How can universities contribute to achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals? From research to mitigate the climate crisis to teaching through an SDG lens, academics share strategies


Sustainable Development Goals

Few higher education institutions would question their role in promoting social good, and many publicly embrace a responsibility to foster a more sustainable society. Institutions can prepare students to lead change, whatever course of study they pursue. However, adding sustainability to&nbsp;instructors’ workload can place an extra burden on teachers who may already be stretched to capacity.&nbsp;So, how can colleges and universities fulfil their commitment to socially relevant teaching without burning out their staff?&nbsp;The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, offer a broad and compelling framework for teaching core content within the context of the world’s most pressing challenges. The framework can be used to structure lessons in any discipline, but effective SDG teaching requires instructional support grounded in evidence-based course design and teaching principles. Embedding core content in complex societal challenges aligns well with&nbsp;high-impact practices, including problem-based and community-based learning, which are&nbsp;pedagogies that can be challenging to implement.&nbsp;Spotlight collection: what universities can do to become fairer and more sustainableWhy visible senior leadership in sustainability mattersTHE podcast: universities aren’t too small to lead the climate crisis fightHere are three strategies for engaging instructors in teaching with the SDGs that leverage existing programming, strategic partnerships and instructors’ wisdom.1. Form strategic partnerships, both within and outside the institutionWith so many professional development opportunities pitched to instructors each year, instructors may view initiatives to redesign courses using the SDGs as just another short-lived fad not worth their time or attention. Many institutions support sustainability or SDG learning through their sustainability office and course design and instruction through centres of teaching and learning. Consider partnering with faculty to incorporate professional development opportunities for teaching with the SDGs into evidence-based course design frameworks such as backward design and pedagogies such as inquiry-based learning that are familiar to many instructors. Integrating support for SDG course redesign and teaching with support for teaching and learning generally helps instructors see education for sustainable development not as an interesting “add-on” but rather as a tool for enhancing student learning, aligned with best practices.&nbsp;Another way to align SDG teaching with instructor values is to highlight the ways in which teaching with the SDGs advances the institution’s commitment to solving global challenges.Beyond your institution, reach out to regional networks such as the Regional Centres for Excellence in Education for Sustainable Development (RCEs) and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) to leverage their resources and professional development offerings. AASHE’s online communities and resource hub enable institutions to benefit from resources and workshops offered by experienced schools. Rather than creating a new set of instructional tools for teaching with the SDGs, consider drawing on existing resources and workshops to help your faculty get started.2. Empower faculty as decision-makers, mentors and recruiters&nbsp;Faculty members, who field many competing demands for their time, are best able to suggest how to structure SDG teaching professional development to fit their schedules. How can we empower faculty to shape the professional learning opportunities we offer them in teaching with the SDGs?&nbsp;For colleges and universities with sustainability committees, including faculty representation is one way to ensure instructor input when designing sustainability learning opportunities for faculty. At larger universities with more resources to allocate across the curriculum, a standing faculty committee tasked with steering initiatives to engage faculty in teaching with the SDGs effectively empowers faculty leadership. Whether through a standing committee or informal opportunities to weigh in, when faculty co-develop professional learning opportunities and identify what opportunities will work best for them, they are more likely to stay engaged.&nbsp;

  
      
  
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Georgia Tech faculty co-facilitate a workshop for their peers on Teaching with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, March 2024. Source: photo courtesy of Georgia Tech

&nbsp;Aiming for diverse departmental representation on these committees provides a mechanism for grass-roots peer-to-peer recruitment of faculty when grants, workshops and other opportunities become available. When faculty are empowered to advance SDG teaching across the curriculum, they are more likely to develop a sense of ownership of the programme and can serve as mentors for instructors who are just getting started.&nbsp;3. Nurture faculty well-being and advance cross-disciplinary teaching through communities of practiceWith often competing professional and personal commitments, instructors carefully weigh their ability to invest significant time and energy in a new professional development opportunity. Communities of practice can offer relaxed time to share ideas and build community and helpful training. At many large universities, instructors have few opportunities to “talk teaching” with their colleagues, especially outside their own disciplines. Personal values and professional incentives motivate many faculty members, and they may find opportunities to engage regularly with like-minded faculty appealing.&nbsp;Sustained engagement in such cases is more likely.&nbsp;A cross-disciplinary community of practice can also support peer-to-peer collaboration that enhances the SDG teaching effectiveness of all participants. For example, when an engineering instructor shares a case study she developed connecting core content to several SDGs, her peers in the humanities and sciences can suggest ways to incorporate their own disciplinary perspectives into the teaching case.When institutions and faculty members view education for sustainable development as an “add-on” option, competing demands in teaching and learning will likely take precedence. Leveraging internal and external partnerships, empowering faculty to shape professional development initiatives, and intentionally cultivating community can support effective SDG teaching without overburdening instructors.Rebecca Watts Hull is assistant director of faculty development for sustainability education initiatives in the Center for Teaching and Learning at Georgia Institute of Technology.If you’d like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Three ways to enhance teacher engagement with the SDGs

Using the UN SDGs to teach core content in a ‘real world’ context can enhance student engagement – but what about overstretched educators? Rebecca Watts Hull shares three strategies for bringing faculty on board

Three ways universities can enhance teacher engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals

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With 2030 inching ever closer, there is still much work to be done towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and everyone in the higher education sector needs to play a part. And contrary to popular belief, learning the goals off by heart or liking Instagram posts on sustainability isn’t going to do much. It’s time to skip the reel and get real.&nbsp;To integrate the SDGs into our daily lives and make a real impact, we must promote innovation and sustainability, and empower future leaders. Most institutions have the Eco Club, the volunteering committee and Go Green initiatives. But what about the students who do not participate in such extracurricular activities? What about the ones who would rather play chess than ponder over sustainable energy sources? Chess is a great game, but we need all hands on deck to achieve the SDGs.&nbsp;The answer is simple: Remove the extra in extracurricular.&nbsp;Critical approaches to incorporating the SDGs into curriculaBring the SDGs into the classroom through role play and gamificationHow to teach through the lens of the Sustainable Development GoalsTo ensure that every individual in a higher education institution contributes to sustainability – not just those involved in extracurriculars – we propose the SCORE framework:&nbsp;Select goalsCreate targetsOrganise creditsReview progress&nbsp;EvolveThe SCORE framework is a structured and goal-oriented approach to address the SDGs and work out the tailored call to action for all higher education institutions. Simply put, it is how we intend to score (pun intended).&nbsp;Step 1: Select goalsWith 17 different goals addressing a vast range of issues, each institution picks out relevant goals to work on. For example, a medical institution could work on Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being, Goal 4: Quality Education, and Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation (among others, based on the institution’s strengths and expertise).&nbsp;Step 2: Create targetsStart by integrating simple, awareness-based tasks, leading up to more complex, problem-solving projects. For instance, Semester 1 could focus on Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) through awareness sessions, followed by projects addressing health challenges in the local community.Step 3: Organise creditsYou may be thinking that the participation problem remains. Many students would still choose chessboards over tackling the SDGs. That is why we introduced the concept of credit hours for sustainability projects. These can be variable based on the nature and intensity of existing&nbsp;courses, but they should contribute towards the student’s final score (again, pun intended).&nbsp;Step 4: Review progressWhere it is essential to get going, there is also a need to keep going. Achieve this with periodic progress reports and analysis, and incentives at each checkpoint. This will hold students accountable while also keeping them motivated.&nbsp;Step 5: Evolve&nbsp;The world is rapidly changing, and while Goal 3 will still be called Good Health and Well-being a year later, the priorities may change from when the targets were set in step 2.&nbsp;Institutions should be flexible with their initiatives and adjust to goals and actions as new challenges emerge. This can be done by regularly reviewing global and local sustainability challenges, involving students in adaptive planning and allowing room to pivot as needed.The SCORE framework not only benefits students, it helps faculty contribute to sustainability efforts, by creating customised plans for institutions. To further bring the SCORE framework to life, here are two practical ways to engage students in sustainability efforts:SDG bingo card: Students receive a bingo card with sustainability tasks related to each SDG. For example, for SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), students need to survey classrooms to identify energy-saving opportunities.SDG ambassadors: Appoint students in leadership roles, with the aim of raising awareness and coordinating sustainability projects. Each ambassador focuses on a specific SDG, driving initiatives and building partnerships with local organisations.Where curricular integration of sustainability is not immediately possible, another approach could be to integrate an extra point&nbsp;for sustainability in projects and assignments. This will foster a culture of awareness and responsibility among students. By incorporating sustainability into the core of their learning experience, students will begin to critically analyse their proposals through that lens, rather than viewing it as an isolated goal they are required to chase.For example, in a project focused on healthcare innovation, students could be asked to consider not only the clinical efficacy of their proposals but their environmental and social impacts. They might investigate the carbon footprint of certain medical technologies, or how resource-efficient their proposed interventions are. This approach encourages them to think holistically about the broader implications of their work.The SCORE framework provides a structured way for universities to integrate sustainability into everyday learning, fostering a new generation of leaders who approach their work through the lens of sustainability. By embedding these values into both curricula and projects, we can transform sustainability from a mere checklist into a core guiding principle, shaping how future generations approach all aspects of their professional and personal lives.Mariam Shadan is assistant professor in biomedical sciences and Yusra Idrees is an undergraduate student, both at Dubai Medical College for Girls.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

A five-step framework to integrate sustainability into HE

To integrate the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals into curricula, students need to be truly engaged. The five-step SCORE framework could be the answer

A five-step framework to integrate sustainability into higher education

Universities and colleges shape education and ethics of future leaders, so they are well positioned to drive social change towards sustainability. Although progress has accelerated over the past decade, most efforts have failed to create systemic change, owing to three issues:Many sustainability professionals bypass organisational change theory, creating their own learning experiences instead. This approach leads to redundant efforts within the sector.Assumptions of how change happens go often unexamined, and change failure is not analysed, which impedes learning and slows down progress.Efforts are often action-driven and focus on individual issues rather than systemic change. Approaches that leap from one project to the next eventually run out of steam.To close this theory-practice gap, encourage reflective practice and create strategies for structural change, sustainability practitioners must (1) understand how organisational change happens; (2) question assumptions about change at our institutions; and (3) focus efforts on leverage points that can trigger institution-wide change.1. Understanding organisational changeDrawing on concepts from change management, such as power politics, organisational culture and systems thinking, allows sustainability practitioners to look at change through different lenses. The more you know about change theory, the easier it will be to analyse change, spot recurring patterns and identify leverage points.&nbsp;Spotlight: how to fail wellRead more: critical approaches to incorporating the SDGs into curriculaTHE podcast: universities aren’t too small to lead the climate crisis fightThat said, even rudimentary knowledge can help to make implementing change a lot easier. Take these practical rules of thumb derived from systems thinking as an example:Observe how your institution works: Reach out to stakeholders who know it well and analyse past behaviours and decisions that shaped the state of the organisation. Don’t just look for issues but value what works well and think how you can build on it.Invest in networks and relationships: Start working with sustainability advocates, and then gradually expand the scope to potential supporters. Use a central database to keep track of everyone you meet, where they are, what they do and what their entry point is.Embrace learning and flexibility: Draw explicit lessons from failures and be strategic when seizing opportunities. This means assessing opportunities before jumping into action, and setting aside ideas or projects when the timing is not right.2. Harness tools for critical reflectionHabits, assumptions and idea systems that have been internalised over years guide many of our thoughts and behaviours, yet we still think we’re rational and objective beings. This makes it hard to admit when we’re wrong, change our minds, and be more open to new ideas.&nbsp;Fortunately, we have ways to understand and manage biases, which leads to better change initiatives.Analyse assumptions about change: When planning the next project, identify underlying beliefs or potential biases about the outcomes and evaluate their validity. Assess the impact of these assumptions on the change initiative and explore risks and alternatives.Use backwards planning: Formulate an overarching goal that is clear, specific and outcome focused. Then identify the necessary steps and prerequisites in reverse order, from the goal back to the present to create a logical change pathway.Get the right indicators: Define indicators and corresponding mechanisms for measuring and evaluating to keep track of what changes are or aren’t happening and why. A good indicator should at least contain a target population, a baseline, a time frame and a threshold.3. Target key areas for holistic changeChange occurs in different ways at every institution, but there are patterns that indicate that three areas can be particularly impactful in creating structural change. Assessment and reporting help with setting a performance baseline and track change. Creating a shared understanding of sustainability can improve communication across disciplines and shift views on organisational purpose. Embedding sustainability in organisational strategies, policies and key functions can lead to a redirection of resources and decision-making processes.&nbsp;Increase impact from assessment and reporting: Create structures to guarantee continuity of assessment and reporting, make time for learning and reflection after each assessment, and get a high-level sponsor to link results to management practice or strategy development.Create a shared understanding of sustainability: Before tackling this impact area, make sure that adequate resources, expertise, and support are available from senior management, since taking a participatory approach and conducting large-scale engagement is challenging. Get help from academic experts to formulate clear, specific, relevant and neutral questions, and ensure that outputs won’t be dismissed or lost in bureaucracy.Embed sustainability into the institutional framework:&nbsp;Integrate sustainability into vision, mission, strategy and other functions with widespread support and awareness, ensuring commitment is reinforced by an action plan and resources for implementation.Targeting these impact areas is not an easy endeavour, and nor are driving and embedding change in complex organisational systems. The more important the goal, the more sustainability advocates need equip themselves with the right knowledge and skills, and consider not only desired outcomes, but also the processes to get there.Nicola Andreij Rieg is a corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) coordinator for an international company in the food sector. He was previously a doctoral practitioner in sustainability at the Centre for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Surrey.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How to create lasting change towards sustainability

Progress towards sustainability falters when institutions don’t understand how change works. Here, Nicola Rieg explains how to apply concepts from organisational change management to integrate sustainability in higher education

