News

• 

  University of Nottingham crowned Enactus UK 2019 national champion – 15th April 2019

  On the 8th and 9th April, the top 32 Enactus teams from across the UK competed in the 2019 Enactus UK National Expo at the ExCeL, London. The dynamic, energy-filled event brought together 650 university students, 70 academics, and over 300 senior UK business leaders across two days in celebration...

  Read more →
• 

  University and college leaders must wake up to the demands of students on climate action – 12th April 2019

  The Further and Higher Education sector is calling on sector leaders and governments across the UK to wake up to the rally cries of students and staff on sustainability issues like Climate Change. The increasingly urgent call for climate action by students and staff in the form of Youth Strikes i...

  Read more →
• 

  ​New UK reports show opportunity in net zero emissions targets – 10th April 2019

  The Aldersgate Group – a membership organisation that drives action for a sustainable economy – have released two new reports on net zero emissions targets. EAUC are proud members of Aldersgate Group, and we welcome the reports that argue that a net zero emissions target could provide...

  Read more →
• 

  Gender Pay Gap in Universities - one year on – 8th April 2019

  Times Higher Education (THE) reports slow progress on closing the gender pay gap in UK Universities. The Government Equalities Office published the data for the second year last week (Friday, 5 April). Gender Pay Gap data submission is a legal requirement for every employer with 250 or more emplo...

  Read more →
• 

  Results Announced: THE University Impact Rankings 2019 – 3rd April 2019

  Times Higher Education (THE) released their first University Impact Rankings today, tracking the impact of universities on 11 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Topping the overall table is the University of Auckland, followed closely by  McMaster University in sec...

  Read more →
• 

  EAUC supports Climate Action Strikes – 1st April 2019

  As the alliance for sustainability leadership in education, the EAUC are excited to see students from the UK’s universities and colleges joining the Strikes for Climate movement, and adding their voices to the call from school children and academics for more action on climate change and sustai...

  Read more →
• 

  University signs up to help Manchester go zero carbon and plastic free – 1st April 2019

  The University of Manchester has announced its participation in ambitious regional initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and plastic use. Along with other universities and colleges in Greater Manchester, The University of Manchester and its Students’ Union will work to eradicate avoidable ...

  Read more →
• 

  2019 UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards Open for Stage 1 Applications – 1st April 2019

  Stage 1 Applications Now Open for the 2019 Green Gown Awards What's new and updated for 2019? Two exciting new categories - relevant to today's agenda Revised categories - making the Awards more relevant for you And maintaining the recognition of those with limited budgets - with Small in...

  Read more →
• 

  SSN Release PBCCD Analysis Report 2017/18 – 20th March 2019

  The Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN) have published their 2017/18 Analysis Report based on the annual submissions from the Public Bodies Climate Change Duties (PBCCD) reports, which were submitted for the deadline of 30 November 2018. The analysis report covers all 180 Scottish Public Bodies an...

  Read more →
• 

  EAUC launches new FE support package – 12th March 2019

  Recognising the challenges that Further Education (FE) has faced for some time, EAUC has launched a new FE support package to foster knowledge exchange and provide additional support.   We support the #loveourcolleges campaign, and want to see the Government prioritising investment in FE to ensure...

  Read more →
• 

  BAFTA and albert partner with UK universities to tackle environmental impact of screen industries – 5th March 2019

  EAUC is incredibly proud to see Bournemouth University's 2017 Green Gown Awards initiative - ‘Greening the Screen’ - launched in collaboration with BAFTA and 10 universities. The initiative will provide students, staff and graduates with the opportunity to learn about environmentally ...

  Read more →
• 

  UN requests EAUC support at UN Environment Assembly – 5th March 2019

  EAUC has been requested to attend the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) next week in Nairobi, Kenya from 11 - 15 March 2019. The theme of the Assembly is ‘Innovative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production’. At UNEA, the ...

  Read more →
• 

  SDG Accord reporting open for 2019 – 4th March 2019

  SDG Accord reporting is now open for 2019, and you can see the new and improved reporting requirements. The SDG Accord is a global initiative that brings together universities and colleges to help tackle the most pressing challenges of our time. Input forms a key educational update to the UN and ...

