News

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  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 ...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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 ...

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  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...

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  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...

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  ​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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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...

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   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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  £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...

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  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...

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  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. ...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  ​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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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 ...

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  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...

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  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 ...

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  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...

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  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...

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  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...

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  A world first: UK food industry commits to a landmark roadmap to halve food waste – 25th September 2018

  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...

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  Salix Finance announces dates and locations for 2018 Colleges workshops – 24th September 2018

  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 -...

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  University College Cork Plastic Free Restaurant – 19th September 2018

  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...

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  EAUC launches new SDG webinar series – 18th September 2018

  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...

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  UK must accelerate transition to zero emission vehicles – 13th September 2018

  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 ...

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  Rootability launches new online Green Office course – 10th September 2018

  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...

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  Universities adding value to society, economy and environment – 4th September 2018

  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 ...

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  Collaborative Awards for Teaching Excellence Winners – 3rd September 2018

  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...

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  Two news reports from NUS reveal continued student demand for sustainability – 3rd September 2018

  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 ...

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  Impressive increase in sustainable and wellbeing behaviours at University of Strathclyde – 30th August 2018

  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...

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  ​The hunt is on for the best student business ideas – 30th August 2018

  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 ...

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  Edinburgh Napier University support Turing Trust project in Malawi – 27th August 2018

  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...

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  University of Leeds Annual Sustainability Report highlights major progress – 21st August 2018

  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...

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  University warns of long-term effects of UK heatwave – 20th August 2018

  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...

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