{"id":10900,"date":"2022-06-22T14:03:57","date_gmt":"2022-06-22T14:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/?post_type=ht_kb&p=10900"},"modified":"2022-06-28T09:37:09","modified_gmt":"2022-06-28T09:37:09","slug":"sustainability-strategy-2022-2027","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/knowledge-base\/sustainability-strategy-2022-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability Strategy 2022-2027"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
  1. The Sustainability Strategy 2022-2027 is the University\u2019s third institution-wide sustainability strategy. It aims to maintain a sector-leading approach and continue our improvement journey. This strategy is rooted in the aims of our University Strategic Plan 2022-2027 and benefits we seek for key stakeholders, primarily our students. We have defined priority goals for this next 5 years that reflect our maturity on sustainability and align with our core mission, vision and objectives.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    1. In the University\u2019s Strategic Plan, sustainability is both an integral part of our Vision and one of our five Values. This plan carries the vision of \u2018changing your world, so you can change ours\u2019 and the sustainability programme builds on this vision. We have been widely recognised as leaders and pioneers in sustainability, and this new strategy for 2022-2027 sets out how we can maintain that position and optimise our impact. The ambition for sustainability within the wider Strategic Plan is underpinned by our joined-up approach to sustainability and Education for Sustainability (EfS).<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      1. The University defines sustainability using internationally agreed principles, related to the full span of university activities and the core purpose of universities in society. Our definition sees the need to limit the negative environmental consequences of our activities, but also foregrounds the critical positive role of learning, research, imagination and leadership, in supporting societies towards sustainable futures. The definition we developed reflects the \u2018triple bottom line\u2019 of environmental protection, economic value and social equity, that underpins the concept of sustainability:<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        \u201cSustainability prompts us to think in terms of the future and using global perspective, recognising the connections between economy, society and ecology. The concept carries the aim of improving quality of life for people and communities across the globe, whilst protecting the natural systems upon which life depends.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. The overarching aim of our Sustainability Strategy 2022-2027 is to achieve positive impact for the University, its stakeholders and wider communities, through three interlocking aspects: sustainability learning, practice and collaboration<\/strong>. <\/em>The 6 core goals of the strategy connect across these impact areas and cover course experience, research impact, environmental management, carbon emissions reduction, collaboration with students, and our external partnerships.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          Context and Aims<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          1. Sustainability agendas are growing in prominence, in light of accelerating climate change and loss of ecosystem assets essential to the wellbeing of future societies. Our Sustainability Strategy takes seriously the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report in August 2021, flagging current rates of environmental change as \u2018code red\u2019 for humanity. Our programme supports the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 by United Nations (UN) Member States in Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development<\/em>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            1. Evidence from students and young people points to the rising importance of sustainability for their professional lives, as well as their action as citizens. On this basis the NUS-linked education sector charity SOS-UK (Students Organising for Sustainability UK) has described sustainability as a \u20184th<\/sup> functional skill\u2019 for the 21st<\/sup> century. Aligned to this, the 2021 UK Quality Assurance Agency guidance on Education for Sustainable Development places increased expectation on curriculum design that equips graduates to develop solutions and lead change on sustainability challenges.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              1. Recognising this landscape, and the interconnected nature of the systemic changes that can be achieved within a university setting, our Sustainability Strategy 2022-2027 is focused on achieving impact through sustainability learning, practice and collaboration.<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                1. We will increase our academic and professional impact through sustainability learning<\/strong> by integrating Education for Sustainability more widely into curriculum design across our UGT and PGT core offer. We also intend to maximise the positive impact and sustainability benefit of our research pathways, building on the sustainability-focused achievements in our 2021 Research Excellence Framework submission. This will extend the capacity building, educational innovations, research impact and sector influence we have created to date in this area.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                  1. We will continue to improve our sustainability practice<\/strong> through responsible business operations that minimise negative environmental impact arising from our core activities. The critical aim in this area will be delivery against the reduction targets in our Carbon Net Zero Strategy to 2030, for all 3 scopes of carbon emissions. This strategy builds on our progress to date and joins the wider momentum towards \u2018net zero\u2019 emissions reflected at the COP26 conference in 2021.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                    1. We will progress sustainability collaborations<\/strong> via local, international and sector partnerships, notably collaboration with our students, which greatly enhances the impact we can collectively achieve. Our aspiration is to engage and support our students, working with them to deliver their priorities for action and change within and beyond the University. We also aim to strengthen our role as a regional anchor institution, improving the wellbeing of communities whilst protecting natural assets, and connecting sustainability with local regeneration and skills development.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      1. The overall impact we can achieve is increased by the connectivity across the impact areas we are targeting, and the cumulative benefits these actions can generate:<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n