  Read more →
• 

  Fairtrade Fortnight - Cocoa farmers deserve a living wage – 4th March 2019

  Each year for two weeks over February and March (25th February - 10th March 2019), Fairtrade Foundation puts a spotlight on trade through their Fairtrade Fortnight campaign. This year the focus is on ensuring cocoa farmers earn a living income by 2030 in line with the UN’s Global Goals to end ...

  Read more →
• 

  The Cup Movement in Glasgow – 27th February 2019

  Almost 500 million single-use cups are used in Scotland each year. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of retailers and national recycling schemes, best estimates show that only 4% of these are currently recycled. With approximately 95 million single-use cups bought in the greater Glasgow area each y...

  Read more →
• 

  Call for evidence on SDGs progress in Scotland – 18th February 2019

  In 2015, the First Minister confirmed that the Scottish Government would be one of the first anywhere in the world to commit to meeting the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development, both at home and overseas. Since then, all 193 UN member states have signed up to the 17 goals that seek to end pov...

  Read more →
• 

  UK institutions as places of civic good – 13th February 2019

  The UPP Foundation Civic University Commission have released a new report this week, highlighting the role of universities as 'places of good'. The report makes some key recommendations, including a 'Civic University Agreement' - which 30 institutions committed to sustainability and its pillars ha...

  Read more →
• 

  Go Green Week - What is happening? – 11th February 2019

  This week (11th-15th February 2019) is Go Green Week and we are celebrating all of the initiatives being held to raise awareness of sustainability across the UK and Ireland. Aston University, University College Birmingham, Birmingham City University and Birmingham Metropolitan College, supported ...

  Read more →
• 

  EAUC-S Office Bearers Group seek University Rep – 7th February 2019

  Do you know anyone with the interest and capacity to help the EAUC-Scotland team develop their support for sustainability in Scotland’s Universities? EAUC-Scotland are seeking a dedicated EAUC Member from the Higher Education Sector to join our Office Bearers Group (OBG), following the reti...

  Read more →
• 

  Sustainability Leadership Scorecard Deadline – 7th February 2019

  At the best of times the multi-dimensioned thing we call sustainability can be confusing. Not least the myriad of ever increasing performance improvement tools, quality standards and reporting accreditations, which aim to help, but often leave sustainability leaders feeling overwhelmed, and our coll...

  Read more →
• 

  ​2019 International Green Gown Awards – 6th February 2019

  Gain International Recognition - Make a Global Impact Is your institution delivering world-class leadership in sustainability? Deadline 28 February. Is it influencing and developing society and empowering its students to be agents of global change? The UN Environment endorsed International Gr...

  Read more →
• 

  Go Green Week – 6th February 2019

  Let's promote your Go Green Week activities! Go Green Week (11th – 15th February) is next week and EAUC want to know what you are doing to celebrate! We will be promoting Climate Action (SDG 13) with examples of best practice and resources to support you in the mission to reduce carbon emis...

  Read more →
• 

  Solar panels in clothes to charge a mobile phone – 8th January 2019

  Nottingham Trent University has developed a way to embed miniaturised solar cells into yarn that can then be knitted and woven into textiles. Clothing embedded with tiny solar cells the size of a flea can allow wearers to generate electricity on the move and charge items like mobile phones and sm...

  Read more →
• 

  Key priorities for education in Brussels Declaration – 12th December 2018

  Ministers and  representatives of more than 60 countries, multilateral organisations, civil society, teaching, youth and the private sector alongside UNESCO as the UN lead Agency for education in the 2030 Agenda gathered in Brussels early this month, to seek consensus and strengthen the collective a...

  Read more →
• 

  New Pan-Asia sustainability network and EAUC partnership announced at South Korean conference – 4th December 2018

  ‘There is no Planet B, so there can be no Plan B’ – that was the message from Ban Ki-Moon last week at the 4th annual Asian Conference on Campus Sustainability. Alongside the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, EAUC CEO Iain Patton gave the key note speech for the secon...

