The inaugural ENDS Power List names the 100 UK environmental professionals who have made the greatest impact in the past two years – as nominated by their colleagues, clients and competitors
University of Essex: COVID19 and climate emergency workshop in the University of Essex
The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) was held in Glasgow from 31 October to 13 November 2021. Called COP26, it was hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy.
Three weeks before COP26, on 7 October 2021, the Centre for Environment and Society (CES) of the University of Essex held an online workshop, titled “Challenges and opportunities of COVID19 on climate emergency initiatives: from the perspective of the net-Zero-carbon emissions policy”.
There were three guest speakers from three countries. Professor Jim Longhurst, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Environment and Sustainability at the University of West England, Bristol (from England); Jane Davidson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Emeritus at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (from Wales); and Mr Olumide Idowu, Co-Founder/CEO of the International Climate Change Development Initiative (ICCDI) Africa (from Nigeria).
Moderated by Dr Jane Hindley, the University of Essex, the full programme ran for 2 hours.
Intergenerational Foundation: Education post-COVID – a life or death decision?
COVID-19 has placed education at high risk around the world. In Wales, the way forward is guided by Well-being of Future Generations Act of 2015. Jane Davidson, Pro Vice-Chancellor Emeritus at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, was a leading architect of that groundbreaking legislation when, from 2007 to 2011, she was Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing in Wales. Her book #futuregen: lessons from a small country was published last month.
On 4 June 2020, I published my first book, #futuregen: lessons from a small country, which tells the story of why Wales was the first country in the world to enshrine the Sustainable Development Goals and the Brundtland definition of sustainable development into law with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act in 2015.
The book was due to be published at the internationally renowned Hay Festival, a feast of literary talks and events which attract annual audiences of over 250,000 people to the tiny Welsh market town nestled on the banks of the River Wye. And all those plans changed with COVID. The peace and tranquillity of our small country was shattered by an invisible killer, stalking our lives – and our way of life.
Community spirit
Living where I do, close to the coast in rural Wales, our experience of COVID in the early weeks was linked to shortages – flour, toilet paper, food staples – that somehow never got beyond the cities to those of us living on the edge.
But almost instantly, the kindness of strangers and the strength of the local community stepped in: when I was sick, it was young local volunteers who picked up my medicine, and wonderful fresh food was delivered by local growers and producers. Our local miller rose to the flour challenge and now supplies all the local shops.
A community Facebook group was set up to brief people on issues relating to the virus and Welsh Government rules – different and more cautious than England – and a companion group was set up focused on highlighting positivity in these turbulent times.
Across Wales and the UK, we entered the sudden realisation that it was the NHS and other care workers, the food producers, the volunteers, the bin collectors, the van deliverers who kept us safe in the face of the threat.
Ever the optimist, I wrote in a preface to my book, “In the interests of future generations, when this threat is over, there will be an opportunity to capitalise on our rediscovered kindness and sense of society, to celebrate the importance of nature, to build on our increased virtual engagement to act on that other silent killer – climate change – for the benefit of current and future generations.”
Danger ahead
Last week, I read the UNESCO International Commission on the Futures of Education’s report, Education in a post-COVID World: Nine ideas for Public Action, and I realised that my optimistic vision needed some real underpinning action to stop the opposite happening.
Many of us have used the lockdown as a time for reflection and networking, garnering a green collective vision on how responsible governments could respond to the COVID global crisis and #buildbackbetter, #resettheneedle, introduce a #greennewdeal – anything that might stop a return to the fossil fuel economies we need to extinguish.
But the reality for those not in our privileged position is that all governments will now be turbo-charged in the interest of getting people back to work at all costs – and off the government payroll. Businesses will go under, millions of jobs as well as lives will be lost which potentially could create a savage rip through access to opportunity for the poorest and most unequal societies in the world, driving down wages, increasing exploitative labour practices and plunging millions more into poverty while the disease still has us all in its sights.
The risks to education
It is looking increasingly likely that one of the biggest losses might be the withdrawal of educational opportunities to the next generation.
In the introduction to the Commission’s work, the Chair – Her Excellency Sahle-Work Zewde, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia – makes a very powerful point: “There is a serious risk that COVID-19 will wipe out several decades of progress – most notably the progress that has been made in addressing poverty and gender equality…This is not something we should accept; we must do everything in our power to prevent it. COVID-19 has the potential to radically reshape our world, but we must not passively sit back and observe what plays out. Now is the time for public deliberation and democratic accountability. Now is the time for intelligent collective action.”
