News
EAUC announces launch of new Climate Commission
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 mem...
Posted on 21 October 2019
The Environment Bill - progress and loopholes
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...
Posted on 17 October 2019
Boosting sustainability and wellbeing
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...
Posted on 16 October 2019
Discover Teach the Future
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...
Posted on 16 October 2019
Government outlines review of education emissions reduction targets
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...
Posted on 15 October 2019
The Environment Bill - what are we looking for?
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...
Posted on 15 October 2019
Environmenstrual week highlights sanitary plastic issue
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...
Posted on 14 October 2019
New report outlines behaviour change needed for Net Zero
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 ...
Posted on 14 October 2019
Implementing the SDGs at Higher Education Institutions Challenges and Responses
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 ...
Posted on 10 October 2019
Enter the EAUC Annual Conference 2020 Climate Image Competition
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&nb...
Posted on 8 October 2019
£50m green energy net zero deal from UK universities
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...
Posted on 7 October 2019
Advice for students - how to become food savvy at uni
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...
Posted on 7 October 2019
Climate Crisis is the Mega Challenge and Opportunity facing the Education Sector
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...
Posted on 2 October 2019
University of Warwick Climate Emergency Declaration
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...
Posted on 30 September 2019
Adapting to a Changing Climate - New Resources Launched
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...
Posted on 30 September 2019
University of Winchester declares climate emergency
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 th...
Posted on 24 September 2019
University of St Andrews signs SDG Accord and commits to slashing carbon footprint
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 sa...
Posted on 24 September 2019
UKSSD publishes Scorecard of UK Voluntary National Review
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...
Posted on 23 September 2019
EAUC calls on universities and colleges to let staff and students strike
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...
Posted on 19 September 2019
University of Leeds commits to bold climate crisis action
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 st...
Posted on 17 September 2019
Scottish Circular Economy Bill much needed
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...
Posted on 5 September 2019
EAUC calls on universities and colleges to support local authorities
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...
Posted on 3 September 2019
University of Sussex declares climate emergency
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 t...
Posted on 21 August 2019
Goldsmiths pledges action on climate emergency
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 ...
Posted on 14 August 2019
Christ Church Declares Climate Emergency
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 thr...
Posted on 12 August 2019
Earth Overshoot Day - what can institutions do?
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...
Posted on 29 July 2019
EAUC Board Member Eunice Simmons appointed Vice Chancellor at University of Chester
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 stud...
Posted on 25 July 2019
Gove gives update on Environment Bill and plastics consultations
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 biodiversit...
Posted on 23 July 2019
'If not now, when?' - Government urged to step up action against climate and environmental
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 ...
Posted on 16 July 2019
Governments Voluntary National Review casts doubt on its commitment to the SDGs
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...
Posted on 16 July 2019
University of Plymouth declares a climate emergency
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...
Posted on 10 July 2019
Higher and Further Education Institutions across the globe declare Climate Emergency
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...
Posted on 10 July 2019
SDG Accord Report 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 (Wed...
Posted on 9 July 2019
EAUC Scotland Conference Launch
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...
Posted on 8 July 2019
Influence! 2019 - A conference to remember
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...
Posted on 7 July 2019
Green Gown Awards UK & Ireland 2019 Finalists
We are proud to announce this year's Green Gown Awards UK & Ireland Finalists. After a tough judging session, the applicants have been whittled down to 101 finalists across 14 categories. This year’s UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards’ Finalists, representing over 1 million ...
Posted on 4 July 2019
‘Trash fish’, gluten free rooms and shared accommodation found by TUCO at California’s top uni
Following a successful USA study tour, members of The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO) are set to implement a series of global learnings into UK universities. The TUCO ‘Residence Life at California’s Top Universities’ study tour was organised by the award-winning TUCO Acade...
Posted on 3 July 2019
Scottish Government launch Vision 2030 Plus Action Plan
A new Learning for Sustainability Action Plan sets out how the Scottish Government will implement the recommendations of the Vision 2030+ Report over the next 3-5 years. The Action Plan ‘aims to act as a catalyst to support the increased prevalence of L...
Posted on 27 June 2019
UK’s Voluntary National Review of the Sustainable Development Goals
The UK’s Voluntary National Review of the Sustainable Development Goals has been published, and features an assessment of how well the UK has done so far in tackling the Sustainable Development Goals. The Goals are part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. All...
Posted on 27 June 2019
Share your views on the merits of accreditation programs for sustainability
Some institutions choose to join programs such as EcoCampus to provide a level of recognition for their sustainability work. This student survey is being used for a dissertation project to capture what motivates some to take this route – and as interestingly, why others do not. Members of...
Posted on 27 June 2019
Sustainability Leadership Scorecard Report
Sustainability: our sector’s current best chance of responding to the urgent demands of climate science – new report A cross-sector partnership advocating for a more urgent and more co-ordinated approach to sustainability in our universities and colleges is today reporting on th...
Posted on 26 June 2019
Scientists show how discarded cola bottles can create purified drinking water
Contaminated water can be purified for drinking using just three empty plastic bottles thanks to new research by Nottingham Trent University. A project led by Professor Amin Al-Habaibeh – an expert in intelligent engineering systems - will allow people in developing countries to clean...
Posted on 25 June 2019
How do people feel about sustainability?
The Survey We want to find out how people are feeling about sustainability, both as a wider subject, and in relation to their personal lives. So we’ve brought out a survey that asks children, young people, and adults what they think. We ask that you please take the time to fill out this sur...
Posted on 13 June 2019
EAUC signs world-leading government pledge to help halve food waste
EAUC, alongside big-hitters from the world of food and sustainability including Aldi, Asda, Café Nero, Co-op, Costa, FDF, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, Starbucks, Tesco, M&S, Morrisons, Nestlé, Ocado, UK Hospitality, Unilever, WWF and Waitrose have signed a pledge committing to help hal...
Posted on 13 June 2019
New funding for local climate change projects announced
Funding of up to £75,000 to support local climate action in the UK has been announced by the Place-Based Climate Action Network (PCAN). Proposals are invited for the first round of the PCAN Fund, backed by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which will support up to six project...
Posted on 12 June 2019
Key leadership skills that advance the career of sustainability professionals
A new cohort of sustainability professionals have developed skills and knowledge they need to deliver change in their organisations through the Emerging Leaders Programme 2018 - 2019 that was concluded this month. The five day sessions provided the chance for delegates to share experien...
Posted on 12 June 2019
Climate Change Letter: Raising a flag for the Climate Emergency
In advance of the Secretary General’s Climate Summit on September 23, networks and institutions working in further and higher education are coming together to add their support to this letter and raise the flag of concern around the "climate emergency" which is being r...
Posted on 10 June 2019
Announcing the 2019 International Green Gown Awards Finalists
We are delighted to reveal the finalists of the 2019 International Green Gown Awards. The winners will be announced on 10th July 2019 in New York as part of the United Nations High Level Political Forum. Find out more about the Awards Ceremony. The International Green Gown Awards are endo...
Posted on 31 May 2019
EAUC Pledge to Step Up To The Plate
In May 2019 Ben Elliot, the Government’s Food Surplus and Waste Champion hosted a major symposium - ‘Step up to the Plate’ - at London’s prestigious V&A Museum. Major players from the worlds of food retail and hospitality, along with social media influencers and wel...
Posted on 30 May 2019
World Environment Day 2019
For this year’s World Environment Day, UN Environment will be calling on everyone, everywhere to come together to Beat Air Pollution, which is now the biggest public health crisis on the planet. We want to work with our partners in education and youth to take this message into the classroom...
Posted on 30 May 2019