  Read more →
• 

  Embedding Sustainability in Teaching Courses Project – 27th November 2018

  EAUC-Scotland are running a new project to support institutions to embed sustainability within teaching courses, and we need your help!   Starting with four initial subject areas - economics, fine art, psychology and computer science - the project will consider the opportunities for sustainability...

  Read more →
• 

   UK Climate Projections 2018 Released – 27th November 2018

  The UK Climate Projections 2018 study has been released by the Met Office, providing the most up to date information on how the climate of the UK may change in the period up to the end of the 21st Century.   In the highest emissions scenario, which are looking likely based on current emissions red...

  Read more →
• 

  Queen University Belfast was awarded Gold Standard in the Cycle Friendly Employer Accreditation – 19th November 2018

  Queen's University Belfast became the first employer in the UK to achieve the Cycle Friendly Employer Accreditation and the first to achieve Gold Standard. To gain this accreditation, the University had to demonstrate what measures are in place to show long-term commitment, support and leadership...

  Read more →
• 

  UK religious leaders call on the Prime Minister to deliver the UN Sustainable Development Goals – 19th November 2018

  ‘We believe that by working together we can build a future that is fair and just for all people, and a resilient and sustainable UK’ To mark the end of UK Inter Faith Week, religious leaders and faith-based organisations have come together in a letter to the Prime Minister to urge gre...

  Read more →
• 

  New study confirms sustainability skills are key to employability – 15th November 2018

  The Global University Employability Ranking, published by Times Higher Education (THE), has this week revealed that institutions promoting sustainability skills are much more likely to produce employable graduates. This is a concept that the EAUC has espoused for a long-time, and has begun to tac...

  Read more →
• 

  University pledge to be single-use plastic-free by 2023 – 7th November 2018

  The University of Leeds and Leeds University Union have together pledged to become single-use plastic-free by 2023. Single-use plastic items are designed to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. The campaign, Single Out: 2023PlasticFree, crucially commits the University an...

  Read more →
• 

  WWF released a groundbreaking report on the current state of planetary natural capital – 5th November 2018

  WWF launched an alarming report- Living Planet- looking at how exploding human consumption is the driving force behind the unprecedented planetary change we are witnessing, through the increased demand for energy, land and water.  The products we consume, the supply chains behind them, the materi...

  Read more →
• 

  £2 million donation boosts agriculture and food security research at RAU – 1st November 2018

  PhD research into topics such as growing soybean as a profitable, low-carbon crop will continue to thrive at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) following a donation of £2 million.   The RAU has received this research investment thanks to the John Oldacre Foundation, which supports the agricul...

  Read more →
• 

  Government announces new plastic tax, but scraps latte levy – 30th October 2018

  The Government announced yesterday in the Budget plans for a new tax on plastic packaging which contains less than 30% recycled plastic, subject to consultation.    What was announced? To reduce the problem of excessive and environmentally harmful plastic packaging, and incentivise manufacture...

  Read more →
• 

  Keele University launched The Institute for Sustainable Futures – 30th October 2018

  On the 3rd October, Keele University launched its new major sustainability initiative, a cross-university research institute- the Institute for Sustainability Futures, structured around the SDGs and aiming to catalyse interdisciplinary research focused on contributing to a more sustainable future. ...

  Read more →
• 

  Universities today face unprecedented levels of risk and uncertainty – but there is a solution – 24th October 2018

  The EAUC is today launching a new Guide that highlights the business benefits of sustainability and explains why it is key to the success of higher education institutions. The Guide - ‘Sustainability: Key to Long-term Institutional Success’ - was developed by EAUC and the University o...

  Read more →
• 

  Update to SFC Outcome Agreement Guidance on Leadership in Environmental and Social Sustainability – 23rd October 2018

  New Scottish Funding Council Outcome Agreement Guidance requires all universities and colleges to develop individual 'creative and innovative' approaches to demonstrate leadership in embedding environmental and social sustainability across the whole institution In October 2017 the Scottish Fundin...