Three ways to create lasting change towards sustainability in your university

In July, extreme heat caused the metal of the Third Avenue&nbsp;Bridge in New York City connecting Manhattan and the Bronx to expand so much that it became temporarily inoperable. When designing the bridge, engineers in 1898 likely never anticipated the intensity of the heatwaves we now experience.&nbsp;Are the students studying to become civil engineers today considering how their designs will function in hotter conditions?&nbsp;As an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, I spend a lot of time thinking about this question. Here are the tools, knowledge and leadership skills that I believe university students need to ensure they are equipped to adapt to the realities of a warming planet:Develop a future-focused mindsetThinking about the future is not easy, as my research has shown. Behavioural and cognitive science offers insight into why we often model the future based on today’s conditions – a concept known as temporal discounting. This bias leads us to underestimate long-term risks and prioritise short-term solutions. For engineers, a double problem compounds this challenge: not only do we face temporal discounting, but we also rely on design codes and standards rooted in the past.Spotlight collection: what universities can do to become fairer and more sustainableTHE podcast: universities aren’t too small to lead the climate crisis fightUsing Sustainable Development Goals to foster innovationOvercoming the behavioural barriers and the limitations of outdated standards is a complex task. However, it’s essential if we want students to develop solutions that can withstand the realities of future climate challenges. One approach we have used at Virginia Tech is to make these future conditions more vivid. Students develop virtual reality environments in&nbsp;studios on campus that simulate the impacts of climate change on infrastructure. These immersive simulations allow students to experience firsthand what extreme heat, rising sea levels or increased storm intensity might do to the systems they design. By seeing and experiencing these future conditions, students build a mental model they can carry with them into their careers, helping them anticipate and address future challenges.&nbsp;Developing a virtual reality environment also helps to spark creativity in how they communicate pressing climate issues to others. They practise making abstract concepts more concrete for stakeholders who may not fully grasp the risks.Build student agency&nbsp;A group of engineering professionals had a clear response when I talked to them recently about how they factor changing climate conditions into their design decisions: “We don’t.” Their reasons were familiar: “I have no decision-making power” and “Nothing good can come from bringing it up with my client.” These professionals felt hesitant to challenge established norms for fear of pushback. This mindset, though common, is exactly what needs to change if we are to address the challenges posed by climate change.Building a network of professionals – and potential guest speakers – who support these goals is essential in developing students who will become leaders in climate change. Through our&nbsp;Bowman Sustainable Land Development programme, we bring in individuals who have found ways to push for more sustainable practices within their industry. The&nbsp;industry partners supporting our programme also recognise the value of hiring students who think differently.&nbsp;Find ways to challenge established perspectives and demonstrate that even small changes can have significant long-term benefits. I recently worked with a master’s student who, like many in the industry, was sceptical of the potential for real change. This student had just finished consulting on suburban land development projects that followed the pattern of unsustainable design that had been in place for decades – car-centric, vast parking lots, minimal sidewalks and few considerations for trees.&nbsp;To challenge the student’s perspective, I offered an independent study focused on applying the&nbsp;Envision Framework for Sustainable Infrastructure. To their surprise, more than half the metrics in the framework were within the engineer’s realm of control or influence. For example, we discussed expanding the stormwater pipes by just two inches and the downstream effects of adding capacity.&nbsp;To build agency in students, we must empower them to see themselves not only as engineers but also as advocates for a sustainable future. This approach is a big draw for students interested in our graduate programme. We give them the tools to provide the right type of information to their clients, teach them how to work collaboratively across disciplines, and when and who to ask poignant questions.&nbsp;By fostering this mindset, we help them recognise that their ability to influence decisions and create innovative, sustainable design sets them apart. This is how they can add value and sell themselves as change agents of the future.Correct misconceptions about climate actionCorrecting misconceptions – such as that investing in clean energy is too costly to be worthwhile – is critical as we prepare students to become leaders against climate change. Students may, for example, struggle to identify the key factors driving climate change or misunderstand the underlying science, as I, &nbsp;along with colleagues, found on examining the beliefs of more than&nbsp;4,000 civil and other engineering students across universities in the US.&nbsp;One way to do this is to give opportunities to test entrenched beliefs using real-world scenarios. For instance, a graduate student in our&nbsp;Vecellio Construction Engineering and Management Program and I discovered that facility managers in large institutional buildings frequently overlooked opportunities to make energy improvements to HVAC and lighting systems when replacements were needed, citing high costs and insufficient savings. The student redesigned the procurement process, requiring managers to calculate the payback period for energy-efficient upgrades before making purchasing decisions. The payback period turned out to be about half of what the managers had assumed, which made choosing energy-efficient systems a far more attractive option.By helping students identify and confront these misconceptions, we can empower them to make smarter, more sustainable decisions in their future careers. Ultimately, this prepares them to shape the world in ways that promote both economic and climate resilience.Tripp Shealy is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and graduate coordinator for the Bowman Sustainable Land Development Program at Virginia Tech. He is an associate editor for the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Journal of Civil Engineering Education.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Equipping university students to be climate leaders

The world is hotter today than at any time in the past 100,000 years. Tripp Shealy offers educational strategies for universities to develop the leaders needed in the critical fight for a liveable future