So what does intelligent collective action look like? I’m writing this on the day that Wales’s schoolchildren started going back to school for the first time since the lockdown started on 23 March 2020. Currently, Wales is the only part of the UK where all children are re-commencing their schooling in an organised fashion, but not as they know it. The nature of our weather and the age of our school buildings means that some schools will only be able to have 20% of their pupils in at any one time to avoid spreading the disease further.
Although the intention is that all children will have been assessed by teachers before the end of the summer term in mid-July, we are seeing huge variations between those whose parents are actively educating them at home, those who are children of key workers and therefore are still in school, and those who have had no educational input from family or state and are at increasing risk of being left behind.
We don’t know what public examinations will look like. We don’t know what university entrance will look like. We don’t know if young people will want to go to university this year without the physical experience; we don’t know if they will be able to go to college – and we don’t know who has been lost in the wake of this unequal disease.
But we do know that this has to be the time for action, for public deliberation and democratic accountability to ensure that those hard-won educational gains across the globe in taking people out of poverty, of improving girls’ educational chances, of moving towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are not lost – because it literally could be the difference between life and death.
Meeting the crisis
It’s extraordinary how quickly systems we take for granted can break down if they are not fit for purpose. It is equally extraordinary how adaptable and imaginative we can be in response.
If I had launched my book at the physical Hay Festival, I would perhaps have had an audience of 200 people; by participating in two digital events at Hay and three others in the launch week, my global audience was nearer 10,000.
I have spent most of my adult life trying to increase chances for future generations – as a teacher, youth worker, anti-poverty campaigner, mum, education minister, environment minister, university practitioner – each time, I hope, contributing in a small way to the solution rather than the problem.
But for it to break down as it has, so quickly and in so many countries? How can it be that a system of such profound importance to the life chances of the young of the world can be so flimsy? Is it because the “education” itself that young people are receiving is itself not fit for purpose? Neither in content nor process?
I hope that the messages from the Commission on the necessity of the provision of access to and funding for public education are heard. There is one recommendation in particular that speaks to my soul, and in my view would cut through the core of the problem, and that is about trust and good practice. “The Commission calls on everyone with educational responsibilities, from government officials to teachers to parents, to prioritize the participation of students and young people broadly in order to co-construct with them the change they wish to see.” As goes the adage, “nothing about us without us”.
Legislating for the Well-being of Future Generations
In Wales, the only country in the world with a Well-being of Future Generations Act, the law requires the Welsh Government and all its public services to deliver on seven goals aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals, and to prioritise five ways of working: to think preventatively, long term, collaboratively, in an integrated way and to involve those affected in the decisions.
All schools have pupil councils and most are eco-schools. There is an active youth parliament, a Children’s Commissioner and a Future Generations’ Commissioner who has set up a young leaders’ academy.
The new curriculum which will be in place by 2022 is predicated on building resilience, on areas of learning rather than subjects. Its development has been influenced by young people and it is designed to adapt as necessary.
It takes 15 years to change a curriculum in the UK from nursery entry at the age of three to a university entrant at the age of 18. We still operate to a 19th-century agrarian calendar in deciding when we take holidays. Yet there are no absolute laws that govern these processes, only conventions – and COVID has cut through those.
Without a Well-being of Future Generations Act it would be harder to focus on the needs of future generations when the pressure from current ones will be so great. But if countries do respond to the challenge set by UNESCO that “Now is the time for public deliberation and democratic accountability. Now is the time for intelligent collective action” , let’s make that collective action a global push to protect young people’s rights to education on a healthy planet – and help them educate us of the importance of delivering such an outcome.
There is no better adage than “do unto future generations what you would have had past generations do unto you” (John Rawls). There is no better time than now to demonstrate that education is the most effective tool to deliver.
Winner of 2015 Green Gown Awards Leadership Award
Dr Jane Davidson established INSPIRE in 2012 to lead a system-based approach throughout UWTSD to deliver educational pathways promoting learning, environmental and social responsibility meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Through INSPIRE, the whole university’s operations are now subject to Key Performance Indicators to measure progress on changing its culture, campuses, curriculum and its relationships with communities.
Prior to establishing INSPIRE in 2012, UWTSD had no previous history of involvement in sustainability. Now, three years on, INSPIRE has won the Guardian Award for Sustainability in HE in 2013, the Soil Association Gold Catering Mark for its support for local producers in 2014 – and in 2015, UWTSD rose from 113th in the UK and a 3rd class degree, to a 1st class degree and 8th in UK and 1st in Wales in the People and Planet University League.
Top 3 learnings
1 There needs to be university wide commitment from the governors, staff and students to effect systemic change
2 There need to be metrics to measure the success of the initiative that work within the culture of the university and enable regular reporting at key meetings e.g. Senate, University Council, Senior Directorate and Senior Management Team
3 There need to be opportunities for staff and students to re-interpret the commitments in their own discipline settings.
