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 →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 →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 →‘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 →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 →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'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 →‘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 →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 →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 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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 (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 →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 →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 →Businesses take the lead to drive down UK’s annual £20 billion food waste bill, equivalent to more than £300 per UK citizen. All major retailers and 50% of larger food businesses to Target-Measure-Act and report on food waste by September 2019. 90 organisations begin epic journey - taki...
Read more →Salix Finance are pleased to announce the dates and venues for the 2018 Colleges workshops. The workshops will run from late October to November at locations across England. Thursday 25th October - Lewisham Southwark College Friday 2nd November - Leeds City College Friday 23rd November -...
Read more →University College Cork's Bio Green Cafe is Ireland's first plastic-free restaurant. Plastic drink bottles have been removed from the café, replaced with glass bottles and cans. Plastic sachets have been removed and replaced with reusable crockery containers. Chocolate bars are wrapped in paper...
Read more →EAUC are launching a new webinar series to celebrate Global Goals Week! 'A cup of tea and an SDG' will be 5 webinars, one a day at 11am between 24th - 28th September. They will be 15 minutes in length and presenters will have just 2 minutes to outline an initiative they have undertaken that contr...
Read more →Coinciding with the global Zero Emission Vehicles Summit held in Birmingham on Tuesday, the Aldersgate Group has launched a new briefing, 'Driving ambition: accelerating the transition to zero emission vehicles', setting out key business recommendations for rapidly cutting road transport emissions ...
Read more →Rootability have launched a new, free Green Office Model Online Course. The course is for students and staff who want to establish a sustainability office - based on the Green Office Model - in less time and in a more effective way. Unlike establishing your Green Office alone, you learn from peer...
Read more →Adding value to society, the economy and the environment - are you aware of just how much universities contribute? This excellent video from BUFDG shares some really important information. The aim of the video is to help the sector communicate to those beyond about what universities are, what ...
Read more →Congratulations to the winners of the Collaborative Awards for Teaching Excellence 2018 delivered by Advance HE. The Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) recognises and rewards collaborative work that has had a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning. Introduced in 2016, the sc...
Read more →The National Union of Students (NUS) have published their 8th annual Sustainability Skills research report. This includes perspectives on sustainability in education from students studying in the UK in both higher and further education. This year’s research shows student expectations for ...
Read more →After a successful pilot, the University of Strathclyde is rolling out its sustainability and wellbeing engagement programme to all of its employees this October. The programme, known as JUMP, was launched in February 2018 to a pilot audience of 250 employees at the University. JUMP is an interac...
Read more →The hunt for the best student and graduate business ideas has officially launched, with £10,000 and other money can’t buy opportunities to get your hands on. NACUE has partnered with Tata for another year to fuel fantastic ideas with their national business pitching competition. This is ...
Read more →We're always delighted to hear about new partnerships that are making positive change. Read below about the recent partnership to reuse PCs from Edinburgh Napier University. In an initiative also involving input from Procurement, Information Services and Environmental Sustainability, the School o...
Read more →Huge strides have been taken towards further embedding sustainability in schools, faculties and services at the University. The University’s Annual Sustainability Report highlights the many success stories achieved during the past 12 months. This year, Leeds has linked its approach and c...
Read more →Dr Nicola Cannon, Principal Lecturer in Agronomy at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) explains why the 2018 heatwave will have long-term consequences for crops and livestock nutrition with farmers having to reach into winter reserves of food and forage: "The extreme heat and very dry condi...
Read more →Bournemouth University (BU) has seen improvements to sustainability and wellbeing at the University after introducing the Green Rewards behaviour change programme to all staff. The programme was rolled out to all staff in January this year (2018), after a successful six month pilot in 2017 which...
Read more →The National Union of Students (NUS) has worked with Friends of the Earth to find out more about students' views on eating meat. Commonly cited as one relatively easy way to reduce carbon emissions, reducing your meat consumption has long been a topical discussion point. NUS and Friends of the E...
Read more →The EAUC Scotland team are delighted to have launched bookings for their 2018 Scotland Conference, A Decade of Progress, to coincide with the EAUC-Scotland office’s 10 year anniversary. Since 2008 Scotland has reached 2020 carbon reduction targets 6 years early, became one of the first nat...
