News

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  Organisations demand action from PM on SDGs – 30th January 2020

  Organisations have demanded commitment from the UK Prime Minister to accelerate progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).   A group of organisations spearheaded by UK Stakeholders for Sustainable Development (UKSSD), delivered a resolute brief to PM Boris Johnson this week. It outli...

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  2020 International Green Gown Awards Open – 28th January 2020

  The International Green Gown Awards, supported by UN Environment, recognise exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges around the globe and are now open for the 2020 Awards cycle. The Awards are the most prestigious recognition of sustainability best prac...

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  C2025 Milestone Progress Report - WRAP – 24th January 2020

  The UK is making significant steps in reducing its food waste, with total food waste levels falling by 480,000 tonnes between 2015 and 2018 – a 7% reduction per person and equivalent of filling London’s Royal Albert Hall ten times.  The new data comes from sustainability not-for-pro...

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  EAUC-S Office Bearers Group seek University Rep – 16th January 2020

  Do you know someone 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 ste...

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  CCC urges UK to prioritise Climate Change action in 2020 – 6th January 2020

  The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) wrote to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, after his General Election win at the end of 2019, urging him to prioritise action on Climate Change for 2020. Reminding the Prime Minister that the world will be looking to the UK as an example of best practice in ...

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  General Election: now or never for the environment and climate change – 17th December 2019

  Following the success of the Conservative Party at the General Election, the Aldersgate Group urges the new Government to press ahead with a meaningful and ambitious climate and environmental agenda. Nick Molho, Executive Director of the Aldersgate Group, said: "The Government’s policy deci...

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  Academic papers launched – 13th December 2019

  We have partnered with Emerald Publishing and are now delighted to announce that the academic sessions which have been selected for the EAUC Annual Conference 2018 have been included in a special edition of the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. The papers published wh...

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  EAUC listens to members – 12th December 2019

  EAUC listens to its members and is a powerful voice within the wider sustainability sector Now at a time when EAUC has embarked on its most ambitious and significant initiative – the Climate Commission for UK Higher and Further Education Students and Leaders, it is our core objective to con...

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  We welcome Russell Group's support on the sustainability agenda – 10th December 2019

  The Russell Group, which represents 24 leading UK universities published a joint statement on Monday 9th December on environmental sustainability, setting out its commitment to tackling climate change through research, teaching and more sustainable practices. As home to world leading climate rese...

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  University of Suffolk joins fight to fix unsustainable food system – 10th December 2019

  A pioneering roadmap to transform the UK’s food sector is being developed by UKSSD (of which EAUC are a member). Their new Food Systems programme brings together cross-sector organisations to work on fixing problems throughout the system. Building on the recommendation in their landmark rep...

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  University Mental Health Charter launched – 10th December 2019

  The University Mental Health Charter was launched this week (Monday, 9th December 2019), co-created with staff and students from over 200 higher education organisations across the UK. It provides a set of principles of good practice that challenge universities to go beyond baseline requirements and ...

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  Learning for Sustainability Champions Training Opportunity – 6th December 2019

  Learning for Sustainability Scotland and EAUC-Scotland have developed the College Learning for Sustainability Champions programme to help college teaching staff address sustainability in their learning and teaching. As part of the programme, one ‘Learning for Sustainability (LfS) Champion&rsqu...

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  Submit your workshop proposal for CLIMATE 2020 – 6th December 2019

  Submit a workshop proposal for the EAUC Annual Conference - CLIMATE2020 taking place on 23 - 24 June 2020 at University of Bath! We have a responsibility as educators, as community pillars and hubs for research to proactively adapt, limit risks and seek solution to this catastrophic problem. In t...

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  Green Gown Awards 2019 – 26th November 2019

  Green Gown Awards celebrate initiatives that ensure a better tomorrow for young people As the Climate Crisis is increasingly recognised as the most pressing issue our world faces, the Green Gown Awards put a spotlight on the innovative and inspiring sustainability work taking place in universities ...

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  Next government must deliver on climate and the environment – 21st November 2019

  Today the Aldersgate Group publishes its manifesto report, Time for action: building a competitive and inclusive green economy, setting out key priorities for the new government following the General Election. The report – which received significant input from business and civil society organi...

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  EAUC announces launch of new Climate Commission – 21st October 2019

  UPDATE: READ MORE ABOUT THE LAUNCH EVENT HERE.  Together with Association of Colleges, GuildHE and Universities UK, we have partnered to establish a Climate Commission for UK Higher and Further Education Leaders. EAUC is the initiator and secretariat of the Climate Commission and as a membersh...

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  The Environment Bill - progress and loopholes – 17th October 2019

  The Environment Bill landed for its first reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 15th October. The first reading is a formal stage that takes place without any debate. The next step is a second reading in which MPs debate the overall principles of the Bill. The date for this has not yet been se...

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  Boosting sustainability and wellbeing – 16th October 2019

  It has been a record-breaking year for the higher education sector with 238,000 positive actions recorded across Jump’s university programmes. Jump is the leading supplier of sustainability and wellbeing engagement programmes in the UK, providing universities with the means to turn intent i...