To ‘LIFE, THE UNIVERSITY AND EVERYTHING’ how should universities educate for a constrained future?'
What are the challenges and opportunities in embedding sustainability throughout a university in relation to the institution’s culture, campus, curriculum and the relationship with the wider community? How do we on the one hand ensure that universities have the appropriate structures to embed futures thinking in everything they do – while still satisfying all the other pressures: REF, discipline benchmarks, QAA etc and, on the other hand, how does such an institutional commitment translate itself into winning hearts and minds to new ways of working among staff, students and employers? I would argue that there must be fundamental principles and systems in place to ensure success.
For the purposes of looking at a systemic approach to embedding any strategic aim into a university’s culture, I will use the word ‘sustainability’ as a shorthand for a commitment to building in future-proofing, systems thinking, creative problem solving, self-awareness/open-mindedness towards difference, understanding of global issues/power relationships and optimism and action for a better world – i.e. the skills and graduate attributes needed for a constrained future and the role universities should play in that.
Moving expectations of the role of an education system is a long job. Employers recognise excellence of knowledge acquisition and potential in university graduates, but rarely question the content of undergraduate courses, despite the prevailing narrative from business organisations that students do not come into employment with the right skills. Even very large employers don’t generally use their influence to work with universities to define appropriate graduate attributes for those seeking employment in a constrained world. Yet those same businesses are acutely aware of the shifting contexts of climate change, resource depletion, globalisation, insecure energy sources and unstable fiscal mechanisms. A student who has been encouraged to think critically about these issues within and beyond their discipline, has experience of working in an intra-disciplinary team and has developed values about social justice, diversity and human rights is far better placed to explore creative solutions than one who has had no such challenges. Universities have a fundamentally important role in addressing the deficit in the statutory education system which is largely focused on depth rather than breadth.
Thinking sustainably is often seen as a difficult concept, and one where people often feel powerless and frustrated individually when they see governments and others acting in what they perceive as unsustainable ways. If you interpret sustainable thinking as a process leading to better resource management and better long term decisions, there is a very important role for universities to reduce their own negative impacts and lead by example. Through joint HEA/NUS longitudinal research, we have a 4 year evidence base to show first year students consistently demonstrating that they see an important role for universities in developing sustainability skills and want their institutions to practice what they preach. In universities, the sustainability agenda often starts with Estates Management staff because there are real savings to be had by better carbon, energy, water, waste and environmental resource management systems. The process of thinking about the issues in a whole life-cycle way leads to new and creative opportunities. But there is still often a dislocation between action at the estate level and not engaging similarly with curriculum opportunities. . What is important, for universities which promote sustainability actively, is that they can demonstrate such values across all aspects of their delivery.
Our experience in the University of Wales Trinity Saint David of embedding sustainability throughout the university has used Prof Stephen Sterling’s ‘Future Fit’ framework published by the HEA. Our drivers to encourage our University Council to support the sustainability agenda were many. Among them were the opportunity to create a USP for a new multi-campus dual-sector university; employers’ demands for sustainability skills (creative problem solving/active citizenship);students’ expectations (NUS/HEA studies); research funding opportunities and the ‘Wellbeing of Future Generations’ Bill’ expected to pass into law in 2015. The Bill will legislate to make ‘sustainable development’ the central organising principle of the Welsh Government and public bodies in Wales and create an independent sustainable development body for Wales (a Commissioner for Sustainable Futures). We wanted to take this principle and demonstrate that making sustainability a core value to frame the development of the new university would have positive outcomes for all.
This was not without its challenges however. We needed staff buy-in, management buy-in, governors’ buy-in, student buy-in, community buy in and we needed to show on our campuses that we are serious about the agenda. We started by creating a Sustainability Skills Survey to understanding our staff skills, expertise and experience, identify champions and give us an indication of what capacity building was needed. Asking staff for their views on how the University should take this agenda forward gave us the opportunity to create a bottom up approach and quantitative and qualitative data on how to use our staff resources to best effect.
Alongside this work, the University also rewrote its strategic plan; Transforming Education, Transforming Lives’. This defined our high level ambitions including Sustainable Development and led to the concept of the University providing to all its students ‘An ‘Inspired’ Education’ to ensure that our graduates are fit for the future and that their professional practice is sustainable for generations to come." Prof Medwin Hughes, Vice-Chancellor. However, the governors in particular were keen to see that this was not simply rhetoric but would be delivered as part pf a coherent approach across the university. 4 key performance indicators were established for 2014-2015
• Improve our classification in the People and Planet Green League.