Read more →Urgent call for sustainability case studies EAUC first published a Business Guide for University Governors in 2014, to make the case for embedding sustainability at the very highest level in universities. With the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals and other recent global trends, in p...
Read more →The EAUC-Scotland Office have launched an Accelerator Programme to help new sustainability staff and interns develop the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in a sustainability engagement role. The Programme was developed in response to sector requests for basic skills training for new staff...
Read more →Carbon Reduction is currently a hot topic among sustainability professionals in the Higher Education Sector with many universities aiming to reach zero carbon in the next 20 years. Reaching these targets will require new and innovative approaches to both new build design and major renovations of exi...
Read more →The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) has recently launched The Prince of Wales Global Sustainability Fellowship Programme, with the support of some of the UK’s leading companies. The programme will attract researchers from around the world to identify solutions to meet ...
Read more →The SDG Accord report was launched at the on-going UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) last week and one of its recommendations for the UN was immediately recognised and accepted. This was a huge achievement, and it is reflective of the high-level influence and impact of the SDG Accord and its sign...
Read more →The University of Bristol has launched ‘Be the Change’, a behaviour change programme provided by employee engagement specialists, Green Rewards, to encourage members of staff to improve sustainability and wellbeing both on campus and in the home. The pilot will run for three months to...
Read more →The Global Alliance – a partnership of the world’s universities, colleges and sustainability networks are today (Wednesday, 11th July) launching a new report at the UN’s High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York, exploring the global contribution of Further and Higher Education...
Read more →On behalf of NACUE We are delighted to have teamed up with Tata for another year, to find the best student and graduate businesses from a diverse bank of sectors, including; social, disruptive, innovation, technical, creative and raw ideas. Our three stage competition provides applicants ...
Read more →BEIS have announced a voluntary 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020/21 across public and higher education sectors in England. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS ONLY APPLICABLE TO UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IN ENGLAND. Full details of the notice is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/pu...
Read more →Urgent action is needed to prevent UK slipping behind other nations on poverty, equality and the environment A new report released today (3 July 2018) has highlighted why the UK should place the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the heart of its Brexit strategy to galvanise support for ...
Read more →Collaborations for Change: Integrating the SDGs in further and higher education through partnership This special issue of the IJSHE is linked to the EAUC 2018 Annual Conference which, inspired by Sustainable Development Goal 17, 'Partnerships for the Goals' was themed around 'Collaborations for ...
Read more →The Sustainability Reporting in Higher Education survey explores the quality, indicators and standards of sustainability reporting in higher education. The survey is part of the PhD research of Katerina Kosta, a research intern with the EAUC in 2016. To take the survey, please click here....
Read more →The University of St Andrews are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the first graduates from their undergraduate Sustainable Development Degree Programme this summer, and share some examples of where the degree has taken alumni - so far! Set up shortly after the launch of the UN Decade of Educa...
Read more →The world’s first grid-scale liquid air energy storage (LAES) plant has opened using technology components developed in partnership with the University of Brighton. The ‘5MW/15MWh’ LAES plant works by storing air as a liquid in above-ground tanks and when electricity is required...
Read more →Launching a Transformational Tool for the Education Sector - the Sustainability Leadership Scorecard At last we have a transformational ‘All in One’ tool which captures data and performance from many sources and builds one definitive picture of your institutions performance. EAUC, p...
Read more →Last year, we saw a transformation in our member engagement as we launched the EAUC Fellows Programme. This put members firmly at the heart of the organisation, engaging and motivating them while recognising them for their expertise and input. We announced 18 fellows last year, and this year we have...
Read more →The Environmental Audit Committee has today published their second report on Green Finance and how sustainability can and should be embedded in financial decision making. As a sustainability membership body working with post-16 education institutions to embed sustainability holistically into the ...
Read more →Nottingham Trent University’s state-of-the-art science facility wins construction award Nottingham Trent University’s new science facility, the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Centre (ISTeC) has won a regional construction award. The building at the Clifton Campus was awa...
Read more →The draft Climate Change Bill has been discussed within Scottish Parliament, with Ministers agreeing that the 90% reduction by 2050 target will be included. Sector representatives collated a response to the Climate Change Bill consultation which EAUC-Scotland submitted on the sectors behalf, we have...