Equipping university students to be leaders in addressing climate change

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have faced significant criticism for perpetuating a development model rooted in economic growth, which contradicts the need to rethink economies rather than greenwash unsustainable practices. Furthermore, critics argue that the SDG model reinforces inequality and colonial dynamics, deepening global divides and power imbalances. The SDG framework has also been critiqued for its top-down approach, often excluding local communities and non-state actors from meaningful participation in shaping sustainability policies and practices.These criticisms lead some educators to feel pressured into “box ticking” that does not reflect the values of their curricula, especially those grounded in critical social justice work and theory, and ultimately to resist aligning their curricula with the SDGs. This calls for a broader definition of engagement with the SDGs and the creation of spaces for critical approaches and alternatives. In doing so, we can develop curricula that are both reflexive and responsive to the complexities and contradictions of sustainable development, addressing the SDGs’ shortcomings while upholding their holistic vision of sustainability.&nbsp;Decolonising the SDGsDecolonial thinking is a critical entry point for engaging with the SDGs. For instance, while SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) emphasises renewable energy and such things as the transition to electric vehicles, the extraction of precious metals and minerals needed for this transition primarily occurs in the Global South. This has led to the destruction of local habitats and land and the displacement of communities while reinforcing deeply unequal global power relations, mirroring colonial-style exploitation and domination over resources and indigenous populations and calling into question the ethical nature of “just transition” practices of production and consumption.&nbsp;Within the curriculum, it’s crucial to explore whose interests are truly served by green innovation, at whose expense and for what purpose. Such an approach challenges the assumed neutrality and inherent “goodness” of sustainable development discourses, encouraging students to question the inequalities that the SDGs might perpetuate. This is particularly relevant for STEM education, which is at the forefront of developing green technologies and renewable energy systems. Yet the prioritisation of technical knowledge in STEM curricula often results in the lack of a critical dimension that examines the socio-scientific realities of how technology and innovation are applied and used in the world.Resources on the Sustainable Development GoalsTeaming up with students to design sustainability educationUsing Sustainable Development Goals to foster innovationGoing local&nbsp;Community and place-based learning offer meaningful ways to engage with the SDGs in local contexts. These approaches address critiques of the SDGs as a top-down, technocratic framework by rooting the goals in localised settings. This approach encourages students to connect with community, land and place in more democratic and relational ways, emphasising that expertise and solutions to sustainability challenges should not be confined to a select cadre of assigned technical experts.&nbsp;Instead, responses and solutions should be developed with local communities, drawing on rich cultural and historical knowledge, as well as collective community organising. For example, SDG 1 (no poverty) and SDG 2 (zero hunger) can be explored through the lens of community activism, examining localised responses such as mutual aid, food sovereignty and informal networks of community care and solidarity.&nbsp;Additionally, the curriculum may explore case studies of how different global contexts address sustainability issues, such as the role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in achieving SDGs such as “life on land” and “life below water” and how these community-focused perspectives are either sidelined or integrated into UN and state decision-making processes. By “going local”, we can encourage students to develop competencies centered on humility and openness to learning from and with others, fostering respect for local customs and a commitment to expanding the agency of those involved in creating responses to sustainability challenges. This approach contrasts with the technocratic, detached model of expertise, consultancy and bureaucratic control emphasised by more top-down models of sustainable development.Exploring alternatives&nbsp;The SDGs are rooted in a world view that continues to promote free-market capitalism and economic growth. Given that exponential growth, along with the associated levels of consumption and production, has been a major contributor to climate change and efforts to decouple growth from environmental harm are proving increasingly unrealistic, it’s essential to explore alternative ways of organising economies and societies that don’t rely on growth and free market-driven development.&nbsp;Curricula that critically engage with the SDGs might explore the feasibility, merits and limitations of alternative frameworks for sustainability, such as degrowth, post-growth, regenerative economics or philosophies such as buen vivir (good living). There is potential within a curriculum to explore how other knowledge systems can address the limitations of conventional sustainable development models, or how different frameworks can be creatively integrated to form new and novel approaches to sustainable living.&nbsp;Problem-based learning, centred on issues identified within the SDG framework, can call upon a diversity of approaches, examining how different philosophies might tackle these challenges or how overlapping bodies of knowledge can be used to develop new ways of thinking about sustainability challenges.The examples referred to here offer potential entry points for a critical approach to integrating sustainable development into the curriculum. This approach goes beyond merely aligning content and learning outcomes with specific SDGs, instead advocating a deeper and more critical understanding of development discourses within teaching practices.Sean Porter is a senior educator developer at the University of Exeter.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Critical approaches to incorporating the SDGs into curricula

Mapping curricula against the SDGs has become a key objective for education institutions aiming to showcase their commitment to sustainability. But we must do this through a critical lens

Environmental challenges have become a ubiquitous topic in engineering education, and students themselves are helping to drive this subject into academic curricula.Our university created a mandatory module on sustainability for first-year engineering students in 2021. While it is tempting to rely on standard lectures and massive open online courses (Moocs) to deliver such courses, especially with large cohorts (our course had 450 students in the autumn semester and 90 in the spring), these delivery modes often fail to catch students’ attention and can’t be easily adjusted to accommodate the huge disparity in their understanding of the subject. Eco-anxiety also emerges as a problem: how can educators discuss planetary boundaries without triggering emotions that learners cannot face alone?&nbsp;Resource collection: working with students to co-create their educationSpotlight: what universities can do to become fairer and more sustainableTHE podcast: universities aren’t too small to lead the climate crisis fightWe were tasked with creating this module. We believe that the challenge requires a more active and humane approach. Here are a few pieces of advice based on our experience that can be summarised as including students in the academic team, as mentors. In this case, the course management includes training and selecting those mentors.Lean into the diversity of skills in your institution“No poverty”, “zero hunger”...the labelling of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be intimidating for faculty who feel that their research contributes minimally to meeting these global challenges. Very few of us are genuine experts in sustainable development, yet the need for sustainability educators is huge, so we have to develop our skills.&nbsp;The good news is that sustainability requires input from all academic fields. Working as a team to define the curriculum and course materials decreases the burden on each individual and provides students with diverse, complementary views on each of the topics covered. Hence, the academic team should be diverse. This diversity should represent several necessary skills for achieving the SDGs, for example SDG 3 (good health and well-being) requires, among others, skills in healthcare and bioengineering, but SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) requires skills in urban engineering, and SDG 12 (responsible production and consumption) requires skills in customer behaviour and economy. We tried to have a panel of four faculty members, each coming from a different field and background.&nbsp;Also, you know your students and their environment better than anyone else. As an experienced faculty member, your most precious expertise is your ability to identify local examples that they are familiar with.&nbsp;Manage student differences and engage learnersSome of your students will have read all IPCC reports, while others have no idea what the term “biodiversity” means. Announce your objective clearly at the beginning of the course, and in resources such as handouts given to the students. If your course is a basic introduction to environmental challenges, as is the case for our course, the most advanced students might not learn a lot...in terms of science. However, from the feedback we obtained, our most advanced students declared that they learned something new in each one of the classes (if not new concepts, at least new facts, perspectives or examples).&nbsp;They then become good candidates for student mentors. All mentors are trained between the summer and winter break via a one-week intensive course. Mentors are also trained by a psychologist to deal with reactions from students, such as anxiety, denial or lack of interest. They do not provide feedback in a formal and explicit manner but encourage participation and expression.&nbsp;You can also engage your most motivated students in designing – and even delivering – some of the courses. Adding these new partners to your team makes it easier to offer your students personalised feedback during the semester.Welcome emotionsEmotions, opinions and beliefs should not be excluded. Students are less likely to express these in front of their professors but may be more at ease to express them in front of other students. Hence, it is the mentors who host discussions every other week after each lecture. Small groups of up to eight students are invited to express their feelings and understanding of the topics covered in class. This time is dedicated to questions and allowing students to share their beliefs, hopes and concerns, and to building connections between what they learned and the future that they aspire to. It has been demonstrated that eco-anxiety decreases in individuals when they feel empowered. Thanks to the small group size, students who remain discouraged despite this can be identified and offered help and personalised support by the faculty or the university psychologist. All faculty are also trained to welcome emotions and opinions during the lectures.&nbsp;Encourage projections toward sustainable practicesMentors also offer sessions of serious games, such as Climate Fresk, which are powerful tools to introduce general concepts and foster discussion about individual and collective actions for climate mitigation or adaptation. We recommend the use of additional resources that are tailored for a student audience (in our case, the evaluation of the carbon footprint of the average French student).&nbsp;Accept frustrationEngineering students like solutions more than they enjoy problems. While they would welcome courses on wind turbines or electric cars, they might be reluctant to hear about the biodiversity crisis or climate change. It might be the first time they have faced complex, systemic problems, and they might find this approach destabilising. Just as we tell them that it is normal to experience frustration (if the biodiversity crisis could be solved with a simple machine, would the planet be in its difficult situation?), we may have to accept that we, as teachers, cannot transform the views of all our students in a single semester.&nbsp;This module has been offered since fall 2022 for four editions now, and the student feedback has been very positive.&nbsp;To conclude, with this experience, which is still new in our institution, we could no doubt say that introducing sustainability into university curricula requires a rethinking of pedagogical practices far beyond what is implied by introducing new content. In particular, we note that we need more than the usual silos (disciplinary, teacher/learner...) to raise awareness of issues that go well beyond us. These new pedagogical interactions seem to us to be as necessary as they are stimulating.Anne Le Goff is assistant professor of biomechanics in the BMBI laboratory,&nbsp;Yacine Baouch is senior lecturer,&nbsp;Frédéric Huet is assistant professor in economics in the Costech laboratory, and&nbsp;Pierre Feissel is associate professor, all at Université de Technologie de Compiègne, France.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter. 