• Embed Faculty sustainability plans throughout the academic and support structures
• Complete curriculum audits and develop the curriculum with regard to sustainability
• Maximise research, project and consultancy income related to sustainability
The University also revisited its graduate attributes adding in:
• Active Citizenship: able to appreciate the importance of environmental, social and political contexts to their studies;
• Creative Problem Solving: able to think creatively, holistically, and systemically and make critical judgements on issues;
Now, with faculty plans in place which are monitored regularly, the first curriculum audits across all faculties completed last year, validation procedures that fully reflect the strategic commitment to sustainability; sustainability requirements incorporated into staff development and job descriptions; regular meetings with Deans, Heads of School, Sustainability Link Contacts in all departments and INSPIRE student interns, we can say that the University is at the starting blocks. Delighted as we were that we rose from 113th to 8th in the UK and 1st in Wales in the People and Planet University League in 2015, we know that this is the beginning. For this agenda to work across the University, staff and students need to see how it enhances their student experience and improves their employability.
One of the desired outcomes of promoting sustainability through the university must be to encourage staff and students to also live more sustainably in their own lives for example taking the ecological footprint test: http://www.bestfootforward.com/resources/ecological-footprint/ or http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ While not arguing that the ecological footprint is anything more than a proxy indicator, what it does for people who are starting on this agenda is enable them to see quickly and clearly how their personal decisions in relation to housing including energy (25%),food (20%), transport (18%) and stuff (37%) impact on their scores. Those people who think recycling their own waste can replace driving gas guzzling cars, taking regular flights or consumerism will have a rude awakening if they respond to the tool honestly and will find they are using upwards of three planets to support their lifestyle instead of the one we have available to us.
If we are going to do our job properly as educators of the next generation, we need to make sure that the curriculum is fit for purposes and as relevant as possible, recognising the challenges of our age. Education for a more sustainable future is about ensuring that students leave university with in depth knowledge from their discipline and an approach to life that is adaptable, resilient and questioning. In the Faculty of Humanities in the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, our second year undergraduate students learn about research skills through a sustainability lens and engage in inter-disciplinary work on an intra-faculty basis to report outcomes through a student conference. How much more exciting, challenging and relevant than a more traditional method of learning? If we take this philosophy and apply it across all that we do in universities, we will educate the next generations’ leaders to be more socially and economically responsible and have greater regard to environmental limits. And in the words of the experts:
• “If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always had” Mark Twain
• “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change” Charles Darwin
• “Do unto future generations what you would have past generations do unto you” John Rawls
Thinking Sustainably – Educating to Think Differently
Article for Resurgence Magazine
How can thinking sustainably benefit children and adults in an uncertain world? Can a constitutional duty for a government to ‘have regard to sustainable development’, such as has existed uniquely in Wales since 1999, enable a nation to think and plan differently? Should we educate the next generation to become creative problem solvers and active citizens? The answer for me is not only a resounding ‘yes’ to all three questions, but needs to become a rallying cry for action across the world.
In ‘Our Common Future’ 1987, the World Commission on the Environment and Development, chaired by Dr Gro Brundtland, sustainable development is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. This definition works for me with its clear call to governments and societies to think longer term, whilst also reflecting on the actions being taken across the globe that put this concept in peril.
Acting more sustainably is as much about social justice as about the state of the planet. It is about ensuring individual and community well-being and a better quality of life. It is about making better decisions for the longer term rather than short term ‘quick fixes’. It is about balancing the needs of the present and the needs of the future. It is about meeting economic and social needs within environmental limits. It is about recognising the impacts of today's actions on future generations and protecting and enhancing the natural environment. It is about making sure that the children of today are better educated to face the challenges of tomorrow.
Wouldn’t we all benefit from living in societies which were more careful, more resourceful, more respectful, more forward thinking? Such values have driven more equal societies for generations. When we do ask people their views, we get surprising results! In a poll undertaken by IPSOS Mori in 2011, 64% thought the needs of future generations were more important than the needs of any particular generation such as their own or their children’s. 46% (the largest group) indicated that a healthy planet is the most important legacy to hand on to future generations; 67% thought the UK Government has failed to consider future generations enough in the decisions it makes today. In another poll, run by the National Union of Students and the Higher Education Academy over 3 years from 2011-2013, more than 80% of students believe that sustainable development should be actively promoted and incorporated by UK universities.
Are we seeing transformational change in government or the education sector to reflect these findings? Generally, no, although there are green shoots appearing. Wales has taken a bold step with its Future Generations Bill in 2014, an attempt to inspire a nation to think and live differently. My university has embedded sustainability into every student’s experience from the October 2013 intake, knowing that sustainability skills make our graduates more attractive to employers. We are all witnessing with increasing frequency the climactic responses to our previously unsustainable behaviour. It is time for us to pay our debt to the next generation.