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  Discover Teach the Future – 16th October 2019

  SOS, NUS’s new sustainability charity, and UKSCN, the school strikers organisation, have launched a new campaign to repurpose the entire education system, from primary through to adult education, around the climate emergency and ecological crisis. You can read more about the six demands on the...

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  Government outlines review of education emissions reduction targets – 15th October 2019

  The UK government has responded to the reports from the Committee for Climate Change (CCC) today. The government acknowledged the CCC’s point that the UK is on track to miss current required projections for the fourth and fifth carbon budgets (2023-32). They responded to this by stating &ls...

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  The Environment Bill - what are we looking for? – 15th October 2019

  DEFRA will today present the finalised Environment Bill to Parliament, following on from its announcement in the Queen’s Speech yesterday. You can read the Government’s press release about it below. EAUC will be looking to see if the finalised Bill contains solutions to the concerns outl...

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  Environmenstrual week highlights sanitary plastic issue – 14th October 2019

  The second annual Environmenstrual Week is being held 12th-19th October, and is highlighting the issues that period plastic has on the environment, human health and period justice. Organised by Wen (Women’s Environmental Network), the initiative advocates #PeriodAction, by leading a revolut...

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  New report outlines behaviour change needed for Net Zero – 14th October 2019

  Imperial College London published a new report last week titled ‘Behaviour change, public engagement and Net Zero’. The report outlines the potential for people to make choices that can contribute to reducing emissions. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) appointed Imperial College ...

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  Implementing the SDGs at Higher Education Institutions Challenges and Responses – 10th October 2019

  The second meeting of the GUNi Group of Experts on SDGs and Higher Education and presentation of its last publication was celebrated on the 3rd and 4th of October 2019 and gathered over 85 people at the Ateneu Barcelonès in Barcelona.  This publication focuses on the obstacles that Higher Educa...

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  Enter the EAUC Annual Conference 2020 Climate Image Competition – 8th October 2019

  We are inviting students from a visual arts background or who have a hobby in this direction to join EAUC's Annual Conference 2020 Climate Image Competition. This is a great opportunity for students to have their work exposed on a variety of media platforms, enrich their portfolio and contribute t...

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  £50m green energy net zero deal from UK universities – 7th October 2019

  The Energy Consortium (TEC) has established for twenty pioneering universities including Newcastle, Exeter and Aberystwyth; a UK first – an aggregated power purchase agreement (PPA) delivering renewable power. This ground breaking deal means the parties lock-in a proportion of their power at a...

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  Advice for students - how to become food savvy at uni – 7th October 2019

  Starting uni? We all know you need your pots and pans, and a few key recipes to keep you well fed. But what about some savvy habits to protect the planet? Well, you can start with reducing what food you waste – if everyone in the UK did this, we could do as much good for the environment as tak...

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  ​Climate Crisis is the Mega Challenge and Opportunity facing the Education Sector – 2nd October 2019

  Climate change was the clear mega trend UK universities and colleges need to better recognise - so say judges of the 2019 Green Gown Awards. A judging alumni of over 90 national and international judges – a who’s who of leading names from the education, business and sustainability wor...

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  University of Warwick Climate Emergency Declaration – 30th September 2019

  Recognising that the next ten years will be crucial to limit global temperature rise the University of Warwick has declared a state of Climate Emergency on 20th September 2019. Commitments: We have a responsibility as a community and organisation to help combat climate change through our indi...

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  Adapting to a Changing Climate - New Resources Launched – 30th September 2019

  EAUC and HEBCoN (the Higher Education Business Continuity Network) are delighted to launch a new set of guides and resources on Adapting universities and colleges to a changing climate: Making the case and taking action. Climate change is not only a risk in itself to operational, teaching and res...

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  University of Winchester declares climate emergency – 24th September 2019

  The University of Winchester declared a climate emergency last Friday, 20th September, to coincide with the Global Climate Strikes. "We have declared a climate emergency as future generations face a significantly different world," said Professor Joy Carter CBE, DL, Vice-Chancellor of the Universi...

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  University of St Andrews signs SDG Accord and commits to slashing carbon footprint – 24th September 2019

  The University of St Andrews has made huge strides in its sustainability work this month. Principal and Vice-Chancellor Sally Mapstone has signed the SDG Accord, and the institution has embarked on a £3.75m energy conservation overhaul to reduce its carbon footprint by 950 tonnes a year and save £65...

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  UKSSD publishes Scorecard of UK Voluntary National Review – 23rd September 2019

  UKSSD’s SDG Scorecard was published last week, it assesses the UK Voluntary National Review (VNR) based on UN Voluntary Reporting guidelines and best practice. EAUC fed into this work through its membership with UKSSD. Although there are positive signs of progress, of the eleven areas consi...