Involving students as co-creators and mentors in sustainability courses can help address differences in their understanding as well as issues such as eco-anxiety

Teaming up with students to design sustainability education

Sustainability is a crucial focus for many educational institutions worldwide. But how do you ensure that all stakeholders embrace your sustainability initiatives?Gaining unanimous buy-in on your institution’s sustainability decisions can be challenging, which is why forming a staff-student environmental, social and governance (ESG) committee might be the best solution.This committee oversees the development and implementation of your institution’s environmental, social and governance strategy, making sure that policies remain relevant and practical. By involving students, you ensure that your initiatives align with their needs, while gaining valuable insights to guide your strategic goals, monitor performance, and recommend resources and funding for environmental, social and governance-related activities.Here are practical steps to successfully launch such a committee, drawing on my experience of successfully doing so at ESCP Business School London Campus in 2022.1. Strategic alignment: is sustainability a priority for your institution?Before forming a committee, evaluate whether, or how, sustainability aligns with existing institutional and departmental strategic priorities. Prioritising sustainability is resource-intensive and requires a holistic approach involving all departments. So, start by identifying all the key transversal pillars such as education, research, governance and student experience into which sustainability efforts must be integrated. This will help form a strong foundation for a successful sustainability strategy that embeds smoothly across all functions.Spotlight collection: What universities can do to become fairer and more sustainableA practical approach to tackling eco-anxietyWe won’t get anywhere without placing the SDGs in local contexts2. Horizontal or vertical? Find the right structureDetermine whether a committee is the right structure for your institution, based on how decisions are typically made. Consider whether appointing a single person would be sufficient to address your institution’s sustainability goals or if a broader, collective approach is needed. If your institution, like ours, already has several dedicated committees, a horizontal decision-making structure may be the best approach to distribute responsibilities and achieve results more holistically and effectively.3. Key voices: who should be involved in your committee?Once you are set on creating a committee, the next step is to identify key stakeholders who should be involved. Keep the core group small and focused, inviting additional guests as needed. The effectiveness of the committee will depend heavily on the organisation and commitment of its members. The size of the committee will also depend on your institution’s priorities and the scope of sustainability initiatives.Important: While it’s tempting to involve only staff-led departments, don’t forget your students. They are the biggest stakeholder population on campus and should have an equal say in setting your environmental, social and governance-related priorities.Recently, students have become increasingly vocal about the need for institutions to prioritise sustainability. They seek to study and work at places that not only advocate for but actively practise sustainability. Involving students ensures that your initiatives align with both their current needs and future aspirations, while also boosting overall engagement and satisfaction.Depending on your institution’s size and level of investment in sustainability, your core team may vary. We recommend inviting representatives from these key groups to start with:Sustainability teamFacultyResearch teamStudent experience teamFacilitiesStudents’ union.Our core committee currently has seven members, which has recently increased by one, to include the social impact lead.4. Set the ground rules: priorities, roles and expectationsAgree on priorities early on to shape the committee’s agenda and determine the frequency of meetings. Balancing student needs with organisational goals will be key. When students feel heard and included, they will become powerful advocates for the changes you want to implement.For instance, we found that engaging students early on led to unexpected insights. During one of our initial meetings, students, backed up by our sustainability officer, proposed replacing all single-use cups with eco-friendly options. This seemingly small change ended up nearly eliminating single-use container waste on campus after being fully embraced by the entire campus community – and later by our sister campuses in other countries.Define the roles and responsibilities of each core committee member to ensure smooth operation. Clear communication and setting realistic expectations will also help prevent misunderstandings and ensure effective collaboration.We use several tools to keep everything organised and on track, which you might find useful if you are just starting this process:A “terms of reference” document outlining the committee’s scope, members, responsibilities and structureStructured agendas, distributed well in advance, to keep meetings focused, productive and inclusive of everyone’s discussion pointsAI for minute-taking, backed up by a human counterpart to ensure accuracyProject timeline management tools to track progress and key milestones, which might be particularly helpful for more complex and long-term projects.These tools will be a great start to ensure that the committee remains focused, collaborative and efficient, driving real results across the institution.The results of some sustainability initiatives may take time, especially with distributed responsibilities, but a well-structured staff-student environmental, social and governance committee practically guarantees long-term impact.Once priorities are set, each member shares ownership for execution within their respective area, which makes all the difference. This collaborative, organised approach will help you align sustainability goals with operational realities more effectively, fostering a shared commitment to positive change across the whole organisation, instead of isolated departments.Now, all that’s left is to ask yourself – is your institution ready to take the next step?Emily Centeno is director of marketing, admissions, communications, events and sustainability at ESCP Business School’s London campus and the local chair of the Environmental, Social and Governance Committee.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

To embed sustainability across institutions can be challenging. Find out how a staff-student environmental, social and governance committee can align priorities and drive meaningful change

Building blocks of a successful staff-student environmental, social and governance committee