An important step in this process is to educate our young people on the importance of living sustainably. Sustainable development is more than a theory; it requires a change in attitudes and, more importantly, behaviours. Encouraging behaviour change is challenging, but the prospects of success are greater if the messaging is delivered in an environment that places sustainable practice at its core – and, if possible in these hard times, to identify a financial benefit.
One way of doing this is to consider measures to reduce impact on the environment, starting with its carbon footprint. The 2008 Climate Change Act requires the UK to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 34% below 1990 levels by 2020 and by at least 80% by 2050. Around 2% of UK greenhouse gas emissions come from schools - equivalent to 15% of the country’s public sector emissions. Introducing measures to reduce energy consumption can save schools significant amounts of money. According to the Department for Education and Skills in Wales, the average cost of energy per school is £27,000, although secondary schools can have bills of over £80,000 – double the amount spent four years ago. Case study evidence suggests that an average secondary school could save up to 20% of its energy bills through replacement of heating, lighting and cooling equipment.
So, if thinking sustainably has both environmental and economic benefits, why is it so hard to persuade others to see its value? Introducing such measures seems straightforward in principle, but time and time again, research demonstrates that the effective integration of sustainable practice requires an organisation-wide commitment to working together so clear intentions can be communicated appropriately. Without that, there is a danger that at best, there is insufficient buy in, and at worst, active non-cooperation. Creating a sustainable future requires a team effort and a consistent message whether that is at country level, county level or organisation level.
If we want the learners of the future to have particular attributes such as being active citizens – able to appreciate the importance of environmental, social and political contexts to their studies – and creative problem solvers – able to think creatively, holistically, and systemically and make critical judgements on issues – then we have to change the way we teach and the outcomes we expect.
Research has shown that a sustainable school raises standards and the well-being of its pupils. A sustainable school engages its young people in their learning, which enhances their behaviour and promotes healthy school environments and lifestyles. A sustainable school prepares its pupils for real life challenges.
At the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, where I lead on sustainability through INSPIRE, the virtual Institute for Sustainable Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness, we are clear that a sustainable university will realise the same benefits; as educators of the next generation’s leaders, we need to ‘future-proof’ what we do to create discerning, responsible, creative problem solvers. Taking the necessary steps to embed sustainability at the heart of a university in a country with a similar commitment will, we hope, create new and exciting opportunities in Wales to tackle imaginatively unsustainable practices and ultimately lead to a more promising and secure future within a more socially just, healthy, prosperous and bio-diverse world.
Davidson calls for green education reform by Annie Reece, Resource Magazine
Article by Annie Reece in Resource Magazine
Former Environment and Sustainability Minister for Wales, Jane Davidson, has called for universities to consider embedding sustainability in all courses, claiming this is ‘vital’ for preparing students to meet future challenges.
Speaking at The University Caterers Organisation’s (TUCO) Annual Members Conference yesterday (23 July), Davidson said higher education should be creating more environment-focused places, and ensuring students are better equipped to deal with issues of climate change, resource scarcity and social inequality.
She said: “It’s a question for all of us who work in higher education; the role our institutions play in preparing our students for future challenges. Many people ask where does responsibility lie for making sustainable decisions… The big question is, when should the state intervene? But we should also look at how can universities contribute to creating more sustainable places, and preparing students for the challenges they will face.”
Regulation versus voluntarism
Universities in Wales will soon be legally required to address sustainability in their working decisions as part of the Welsh Government’s upcoming Future Generations Bill, set to be introduced in ‘summer 2014’.
Speaking to Resource about the role legislation can play in improving sustainability, Davidson said: “Regulation brings forward innovation - voluntarism will only get you so far. Each time you regulate, you create new opportunities and certainty for the future. Take, the recycling targets [which Davidson introduced], we were able to give local authorities the confidence to invest in the appropriate infrastructure for the future, and the absolute assurance that policy will not change. It gave the relevant bodies very clear instructions around the way they dealt with waste long-term.”
Davidson also pointed to the plastic bag charge [which she also helped implement] as a driver for creating positive action: “Retailers all had voluntary schemes to bring down carrier bag use, but not one of them had broken the 50 per cent mark in terms of reduction. There was no real feeling that the retailers were trying hard to reduce the use of bags, because it ran counter to their objective in terms of your shopping… I’m delighted that the regulation I introduced on carrier bags has seen dramatic falls in carrier bag use and brought much-needed income to charities and communities in Wales. I think it’s the only time that I’ve been called ‘bag lady’ and found it a compliment.”
Davidson added that she found it “hard to see why England is holding out against [similar] legislation that benefits localism, the environment and is very clearly popular in the other UK countries”.