Read more →On 2 May the Scottish Government released their latest publication ‘The Energy Efficient Scotland: Route Map’. The 20-year plan outlines the vision of Scotland being energy efficient and ‘by 2040 our homes and buildings being warmer, greener and more efficient’. The Route Map...
Read more →City, University of London is set to install a rainwater harvesting system at its new £42m law school, in a move which could reduce its water costs by more than £4,500 each year. The standalone rainwater harvesting system, provided by water management firm Waterscan, will operate in conjunction w...
Read more →Enactus UK look forward to Enactus Edinburgh, our 2018 National Champions, representing the UK at the Enactus World Cup event in San Jose in October. Please be aware that Enactus Edinburgh have established their crowdfunding campaign to fund their expenses to travel to the World Cup. Through di...
Read more →EAUC are working with NUS to enhance our understanding of real-world learning and research approaches on UK and Irish campuses and communities. These are often referred to as Living Labs. To better support the sector on applied academic learning and research of this kind we are conducting an imp...
Read more →The University of Reading has launched a new website which makes half hourly energy data available to the public. From https://reading.ac.uk/sustainability/ users can access maps of the University’s three main campuses and click on key buildings to view their energy consumption. Each bu...
Read more →The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO), has launched a ground-breaking greenhouse gas footprint calculator. The application is an exciting new tool which enables caterers to easily calculate the greenhouse gas footprint of their menus. The innovative calculator is available for free and online ...
Read more →On Monday 9th April the EAUC and HEBCoN (Higher Education Business Continuity Network) Risk Project Working Group met for the first time at the AECOM Offices in Birmingham. The Risk Project aims to explore how environmental risks, and specifically climate change, might affect the critical functio...
Read more →At this time of organisational ambition and transformation, we are seeking dedicated members to join our Board of Trustees to help us deliver our strategy. Our powerful 5 year strategy (2017-2021) was borne out of a collaboration with our 5000 education sector members. It demonstrates how we can bet...
Read more →Many businesses today think about sustainability and their social responsibilities but how does this fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals? Booking is now open for the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Roadshow, which is to make Winchester the first stop on its 2018 tour with...
Read more →The custodians of the Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and Registered Environmental Technician (REnvTech) registers, the Society for the Environment, have selected World Environment Day as the day to celebrate the work of environmental professionals with its annual awards presentation. The 2018...
Read more →At the start of the month local authorities were given the go-ahead to double on-the-spot litter fines to a maximum penalty of £150. Results from a new poll have found that Brits support taking a significantly tougher stance on punishing those who litter, giving their backing to a range of strict...
Read more →The Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation (ECCI) is today opening the ClimateLaunchpad green business competition for applications. With dedicated support to develop a rock-solid business plan and the chance to win up to €10,000 and a place on the Climate-KIC Accelerator programme, Climate...
Read more →As the country reflects on a cold start to the year, scientists at the University of Brighton are looking to the summer and researching ways older people can avoid heat-related illnesses which claim 2,000 UK lives each year. The University is appealing to healthy volunteers aged 65 and over to v...
Read more →The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs have been busy this week. Yesterday they announced a deposit return scheme to increase recycling rates and reduce waste subject to consultation later this year and today new powers to stop waste crime have come into force. To tackle the blig...
Read more →27-30 June 2018 | University of Nottingham The Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE) are launching a new programme to nurture emerging talent in higher education estates and facilities management. This residential programme for tomorrow’s senior estates professionals covers ...
Read more →The Fruit Route project involves planting, foraging, distributing, sharing and harvesting fruit, nuts and edible plants that are located along footpaths and cycle paths across the university campus. The Fruit Route book is a celebration of the last 5 years of the project at Loughborough, the proj...
Read more →On 16th March 2018, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the award of £15.3 million for 110 community-led projects in the 24th round of grants from the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund. The Scottish Government Climate Challenge Fund encourages communities across Scotland to...
Read more →Millions of people across the world will be switching off their lights for an hour from 8.30pm on Saturday 24th March to celebrate Earth Hour. Last year 9 million people took part in the UK alone, joining national landmarks like Big Ben, Manchester Old Trafford and the Kelpies in the big switch off....