Academic institutions talk a good game about educating the next generation of leaders for climate resilience, conservation and adaptive infrastructure, but my worry is that we are making only minor changes – incremental adjustments. Instead, measurable change is needed to adapt, mitigate and resist the negative effects of ever-rising carbon emissions. Worse, at times, we’re simply repackaging what we already offer to make it seem as if we’re making meaningful advancements.Fortunately, we can address and remedy this.The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations in 2015, provide a robust framework for ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring prosperity for all by 2030. By integrating these goals into educational programmes, universities can prepare students to address the complex challenges of the 21st century.Resource collection: what universities can do to become fairer and more sustainableTHE podcast: universities aren’t too small to lead the climate crisis fightWhy visible senior leadership in sustainability mattersHere are strategies we can use to integrate the SDGs into the DNA of our academic institutions, techniques we have implemented to some degree at Virginia Tech.Leverage the SDGs to teach systems thinkingThe SDGs aren’t silos; they are inherently connected. For instance, Montreal’s ambitious goal in 2023 to create 200km of safe, accessible cycling infrastructure is transforming how residents move through the city. This contributes to sustainable cities and communities (SDG&nbsp;11) and improves public health (SDG&nbsp;3). It is hard to argue against the economic impact (SDG&nbsp;8) of replacing cars with cyclists and pedestrians when strolling down Montreal’s Mont-Royal Avenue on a Saturday evening. Solving one problem creates a ripple effect that can advance progress across multiple SDGs.If we want systemic transformation towards sustainability, higher education, particularly engineering education, must do more to cultivate this kind of holistic, systems thinking. Discouraging students from getting stuck in their disciplinary silos while also training them to enter their profession is a tough tightrope act, but one worth walking. Here is why: educators can use SDGs to help students recognise other, perhaps more important, metrics. In my field of civil engineering, students are taught to count traffic flow. What if we put equal emphasis on teaching them to count benches and trees? What might our cities look like if this were the case?This isn’t about being altruistic; if the survival of our planet isn’t enough motivation, here are the practical student outcomes I’ve observed through using SDGs to teach systems thinking:Students who engage with the SDGs see the connections between an idea and downstream outcomes. They can articulate these outcomes in new ways to future clients.SDGs teach students that sometimes we shouldn’t optimise a single variable but instead balance multiple variables. This is a critical realisation for most civil engineering students I’ve taught. When I&nbsp;tell them they must navigate not just the project constraints I&nbsp;give them but also those from neighbours, the local community and the town, I&nbsp;can see it on their faces. They begin to see how interconnected the world is and the impact of their design system-wide.SDGs led students to be more creative because they learned to reframe the problem towards interconnected goals and began to explore synergistic solutions.SDGs can help challenge outdated practicesWe still have a long way to go to meet the SDGs. The gap between renewable energy production and energy demand is wider today than it was 20 years ago, for example. I&nbsp;use this lack of progress to emphasise to students that incremental change is not enough. We then discuss how to act. For instance, many civil engineering codes and standards are ready for an overhaul. Until Fairfax County, Virginia, launched an innovative programme in 2023, it had been using parking regulations from 1988. Those outdated regulations produced oversized parking lots, encouraged more urban sprawl and contributed to hotter temperatures.Share your research with students. I&nbsp;told students about recent research where I&nbsp;measured the creativity of ideas in response to engineering problems related to the SDGs from more than 120 professional engineers. We found no difference in the creativity of ideas based on years of experience. Creativity and innovation don’t solely come from experience; they come from thinking differently, from being willing to step outside traditional frameworks. Fairfax eventually realised that more of the same wasn’t working and began to rethink its codes. This is what teaching the SDGs can help us do.SDGs provide a global perspectiveThe SDGs can open doors for meaningful conversations and sharing of best practices. For instance, when meeting with the Office of Sustainability at the University of Strathclyde, in Glasgow, Scotland, when I&nbsp;was on sabbatical in 2023, my first question was about their approach to SDG&nbsp;13. I&nbsp;quickly discovered they were focused on measuring emissions far beyond what many other universities were considering.Global perspectives have inspired me to integrate more ambitious and comprehensive sustainability practices into our Climate Action Living Lab. In my teaching, I&nbsp;pull in other university examples for students to see what is happening at global peer institutions. For example, last semester students working with me were trying to figure out how to replicate the “bring your own cup” programme from TU Delft to reduce food container waste on campus.The beauty of teaching the SDGs is that no university or country is completely aligned in its approach. By exposing students to these varied global approaches, they can gain innovative ideas and strategies to apply in their contexts. Fostering this mindset – encouraging students to look across the globe for solutions to similar problems – gives them the tools to think critically, adapt creative solutions to their local challenges, and become leaders in advancing sustainability practices.Tripp Shealy is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and graduate coordinator for the Bowman Sustainable Land Development Program at Virginia Tech. He is an associate editor for the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Journal of Civil Engineering Education.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

The SDGs offer both a universal framework and a way to incorporate global perspectives into curricula. Here are strategies for integrating their outward-focused, innovative mindset into everyday learning 

Using Sustainable Development Goals to foster innovation

In our interconnected world, climate change, environmental degradation and human rights are among the concerns shared by many of us, our students and wider society. These issues transcend borders and affect societies across continents and datelines. While cultural nuances shape how these concerns play out within each society, at their core they reflect our shared human aspirations of protection, safety and the need to have the freedom to be ourselves. Our shared aspirations provide a rich source of material for encouraging discourse and learning about the law.&nbsp;As a law academic, I see the way we approach legal education internationally as playing a pivotal role in addressing these challenges. In my view, the understanding of different legal systems can enrich our engagement and inform better decision-making. For example, as a human rights lawyer, I have often explored conflicting viewpoints in my teaching (and research). While personally I may never understand the death penalty, the discourse with those who hold opposing perspectives is essential. As we seek to regulate and uphold rights, international discussion and collaboration is vital.&nbsp;Learning from similarities and differencesTo incorporate alternative perspectives that other legal systems have to offer in our teaching, we must venture beyond our comfort zone. Engaging with legal traditions other than our own doesn’t imply a suggestion that they necessarily offer a better solution. Their&nbsp;incorporation into the academic discourse contributes to and encourages students’ critical thinking, enriching the classroom. Importantly, it gives students a licence to explore ideas outside the pattern of their own legal systems. For global issues such as climate change, understanding diverse approaches is crucial. By testing our ideas against traditions different from our own, we enhance our legal toolbox.Read more about higher education’s role in upholding democracyTHE podcast: Kathryn Sikkink, Ryan Family professor of human rights policy at Harvard Kennedy SchoolPower and possibility: the role of universities in decolonisationIn the context of the Commonwealth, the shared foundation of English common law across many member countries provides a solid basis for examining how these legal systems address specific issues. This common heritage creates an “echo chamber” effect, where similar legal principles may resonate across jurisdictions. Conversely, exploring legal systems with different roots, such as those in civil law countries, allows for a comparative analysis to see if they arrive at similar solutions or offer unique insights. This process is akin to a game of Chinese whispers, where ideas are introduced into the discourse to observe the varied outcomes.Law as a cultural lensLaw reflects culture, so understanding a society’s legal framework has the potential to provide our students with valuable insights into its values, norms and historical context. Through law, one can gain an understanding of what a culture is like. The true meaning of tolerance is real understanding and therefore, in theory, a real understanding of another culture or cultures should lead us to less conflict. I'm a great believer that having the discourse is a first step to persuading somebody.&nbsp;To integrate this approach into teaching, one can compare and contrast legal issues across different jurisdictions. This involves not only examining the legal principles but also setting the social and cultural context of the countries being compared, as law often mirrors the society from which it originates.The power of discourse in academiaEngaging, questioning and seeking empathy can change minds. When I was working in the Gulf states, I witnessed students transform through dialogue and begin to ask questions from outside their traditional philosophy that they might never have thought of before. If you can get one student to reflect deeply, or change their mind or way of thinking about the death penalty, for example, then that’s the discourse we need or else there will never be change.&nbsp;Sometimes it needs a bit of research, but one will often find case law from other jurisdictions tackling the same issue coming to different outcomes or coming to the same outcome but with different reasoning from that of one’s own jurisdiction. Again, the question of the legality of the death penalty is illustrative: the decision of the South African Constitutional Court in S v Makwanyane and Another can be discussed in light of the US Supreme Court in Gregg v. Georgia. It is, however, important to give the cultural, social and political context in which those decisions were made. That context in turn can lead to a further discussion – for example, of the role of the courts and separation of powers in the case of S v Makwanyane, where the court held the death penalty unconstitutional in the knowledge that the overwhelming majority of South Africans supported it.&nbsp;Cross-cultural understanding significantly enhances the use of comparative materials by deepening the comprehension of different legal solutions for the same issue. It helps to prevent superficial comparisons by ensuring that any analysis includes the necessary context. As mentioned earlier, setting the law within its cultural and societal framework is crucial, and cross-cultural dialogue can facilitate this process.In conclusion, integrating comparative legal analysis into teaching is greatly enriched by cross-cultural understanding. By examining legal issues across different jurisdictions, we can leverage the shared foundation of English common law to identify commonalities and differences. This echo-chamber effect allows for a deeper exploration of how similar legal principles are applied. Additionally, comparing these with civil law systems provides valuable insights into alternative legal solutions. Cross-cultural dialogue is essential to this process, ensuring that comparisons are meaningful and contextually grounded, thereby preventing superficial analyses and fostering a more comprehensive understanding of global legal landscapes.Humans strive for the same things. We want to be protected. We want to be safe. We want to be free to express ourselves. By exchanging diverse views on how we attain these, we gain a richer understanding. Let’s lead the way, fostering vital cross-cultural dialogue, with the aim of nothing less than shaping a more just and informed world.&nbsp;Petra Butler is the executive dean of law at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. She was appointed a senior research fellow by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law and is the director of the Institute of Small and Micro States, which promotes scholarly and governmental research.If you’d like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Cross-cultural understanding can enrich the ways in which educators in law integrate comparative legal analysis into their teaching, writes Petra Butler 