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  EAUC calls on universities and colleges to let staff and students strike – 19th September 2019

  In advance of the Global Climate Strike on Friday, 20th September, EAUC are calling on its members in the higher and further education sector to support the strikes and sign the Global Climate Letter. Iain Patton, CEO at EAUC, said: "As the alliance for sustainability leadership in education, the...

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  University of Leeds commits to bold climate crisis action – 17th September 2019

  The University of Leeds has fully divested from significant fossil fuel extractors and has set out seven bold principles it will adopt to help tackle the climate crisis. The principles have been approved by the University’s governing body, its Council, and outline the ambitious steps the Un...

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  Scottish Circular Economy Bill much needed – 5th September 2019

  A cross-sectoral coalition of organisations has been launched, calling for an ambitious and comprehensive Circular Economy Bill. The coalition of over 30 organisations is led by Scottish Environment LINK and includes Friends of the Earth Scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Marine Conservation Soci...

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  EAUC calls on universities and colleges to support local authorities – 3rd September 2019

  This week, lawyers from ClientEarth are putting 100 local authorities across England on notice, warning them that they will violate their legal obligations and risk legal challenge if they do not introduce proper climate change plans. EAUC is calling on universities to lobby their local authoriti...

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  University of Sussex declares climate emergency – 21st August 2019

  The University of Sussex has joined organisations around the world in declaring a climate emergency with Vice-Chancellor Adam Tickell stating that "unless the higher education sector works together to address the problem at every possible juncture, we will be failing the young people who turn to us ...

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  Goldsmiths pledges action on climate emergency – 14th August 2019

  Beef burgers and bottled water will be consigned to history on the Goldsmiths, University of London campus from the start of the new academic year next month. The changes come as part of a major drive to cut carbon use across Goldsmiths as the College joins other universities and institutions in ...

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  Christ Church Declares Climate Emergency – 12th August 2019

  Around 7,000 other networks of higher and further education institutions from across six continents have signed a letter to take action against the growing threat of climate change.  The letter, organised by EAUC - The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education, which includes a three-po...

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  Earth Overshoot Day - what can institutions do? – 29th July 2019

  Today is Earth Overshoot Day – Today marks the date when humanity’s annual demand on nature exceeds what Earth’s ecosystems can regenerate in that year according to Global Footprint Network, an international sustainability organisation that has pioneered the Ecological Footprint. T...

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  EAUC Board Member Eunice Simmons appointed Vice Chancellor at University of Chester – 25th July 2019

  EAUC board member Eunice Simmons has been appointed Vice-Chancellor of University of Chester from January 2020.  Professor Simmons is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Nottingham Trent University (NTU), where she leads the Academic and Student Affairs directorate, encompassing the student j...

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  Gove gives update on Environment Bill and plastics consultations – 23rd July 2019

  Michael Gove has today (Tuesday 23 July) provided an update on progress towards the introduction of the landmark Environment Bill. In the online summer policy update, it says: "Faced with the unprecedented decline of our natural environment, science clearly shows that tackling biodiversity loss, cl...

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  'If not now, when?' - Government urged to step up action against climate and environmental – 16th July 2019

  EAUC CEO Iain Patton has signed a letter urging the next Prime Minister to push for a bigger and faster political response on the climate and environmental crises.   The letter was sent to Conservative Party leader contenders Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, as well as the two Liberal Democrat party...

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  Governments Voluntary National Review casts doubt on its commitment to the SDGs – 16th July 2019

  The International Development Committee (IDC) has identified serious failings in the preparation and presentation of UK’s first Voluntary National Review of progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. You can read the full report here. The UK VNR is being presented at the...

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  University of Plymouth declares a climate emergency – 10th July 2019

  The University of Plymouth has declared a climate emergency, joining an international movement aimed at taking action on climate change. The move, supporting a call by EAUC – The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education, reaffirms the University’s position as a global leade...

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  Higher and Further Education Institutions across the globe declare Climate Emergency – 10th July 2019

  New York, 10 July 2019 - Today, networks representing more than 7,000 higher and further education institutions from 6 continents announced that they are declaring a Climate Emergency, and agreed to undertake a three-point plan to address the crisis through their work with students. The three-poi...

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  SDG Accord Report 2019 – 9th July 2019

  A new SDG report finds student Climate Change protests are pushing Climate Action up the agenda of universities and colleges across the world. The second SDG Accord report, ‘Progress towards the Global Goals in the University and College sector’, is being launched today (Wednesday, 10...

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  EAUC Scotland Conference Launch – 8th July 2019

  We are very excited to announce that the EAUC-Scotland Conference 2019 will take place at The Lighthouse in Glasgow on Tuesday 26th November 2019. The theme will be the Elephants in the Room. This topic builds on our last conference where we set visions and actions for the decade ahead - view the...

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  Influence! 2019 - A conference to remember – 7th July 2019

  This year, the EAUC 23rd Annual Conference was held at the University of Manchester on the 18th-20th June. Its theme, ‘Influence’, comes at a time when sustainability issues are increasingly at the forefront of mainstream media, following scientific research publications outlining immine...

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