News

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  Courtauld Commitment provides annual progress update – 5th November 2020

  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...

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  University of Strathclyde celebrate 15,000 sustainability actions – 5th November 2020

  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...

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  University of Edinburgh sustainable lab scheme cuts plastic waste and costs – 28th October 2020

  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 ...

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  New EAUC-Scotland Office Bearer Group Vacancies – 28th October 2020

  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...

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  LSE launches ambitious plan to embed environmental sustainability across its operations – 21st October 2020

  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...

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  Skills deficit needs to be urgently tackled to get to net zero – 15th October 2020

  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 ...

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  NTU study shows air quality danger for cyclists on busy roads – 15th October 2020

  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...

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  EAUC launches Future Graduate Skills Study – 15th October 2020

  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 ...

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  2020 Green Gown Award Finalists Announced – 12th October 2020

  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 ...

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  SUEZ lifts the lid on trends in student recycling – 5th October 2020

  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...

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  New Centre for Sustainability launched at University of Strathclyde – 5th October 2020

  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...

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  New Aldersgate Report calls for urgent policy decisions regarding net zero emissions – 5th October 2020

  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...

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  Salix announces the launch of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme – 2nd October 2020

  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...

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  Cambridge to divest from fossil fuels with "net zero" plan – 1st October 2020

  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...

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  Kickstart for Sustainability in Tertiary Education – 24th September 2020

  ​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...

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  Discussions for UNESCO'S Futures of Education – 15th September 2020

  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...

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  The Little Book of Nudges Launched – 1st September 2020

  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...

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  New legally binding targets for Environment Bill announced – 19th August 2020

  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...

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  Vision for the future of colleges launched by Independent Commission – 22nd July 2020

  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...

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  Rebuilding to last: UK must not go back to the old normal – 15th July 2020

  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...

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  Two new board members elected during EAUC AGM – 9th July 2020

  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...

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  International Green Gown Awards Winners – 8th July 2020

  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...

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  The Time is Now – 8th July 2020

  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...

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  Climate Commission: A clear and feasible path to climate action for UK colleges – 3rd July 2020

  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...

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  Retrofit all education buildings to net-zero – 30th June 2020

  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...

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  Covid-19 recovery must drive net zero progress – 24th June 2020

  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...

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  Leaders call on Prime Minister to create socially just and green recovery from Covid-19 – 9th June 2020

  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...

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  Race to Zero launch – 5th June 2020

  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, ...

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  New dates agreed for COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference – 29th May 2020

  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...

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  Latest EMR data released – 14th May 2020

  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...

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  A net-zero emissions economic recovery from COVID-19 – 5th May 2020

  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...

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  Oxford University announces fossil fuel divestment – 4th May 2020

  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...

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  Times Higher release SDG rankings – 23rd April 2020

  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....

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  University of Nottingham crowned ENACTUS UK 2020 National Champion – 17th April 2020

  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...

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  Plastics ban in England delayed – 17th April 2020

  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 ...

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  Net zero and nature-based intervention - new advice released – 16th April 2020

  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...

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  Seeking New Trustees - Join our Board – 14th April 2020

  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...

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  Ministers urged to remember Climate Crisis commitments – 8th April 2020

  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...

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  Government announces COP26 postponed due to COVID-19 – 2nd April 2020

  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 ...

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  100% Green Lab accreditation at the University of Bristol – 1st April 2020

  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 ...

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  EAUC-Scotland Funding Renewed by SFC! – 31st March 2020

  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...

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  2020 Green Gown Awards Applications Deadline Extended – 31st March 2020

  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...

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  EAUC Update and response to COVID-19 – 18th March 2020

  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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  New EAUC-Scotland Resources to Support the Sector in Addressing Business Air Travel – 12th March 2020

  On March 12th, 2020, EAUC-Scotland is releasing the Travel Better Package to support universities and colleges in addressing business air travel to reduce carbon emissions and the environmental impact from flying. The package has been developed with funding and support from the University of Edinbur...

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  New EU Circular Economy Action Plan launched – 12th March 2020

  Yesterday, the European Commission adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan - one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, Europe's new agenda for sustainable growth. With measures along the entire life cycle of products, the new Action Plan aims to make the EU economy fit for a ...

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  Circular Economy essential to fight against plastic – 10th March 2020

  In response to public pressure, the government is tackling plastic pollution by addressing individual uses of plastic, like some plastic bags and microbeads. While bans on items likely to damage the environment are necessary, this approach completely fails to deal with the root of the problem and, w...

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  Chancellor announces tampon tax scrapped – 10th March 2020

  The Chancellor has today announced in the first Budget of 2020, among other measures, that the tampon tax has been scrapped. This is overdue, and we would like for institutions to take this opportunity to renew efforts in the fight against Period Poverty and ensure they are providing free sanitar...

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  COP26 President discusses priorities – 9th March 2020

  COP26 president Alok Sharma gave his first speech in post to the UN last week. He outlined his priority actions areas for COP26 and 2020. Adaptation and resilience. ‘Helping people, economies and the environment adapt and prepare for the impacts of climate change.’ Nature. ‘S...

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  Nottingham Trent University records 63,000 positive sustainability and wellbeing actions – 5th March 2020

  Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has completed over 63,000 positive actions as the University celebrates a successful first year of Green Rewards. Since the launch of the Green Rewards programme in January 2019, NTU has avoided over 80 tonnes of CO2 emissions, completed 90,000 miles of active tr...

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  New OfS paper shows move towards sustainability – 25th February 2020

  Since HEFCE was disbanded in 2018 and replaced by the Office for Students (OfS), there has been a gap in formal policy oversight and regulation for the Higher Education sector on sustainability and emissions reduction. In particular, EAUC has been a vocal opponent of the decision to remove the manda...

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