Blogs

Campuses’ catering facilities are frequently the hub of the students’ social community and exist as a place for rest and nourishment. So many young people are advocating for their college to extend its sustainability action to the menus and facilities on offer.

Although there is a growing evidence base around environmental sustainability in health and social care, there are many unanswered questions. This theme links strongly to the two-way relationship that care and environment share, and taking a sustainable approach to health should deliver equitable outcomes and engage all people.

To tackle the lack of clarity as to where these skills sit within career paths for young people, many colleges are making real efforts to upskill not only students, but their staff too.

Does the digital world fit into the sustainability agenda? Are new technologies important in driving a college's positive impact?

Colleges Week is a time of celebration and appreciation for the invaluable role that further education institutions play in our society. Today's theme is Construction, so who are we featuring?

Borders College, Forth Valley College, West Lothian College and EAUC have collaborated on an award-nominated shared-services model that has helped each college increase its own dedicated sustainability resource, whilst taking collaboration and sector sustainability learning to new level.

We can no longer ignore the facts about climate change but how we communicate them matters

Shipley College was the first college in the world to sign the SDG Accord in 2017 – what an achievement for a small FE College in West Yorkshire! But what do the UN SDGs mean mean for a small FE institution?

As a Fairtrade accredited university since 2011, the University of Greenwich will host its annual Ethical Food and Fairtrade Fortnight (EFFF), which helps to raise awareness of the sustainability impacts of food and what we as individuals and as an institution can do to help people make better choices.

A timely article released on holocaust Memorial Day 2023, Paul Vare ponders how we are all in danger of perpetrating outrageous acts simply by going with the flow. if we are not directing our energies towards stimulating a regenerative way of life and using our positions to work proactively against potential global calamity, are we any better than Eichmann?

Higher and further education providers urgently need to get better at measuring and reporting their carbon footprint. EAUC interim chief executive Fiona Goodwin introduces a new standardised carbon emissions framework.

Many universities and colleges may have experienced limited student travel over the past few years but with international experiences an important component of any education, we must consider how these experiences play a part in sustainability education for both staff and students. Gemma Hall, Brand Manager at StudyLink Tours, shares insights into how group travel can be both greener and slower.

Shakespeare Martineau wished to understand what challenges and barriers stop or stall institutions from becoming a green campus and what, if any, influence campus sustainability has on the prospective students. In their recent Building a Green Campus – what’s stopping institutions report, those very barriers which inhibit institutional progress towards more environmentally-sound spaces are discussed. Smita Jamdar, Head of Education at Shakespeare Martineau, tells us more.

In this case study from the University of Dundee, we hear from Institutional Lead for Period Power Sharon Sweeny and Environment, Sustainability and Waste Manager Trudy Cunningham about the work they have done to ensure provision of recycled and reusable sanitary products on campus.

Niamh Guiry, PhD Researcher at University College Cork, delves into the importance of ESD, embedding the UN SDGs, and bridging staff and student perspectives to decrease demoralisation in the face to climate change. Despite the struggles, Niamh believes that there is cause for hope.

David Duncan, of the University of Glasgow, describes the major challenge for universities when embarking on off-setting reliably, and why Joining the Carbon Coalition gives universities a route to achieving net zero carbon by 2030.

By Fiona Goodwin, EAUC CEO (Interim). Sustainability and caring for the environment are becoming top agenda items for universities and colleges alike, although the approach to tackling these challenges varies across the sector.

By Hayley Bristow, Programme Manager at Salix Finance. Universities and colleges across England are working with Salix Finance to decarbonise their estates and meet Net Zero targets. Read the progress update on their schemes.

Betsy King, LFS Scotland, and Lucy Patterson, EAUC Scotland, discuss the importance of the newly developed 'Introducing Action for Sustainability' course for all college staff.