International collaboration is a legal education opportunity

The world’s environmental and societal challenges include biodiversity loss, climate change, increasing pollution and, for many, a lack of access to clean water, education, adequate nutrition and sanitation. Universities have an important role to play in providing managers, leaders and entrepreneurs with a transformative learning experience that equips them with sustainability-related knowledge, competencies and values.A recent study sought to progress understanding of the subject and investigate if a predominantly online course delivered to managers as part of a Level&nbsp;7 apprenticeship programme could provide this transformative sustainability-related learning experience.Interviews with students from the course revealed that it had made them “passionate” about sustainability and that it had been “hugely transformative”. As noted by one respondent: “I&nbsp;was unconsciously incompetent and now [after completing the course] I’m conscious and potentially competent.”Resources with advice on what universities can do to become fairer and more sustainableHow to distinguish sustainability in your accounting and business teachingResource collection: Embedding sustainability accounting into the curriculumIt appears that a well-crafted course designed and delivered with the needs of a time-pressured, work-based learner in mind and adopting a predominantly online delivery strategy can provide a transformative sustainability-related learning experience.Further to this, the interviews revealed factors in the course design and delivery that contributed to this transformative experience:Bite-sized course structureStudent were able to study where, when and how it suited them. The course was broken down into six units and manageable “bite-sized” lessons. This approach offered student-centred flexibility and lent itself to the acquisition of sustainability-related knowledge and skills. As one participant stated: “When I’ve been on the train, I’ll tick through a couple [of&nbsp;lessons] on my phone […] the flexibility has been really good”.Course design that flowed from theory to application to discussionFor each unit in the course, students initially developed their theoretical knowledge, then applied this knowledge and finally discussed their newly acquired knowledge and personal experiences. This approach aided student engagement and the development of knowledge and skills. The materials were seen to be telling a story, with the varying nature and pace of the learning being in sync with the students’ attention and motivation levels.Varied module materialsThe learning materials varied and helped develop the students’ knowledge and skills and shape their attitudes towards sustainability. Directed readings (such as textbooks and journal papers) were popular, providing insights into core academic theories and concepts. Videos extended this knowledge, explaining academic theories and providing various perspectives on a subject. Case studies contributed to skills development, with students being able to see theories in practice and apply their knowledge through engaging with the case-related formative assessments.Summative assessmentStudents were asked to critique their organisation’s sustainability strategies and outline future sustainability options. This practical assessment enabled the students to develop their sustainability skills through applying their learning in the workplace. This in turn influenced the students’ attitudes and improved their confidence. As one stated: “Doing the assessment and relating the theory through the assessment made me kind of go: ‘Oh actually, I&nbsp;do know what I’m doing.’”Face-to-face engagementDuring the course, students attended three live online webinars and a one-day on-campus workshop. This engagement and collaboration provided opportunities to develop knowledge and skills through the completion of group-based formative tasks and discussions exploring new perspectives and affirming academic knowledge.Practical insightsThe students identified the value of practical insights. Examples included how to set an organisation’s sustainability agenda, effectively communicate sustainability issues in the workplace and gain support for sustainability initiatives. Coupled with this is the need for the learning to reflect sustainability issues facing a variety of organisations (public, private, manufacturing and service organisations, for example).Course structure, design and content all contributed to the students’ sustainability knowledge, skills and confidence levels. This in turn impacted their attitudes, behaviour and the organisational sustainability objectives. Students highlighted how the course “led to a complete change of mindset”. As a result of studying the course, students started working with colleagues to develop sustainability strategies. They modified procurement processes by adding sustainability criteria, and they brought in measures to focus on more specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Such behaviours were seen to increase the likelihood of meeting organisational SDG goals and net-zero targets.Jonathan Muir is associate professor, faculty director of online programmes and academic lead for digital education at the University of Leeds Business School.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Flexible course design, reasonable time commitments and real-life practice are vital if universities expect to train the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs in sustainable development