University to put all courses through ‘sustainability lens’
Since leaving her government post, Davidson has been working to introduce sustainability into all courses at The University of Wales, Trinity Saint David.
As Director of the University’s new virtual body, the Institute for Sustainable Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness (INSPIRE), the former Minister is now responsible for overseeing and promoting the introduction of sustainability across all departments.
Commenting on this role, she said: “INSPIRE is a resource, an inspiration, a virtual place that students and staff can refer to, as well as a resource which can be accessed by other universities and colleges going on this sustainability journey to see our faculty sustainability plans and our sustainability surveys, and see how we are doing it.
“We want to take sustainability principles into the higher education sector, and we want to do it in the most open way possible.”
The main focus of INSPIRE has been ensuring that, from September 2013, all courses are taught through a ‘sustainability lens’: “We decided that whereas traditionally universities have placed emphasis on excellence in education, we also wanted to promote active citizenship… We have a job as educators to prepare students for the life they will lead beyond their education experience. In many cases its about opening the eyes of young people and preparing them for the challenges that they and their children will have to deal with. It’s important that they understand the nature of the challenges ahead of them, so we’re ensuring that every discipline is teaching their topics to the latest information and the latest big challenging questions for the future.”
To do this, all courses have been amended or rewritten to include sustainable angles: “Faculties have embedded sustainability as it is appropriate to them. Though we do also have sustainability modules as a whole too [one is called Paradise Lost and another Paradise Regained], more impressively, what staff have done is incorporate all the issues embedded in sustainable development and global citizenship into the way they teach their normal courses. It can be quite hard to affect change in the education system, but the staff were all quite excited by it.”
Students have also welcomed the new sustainability-led approach. One proposed initiative students have put forward to be more sustainable is creating a new café on the Lampeter campus that just sells locally-sourced food, after student research found that there was no café in the town that was doing it. “It’s this kind of forward thinking led by students that we are trying to encourage and promote”, said Davidson.
Aside from teaching sustainability in classes, the university will also be looking at implementing more sustainable practices on campus, after a survey of university staff found that though 55 per cent said they tried to be ethical and environmental at home, less than 40 per cent did it a work.
“We found we were not facilitating the values our staff have in trying to be ethically or environmentally-minded, so through the survey results we were able to prioritise where we could improve… We’re right at the beginning of this process, but we’re looking at energy policies, fair trade commitments, introducing allotments on campus, faculty sustainability plans and better integration between town and campus.”
INSPIRE won the Guardian’s 2013 University award for best sustainability project in February.
The TUCO 2013 Annual Members Conference is an annual members event for in-house caterers operating within the higher and further education sectors.
Held in Wales for the first time this year, the three-day conference (22-24 July) – based at the Treforest campus of the University of South Wales – has sustainability at the heart of its agenda, with the theme: ‘Green, green my campus now’.
Including an exhibition of catering foods, equipment and packaging, the conference also has a three-day speaker programme. Aside from Jane Davidson, this year’s keynote addresses include:
‘A Global Overview of Sustainability Challenges and Solutions - How the University Food Sector is Involved’, by Charles Secrett, environmental activist, and Head of Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland between 1993- 2001.
‘Benchmarking – An American perspective’, by Rich Neumann, Treasurer of The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS); and
‘The Role of Food and a Corporate Responsibility in Helping Lives’ by Rob Rees, The Cotswold Chef.
TUCO 2013 Annual Members Conference finishes today (24 July).
future perfect: Embedding a culture of sustainability in schools
Cultivating a culture of sustainability amongst tomorrow’s global citizens is more important now than ever before – and what we do in our schools is crucial, says Jane Davidson…
Cultivating a culture of sustainability amongst tomorrow’s global citizens is more important now than ever before – and what we do in our schools is crucial, says Jane Davidson…
“Creating a sustainable school requires a team effort and pupils must be invited to play an influential in this process…”
The understanding that sustainability could make an important difference to children’s services, education and wider wellbeing has led to the emergence of The National Framework for Sustainable Schools and a target set for all schools in England to become ‘sustainable schools’ by 2020. In Wales, where from the beginning of the National Assembly in 1999 there was a constitutional duty for the government to have regard to sustainable development, schools have been required as a statutory part of the Welsh curriculum to teach Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship since 2006. In both countries, there is a greater understanding of the importance of sustainability education in developing the skills sets we need for the future, educating young people to become creative problem solvers and active citizens in an uncertain world. In ‘Our Common Future’ 1987, the World Commission on the Environment and Development chaired by Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, then the Director General of the World Health Organisation, defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
This definition has been picked up worldwide, reflecting an increasing concern that actions are being taken across the globe that put this concept in peril. The idea of acting more sustainably has emerged in response to global concerns about social justice as well as the state of the planet. In particular, current concerns focus on the threat to human wellbeing presented by climate change at the same time as concerns remain about the integrity of ecosystems.