Read more →Do you want to change the world - or know someone who does? UN Environment is here to help. The Young Champions of the Earth initiative aims to celebrate and support individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 who have outstanding potential to create positive environmental impact. They are lookin...
Read more →The National Union of Students and the Environmental Association for Univeristies and Colleges (EAUC) were invited to Tashkent, Uzbekistan in January 2017 by the British Council in Uzbekistan to deliver training on sustainability in higher education. This training engaged rectors and pro-rectors ...
Read more →NUS have now collected opinion on issues related to goals 1 to 6 of the SDGS (poverty, hunger, health and wellbeing, education, gender equality and water), and the report is available online here. ...
Read more →An artist has won a place on an Arctic expedition which aims to highlight how human activity has influenced changes to the climate and environment. Adele Gibson, 59, was awarded an MA in Fine Art at the University of Brighton earlier this year and took up the challenge "to witness these changes ...
Read more →EAUC-Scotland are delighted to be launching the last of our Workbooks to support colleges to embed sustainability within vocational courses at our Education for Sustainable Development Topic Support Network meeting on the 17th April in Edinburgh. Resources from this meeting are now available here. ...
Read more →The Scottish Government have published their new Climate Change Plan - The Third Report on Proposals and Policies (RPP3) - for 2018-2032. The plan, which is partnered with the Energy Strategy, is to be used as a roadmap for Scotland to transition to a low carbon economy, outlining how it will achiev...
Read more →The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, delivered his first Spring Statement today – promising a call for evidence on single use plastics and a downpayment of £20m to businesses and universities that think of solutions to the issue. In his speech he praised ‘our world-class universities&rsqu...
Read more →The effective regulation of chemicals is critical for the economy, public health, environmental protection, the economy and animal welfare and ending the UK’s involvement in the EU chemical framework REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) could have seriou...
Read more →The next Love Food Hate Waste campaign has started on and will be focus on bread – top of the list of the most wasted foods in the UK. The 4-week ‘Make Toast Not Waste’ campaign will be targeted at a) students & young people new to work (18-24 years) and young families (25-34...
Read more →Salix has interest-free financing for available for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in England. If you are in the position to apply before March, please contact Salix to discuss funding opportunities. Salix also welcomes early submissions and are happy to have discussions about pipeline projec...
Read more →Meliora: International Symposium of Student Sustainability Research – 13 April 2018 – University of Southampton Come and join us at the third annual ‘Meliora International Symposium of Student Sustainability Research’, held at the University of Southampton on 13 April 201...
Read more →The EAUC provide the AUDE Sustainability Group with an update on current and future activities taking place within the sector relating to sustainability and estates. Read the briefing paper here. ...
Read more →UniCycle is a collaboration between NUS Sustainability, Love to Ride and the EAUC to get more students and staff on bikes. Funded by the Department for Transport, the pilot year has seen eight universities delivering behaviour change interventions to help achieve the government's target of doubli...
Read more →Last year, in partnership with the Fairtrade Foundation and with support from the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges, NUS launched a Fairtrade award for universities and colleges in 12 pilot institutions. Their research shows that the ethical standards of products matter to 8...
Read more →An international project, led by the University of Portsmouth’s Cluster for Sustainable Cities, has won 1.6 million euros to help cities solve the increasing challenges of food, water and energy management. Increasing demands for food, water and energy often exceed the capabilities of any o...
Read more →EAUC is delighted to confirm that, with the generous support from HEFCE, we are working with AUDE to further develop the Green Scorecard to cover sustainability issues beyond the estates function. We are working very closely with AUDE, who lead on the Green Scorecard, and ARUP, who designed the...
Read more →For public sector organisations across the country, energy consumption is an important consideration as they look ahead to reduce their outgoing spend and minimise their environmental impact in an increasingly energy conscious environment. With this in mind, identifying affordable energy-reduc...
Read more →While University Living Labs are not unique to sustainability, those of us leading next generation sustainability for next generation learning unashamedly embrace their promise: applied learning and employability skills for students, problem-solving for campus managers, a rich and real-world learnin...
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