  Read more →
• 

  New plans to ban sale and distribution of single-use plastics announced – 22nd October 2018

  The EAUC welcomes the Government plans, announced today (22 October), to ban the distribution and sale of plastic straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds. Subject to a consultation, also launched today, the Government is looking to ban the distribution and sale of these single-use plastic items b...

  Read more →
• 

  University Vice-Chancellors join forces with Government to tackle Carbon Emissions – 18th October 2018

  Vice-Chancellors from five UK universities and Students’ Union representatives met with the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Director General Julian Critchlow, and Office for Students CEO Nicola Dandridge to officially sign the Government’s Emissions Reduct...

  Read more →
• 

  Grants for Good – 17th October 2018

  The Change Agents UK Charity is launching Grants for Good; funding of £100 to £500 is available to support University Societies and Departments delivering sustainability projects. Beginning this month they hope to capture the creativity of students and staff alike, so find out if your project qua...

  Read more →
• 

  ​2018-2019 International Green Gown Awards Launched – 16th October 2018

  The first stage of the 2018-2019 International Green Gown Awards are now open for applications. Do you want to inspire and motivate your team, management and students to do more? The International Green Gown Awards, supported by UN Environment, recognise exceptional sustainability initiatives bei...

  Read more →
• 

  Jobs for Good – 12th October 2018

  More and more candidates want to use their career to make a positive difference in the world. They want to work with organisations who think differently, operate responsibly and are forward-looking; employers with strong values that match their own. Jobs for Good enables you to access these candidat...

  Read more →
• 

  Diversity in Sustainability – 3rd October 2018

  Do you know that the environmental profession is the second least diverse profession in the UK, after farming?  This was revealed in a Policy Exchange report.  EAUC are contributing to research being undertake by NUS, IEMA and the Equality Trust to investigate the racial diversity of the environm...

  Read more →
• 

  Name Change Update – 3rd October 2018

  Here is an update following the AGM. As you may be aware we went to the AGM asking for members to vote on a name change. In order for this to be successful we required, by Company Law, to achieve 75% of those voting. The result was 72% so this was not passed.   The Board needed time to reflect on ...

  Read more →
• 

  Building Opportunity and Resilience to Tackle an Uncertain Future for Universities and Colleges – 2nd October 2018

  Uncertainty and civic responsibility are mega trends UK universities and colleges need to better recognise - so say judges of the 2018 Green Gown Awards. A panel of over 100 national and international judges – a who’s who of leading names from the education, business and sustainabilit...

  Read more →
• 

  Scottish Government: Climate Change Plan Update and Progress Report – 1st October 2018

  In September 2018 two updates were issued on Scottish Government action on climate change. A report from The Committee on Climate Change gives us an insight into progress so far and the Scottish Government have released a Climate Change Plan summary that gives us an insight into the future of govern...

  Read more →
• 

  New guides show how to talk to different institutional departments about sustainability – 1st October 2018

  We know that all too often, sustainability sits in a Facilities and Estates silo on campuses and it can be hard to engage with other departments in UK Further and Higher Education institutions. We also know that for sustainability to flourish, it needs to be embedded holistically and everyone needs ...

  Read more →
• 

  Anglia Ruskin University launches pilot programme to engage staff in sustainability and wellbeing – 25th September 2018

  Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has just launched a new sustainability and wellbeing behaviour change programme, known as ARUgreen. Operated by Green Rewards through its JUMP engagement platform, the ARUgreen pilot is for six months and covers 700 employees initially of ARU’s total 18,000 emplo...

  Read more →
• 

  UCC launch plastic-free cafe and gain prestigious accolade – 25th September 2018

  University College Cork (UCC) has had a hugely impressive sustainability start to the new academic year already. This week they have opened Ireland's first plastic-free café and been announced as the first and only institution awarded a gold rating under the of the Association for the Advancement of...

  Read more →
• 

  New Green Guide for laboratories launched – 25th September 2018

  The University of Exeter's Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) has released a new Green Guide for laboratories. Laboratories should be on the frontline of cutting-edge technology related to energy saving and reduced use of resources - and so this guide has been formulated to help ensur...

  Read more →