What is sustainable development? For me, sustainable development is about ensuring individual and community well-being and a better quality of life. It is about making better decisions for the longer term rather than short term ‘quick fixes’. It is about balancing the needs of the present and the needs of the future. It is about meeting economic and social needs whilst being fully aware that we only have one planet and we must recognise the environmental limits in which we live. It is about thinking about the impacts of today’s actions on future generations and protecting and enhancing the natural environment by learning to live within our environmental limits. It is about making sure that the children of today are better educated to face the challenges of tomorrow.
There is substantial public support for the sustainability agenda. In a general population poll undertaken by IPSOS Mori in November 2011, 64% thought the needs of future generations were more important than the needs of any particular generation such as their own or their children’s. 46% (the largest group) indicated that a healthy planet is the most important legacy to hand on to future generations; 67% thought the UK Government has failed to consider future generations enough in the decisions it makes today.
If we are to ensure a sustainable planet for future generations then it is essential that we all begin to look at the world through a ‘sustainability lens’. An important step in this process is to educate our young people on the importance of living sustainably. But how many of us in the education sector fully appreciate what it means to be sustainable? And how easy is it to cultivate a culture of sustainability within our school environments?
Creating a sustainable environment for learning
Sustainable development is more than a theory; it requires a change in attitudes and, more importantly, behaviours. As we know, encouraging behaviour change in young people can sometimes be a challenge, but the prospects of success are known to be enhanced if the messaging is delivered in a school environment that places sustainable practice at its core. One way of doing this is to consider measures to reduce your school’s impact on the environment, starting with its carbon footprint.
A carbon footprint is most commonly defined as the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organisation, event or product. It is labelled a carbon footprint as commonly the total GHG emissions are converted to CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions.
The 2008 Climate Change Act requires the UK to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 34% below 1990 levels by 2020 and by at least 80% by 2050. According to a UK Government Department of Education report, carbon emissions in the school sector arise from energy use in schools, procurement of goods and services by schools, and school travel. The report reveals that “schools account for around 2% of UK greenhouse gas emissions, roughly the same as all the energy and transport emissions of Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol combined. This is equivalent to 15% of the country’s public sector emissions.” Much is being done to limit the environmental impact of schools and these measures are having a positive impact across the country. By adopting a strategy to reduce, reuse and recycle, schools are actively delivering plans to: reduce their waste, energy and water consumption; increase the proportion of sustainable energy used; reduce carbon emissions including those produced by car travel; and increase recycling.
And it’s not just the pupils who benefit. Introducing measures to reduce energy consumption can save schools significant amounts of money. According to the Department for Education and Skills in Wales, the average cost of energy per school is £27,000, although secondary schools can have bills of over £80,000 – double the amount spent four years ago. Case study evidence suggests that an average secondary school could save up to 20% off its energy bills through replacement of heating, lighting and cooling equipment.
While introducing such measures seems straightforward in principle, the effective integration of sustainable practice requires a school-wide commitment to working together so that any new schemes are managed successfully and as simply as possible. Without clear intentions being communicated appropriately, there is a danger that at best, there is insufficient buy in to propositions to make environmental and energy changes at a school, and at worst, active non-cooperation. Creating a sustainable school requires a team effort and pupils must be invited to play an influential role in this process.
Turning theory into practice
So what is being done to ensure that sustainability in schools doesn’t become a complacent concept, lost in its meaning? And how can schools successfully engage with their pupils to nurture this culture of sustainability?
In Wales, the government action plan for Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship highlights the importance of five key themes:
+ Links between society, economy, environment and between our lives and those of people throughout the world;
+ Needs and rights of both present and future generations;
+ Relationship between power, resources & human rights;
+ Local and global implications of everything we do; and
+ The actions that individuals and organisations can take in responding to local and gobal issues.
There is an important set of links in the guidance between social justice now and for future generations and the role of individuals, communities and organisations in identifying and acting on current and future challenges. If we want the learners of the future to have particular attributes such as being active citizens – able to appreciate the importance of environmental, social and political contexts to their studies – and creative problem solvers – able to think creatively, holistically, and systemically and make critical judgements on issues – then we have to change the way we teach and the outcomes we expect.
The international Eco Schools programme is a good example of a scheme that is helping to embed sustainability into the school system. Established in 1995, the initiative provides a highly structured system for environmental management of schools and encourages pupils to engage with environmental and sustainable development issues.
