), with the UK and its Italian partners. Dates ...
Read more →The University of Bristol has a strong track record of sustainability action and became the first university to declare a 'Climate Emergency' in April. With sustainability high on the agenda, there is increasing pressure to demonstrate our commitment to reducing the university’s environmental ...
Read more →Funding confirmed to accelerate response to climate emergency We are pleased to announce that EAUC’s bid for funding for the next phase of its work has been approved by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). We will deliver our new outcome agreement ‘Accelerating action and leadership in...
Read more →We appreciate these are unprecedented times and we have carefully considered the options for this year’s Green Gown Awards ahead of launching our call for applications. Upon reflection, we believe that institutions should still have the chance to be recognised for their excellent efforts an...
Read more →Across the world, the situation surrounding COVID-19 is moving rapidly and the pandemic is also at the top of the Further and Higher Education sector’s agenda where it is likely to stay for some time. Despite the social and economic disturbance caused, we often see reports on how the planet ha...
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