By using it as a learning resource, pupils take key roles in decision-making and participation in order to reduce the environmental impact of their school. Eco-Schools aims to empower pupils to be the change our sustainable world needs by engaging them in fun, action-orientated learning. Each school is given seven step change processes to empower their pupils to lead processes and actions wherever they can. Over time, improvement is promised in the learning outcomes, attitude and behaviour of students and the local community, and ultimately the local environment. Evidence of success in these areas eventually leads to schools being awarded ‘The Green Flag’. This international status is re-assessed and renewed every two years.
The seven steps recommended by the initiative for schools include: Eco-Schools Committee, Environmental Review, Action Plan, Monitor and Evaluate, Curriculum Work, Inform and Involve, Produce an Eco-Code.
Eco-Schools officer Gerry Taylor at Keep Wales Tidy, a charity and non-profit-making company that liaises with community partners to promote environmental and social responsibility in Wales, has carried out research into Eco-Schools Green Flag-holding secondary schools to see what they are currently doing to inspire their pupils. From his research, he listed tips that can be followed by schools wishing to adopt a sustainable outlook. Here’s a selection of examples from each of the seven steps:
1. Eco-Committee
Form a co-ordinating team – perhaps from key areas of PSE, science, geography or maths – rather than a single co-ordinator, and ensure a number of staff members are on board; possibly include ICT, site manager, ancillaries.
2. Environmental Audit
Organise students to carry out an initial environmental audit and then undertake an annual review of this.
3. Action Plan
Make sure the plan has specific goals and timescales. Also build in methods of data collection and evaluation. Targets may be further broken down into ‘action steps’. Estimated costs are useful, should fund-raising be necessary.
4. Monitoring & Evaluation
Use most initial data collection for baseline information – work from these data to make improvements, e.g. species richness in wildflower meadow, energy usage, amount of paper recycled, numbers walking & cycling to school, etc.
5. Linking with Curriculum
Engage the IT department to use raw data from surveys and campaigns, and interpret and display the results as part of the curriculum. Heads of department should review schemes of work in each subject area, to see where this is being tackled, and plan pro-actively where it is not.
6. Ways to involve the Whole School
Make contact with other Eco-Schools to share good practice and solve problems, and use assemblies to inform the school body of campaigns (and their results). Hold an ‘environment day’ but ensure there is follow-up so that all the effort is not immediately lost or forgotten. For example, a longer term curriculum project following a tree-planting session; a workshop on human rights following a talk from an Oxfam visitor, run a water-saving campaign following a WaterAid assembly presentation. Link with Tidy Towns Officers on longer-term community projects.
7. Eco-Code
Find novel ways to display the eco-code. The code could be a ‘mission statement’ rather than another list of rules.
In support of its ambitions for every school to be a sustainable school by 2020, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has developed a Sustainable Schools Framework, which sets out eight ‘doorways’ for schools who wish to become more sustainable (tinyurl.com/tsdoorways) These are entry points, where schools can establish or develop their sustainability practices. They encourage schools to consider eight simple steps to sustainability, such as supplying healthy, local and sustainable food and drink or considering ways to integrate energy saving and renewable energy across the curriculum, campus and community.
All governments want education systems to prepare young people for the future. There is increasing evidence that schools perform better when they take responsibility for their own improvement. These doorways are a guide to starting on the journey towards becoming more sustainable.
What are the benefits of becoming ‘sustainable’?
Research has shown that a sustainable school raises standards and raises the well being of its pupils. A sustainable school engages its young people in their learning, which enhances their behaviour and promotes healthy school environments and lifestyles. A sustainable school prepares its pupils for real life challenges.
Sustainability needs to be at the heart of what we do; as educators of the next generations, it is becoming increasingly and glaringly obvious that we cannot continue to use more resources than our one planet can support. Quite simply, we need to ‘future-proof’ what we do to create discerning pupils and staff.
Taking the necessary steps to embed sustainability at the heart of a school’s core mission can create an exciting opportunity for pupils and staff to recognise and tackle imaginatively unsustainable practices. Having sustainability at the core of everythin it does can enable a school to provide a general reference point, language and concept for all pupils to engage with the sustainability agenda.
And ultimately, including a sustainability angle to educational activities will lead to a more promising and secure future within a more socially just, healthy, prosperous and bio-diverse world.
TOP TIPS TO REDUCE ENERGY USE IN SCHOOLS:
1. If you only do one thing, education the staff and children to turn off energy-using appliances when not in use.
2. Use your building systems properly to save energy
3. Share information with pupils and school staff
4. Upgrade heating controls
5. Use energy efficient lighting
6. Install smart metering
7. Manage ICT (Information and Communications Technology) loads
8. Draught strip windows and doors
9. Renewable energy
10. Understand your bill and how much energy is used in school
UK schools could save around £70 million per year by reducing their energy costs, also reducing CO2 emissions by up to 300,000 tonnes