What work-based learners need from sustainability education

Nearly 12,000km separate Middlesbrough and Guam. The Yorkshire town and the Pacific island are almost as far apart as any two points on earth can be. Yet two students from these places came together in the same room earlier this year to share how they responded to the same brief: tell a story that identifies both an environmental problem and a solution.This meeting took place at the annual Planet Forward summit in Washington&nbsp;DC. Planet Forward is an initiative from George Washington University that aims to develop a global community of environmental storytellers. The word “storytellers” is used deliberately here because those who join this interdisciplinary summit are not just journalists and writers. The project aims to encourage students from all fields – from the creative arts to sciences, business and marketing. Participants are asked to use their unique skills and perspectives to tell stories about what is being done to counter environmental issues.Bring the SDGs into the classroom through role play and gamificationMoving beyond climate change to teach the climate crisisA practical approach to tackling eco-anxietyBut how do you bring such distinct subject groups together around one project?At Teesside University, we involved more than 200 students across 11 courses and multiple year groups in responding to the Planet Forward brief. The quality of work produced, not to mention the diversity of voices and perspectives represented, has shown us how the democratisation of the art of storytelling can be a catalyst not just for excellent creative output but potentially for something much bigger: real change.When it comes to creating environmental-themed projects, this is what we learned:Get emotionalSome students may be apathetic towards environmental issues or unaware of the drivers and effects of climate change. By focusing on emotional responses as the starting point, we allow all students to get an early foothold in the project. You don’t need an MA in environmental science to answer the question: “How does it make you feel to see plastic on the beach?” or “Describe a natural space that means a lot to you.” After making this initial connection to the environment, the student can begin to formulate a more detailed and personal response to the brief.Keep it simpleEnvironmental stories by their nature are often scientific and frankly impenetrable to some audiences. As academics working with students from non-scientific backgrounds, we must have a clear understanding of the issues under discussion and communicate them in ways that can be broadly understood. We must not be afraid of simplifying issues. As UK government content strategist Sarah Winters says in her book Content Strategy: “It’s not dumbing down, it’s opening up.”Avoid clichéTake a second now to think of an image you associate with climate change. What comes to mind? A melting iceberg, perhaps, complete with soon-to-be-homeless penguins. Or a displaced polar bear scavenging in a tip, its previously immaculate white coat daubed with human grime. You might have thought about wind turbines, oil derricks or electric cars, depending on your perspective on the issue.But what does any of this mean to a sports journalist? Or a comic artist? It’s vital that we shatter the clichés that engulf environmental discourse and frame the issues in ways that are relevant to our students’ areas of interest. Take sports journalism, for instance. At Teesside, we have a group of first-year students researching the most environmentally sustainable football clubs and interviewing representatives from the best- and worst-performing of them. Another group interviewed fan groups about their plans to reduce the carbon footprint associated with travelling to matches. It’s important to keep an eye on the global view, but sometimes we need to localise and personalise the issues to give them greater impact.No limits on formatStories don’t always come printed in dusty old volumes or written in pixels on the pages of a website. They may not come in the form of a video or podcast, either. These are all valid ways of telling stories, of course, but if we are to take an inclusive approach, we have to consider non-traditional storytelling methods. Fashion students might tell their stories through the creation of pollution-inspired garments or musicians with soundscapes prompted by environmental trigger words.Our approach is evidently consistent with other schools present in Washington&nbsp;DC, where the summit witnessed video reports, comic strips, written articles and pieces of music. Submissions focused on issues as diverse as manufacturing, wildlife and indigenous cultures. But in some way, participants all explored solutions to the world’s environmental crisis as opposed to wallowing in its destructive consequences.Farron, from Guam, for instance, created social media videos that go beyond showing the littering of beauty spots in his homeland. He showed what is being done to tidy up the mess. Members of his online audience of thousands are encouraged to play their part and frequently do. Teessider Danny created a short film about an industrial-waste-processing firm that, through working with our university, has developed a method to turn a byproduct into a useable brick for construction. The story has been shared around the world and could inspire other similar innovation.“When I was younger, the environment wasn’t really a big concern for me,” Danny said. “But the more I learn, the more I am inspired to do something about it, and through sharing stories, I think we can make a difference.”Middlesbrough and Guam may be at opposite ends of the world, but when it comes to environmental challenges, and how we might overcome them, perhaps they are not that far apart, after all.Jim Entwistle is a senior lecturer in digital journalism at Teesside University.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How environmental issues can inspire diverse student groups

Looking for ideas for next semester’s projects? Climate change could be the answer, whatever your students’ field of study, writes Jim Entwistle

How environmental issues can unite and inspire diverse student groups

Let’s face it, universities are energy-intensive places.&nbsp;Challenges to reducing their carbon footprint are both obvious (such as heating and lighting campuses or staff and student travel) and more obscure (specialised laboratory equipment and data storage). Prospective students are demonstrably interested in how universities manage these apparent conflicts while still excelling in learning and research on a global stage.&nbsp;In Aotearoa New Zealand, we are fortunate to be able to use renewable energy sources, particularly for electricity and biomass fuel, and we need to tell our communities what we are doing and how we are leading the effort.&nbsp;Yet, so much more needs to be considered.Sustainability leadership within higher educationIn my view, visible senior leadership in sustainability matters.&nbsp;This includes having a presence in your community and with the public, and regularly communicating to staff,&nbsp;especially when they have connections to other large local and regional bodies and knowledge of current government thinking. Sustainability leadership within higher education requires a deep understanding of not only the delivery of core tertiary functions such as teaching and research but also the role of universities as major asset owners. Additionally, a clear understanding of the national context is important, as this affects strategic decisions that are made, in our case, to support our sustainability journey at the&nbsp;University of Canterbury (UC).&nbsp;What’s unique about the pro vice-chancellor for sustainability role?When we were building our 10-year strategy back in 2019, it became obvious that “sustainability” ran through all strands of UC’s work – this theme regularly cropped up in people’s views on teaching, research and campus operations. Sustainability was given prominence in our strategy and it needed a champion. As a result, a new role was created, and&nbsp;in 2021&nbsp;I was appointed UC’s first pro vice-chancellor for sustainability. We believe it is the highest appointment in sustainability in the tertiary sector of New Zealand.Empowering women leaders in fighting climate change: a call to actionA guide to evaluating and managing climate risks to universitiesA practical approach to tackling eco-anxietyThis very senior role reports directly to the vice-chancellor along with other – perhaps more traditional – roles such as the deputy vice-chancellors for academic and research. The seniority of the role enables a truly holistic view and engagement with all the university’s operational and academic strategies.&nbsp;In a significant step, which&nbsp;I led, towards reducing its carbon footprint, UC has converted its main campus coal boiler to run on locally sourced biomass, specifically wood chip and pellet. This transition not only halves&nbsp;our&nbsp;greenhouse gas emissions but also supports the local economy and sustainable forestry practices. What does a pro vice-chancellor for sustainability do?&nbsp;Pro vice-chancellor for sustainability is a very broad role. I have overall responsibility for increasing the university’s awareness and reduction of its carbon footprint. This includes efforts such as improving energy use, switching to more sustainable energy sources, implementing eco-friendly practices in laboratories, using virtual realities to cut down on staff and student travel, and addressing the carbon footprint from air travel. I work alongside academics in introducing sustainable themes into their curriculum, and supporting research with sustainable&nbsp;solutions&nbsp;as the&nbsp;focus. My work varies from encouraging academics to think about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in their teaching and research and discussing which trees we might plant on our land to changing behaviour for conference attendance and other travel.&nbsp;Our staff are strongly supported to present their work nationally and internationally, and the university prioritises sustainable travel, using overland options whenever possible. I led an air travel survey initiative, yielding comprehensive reports and valuable data that were shared&nbsp;with&nbsp;our staff through channels such as staff meetings and email communications.I also liaise regularly with international tertiary academic networks that have the same goals as us. Finally, I am responsible for ensuring that we carry out appropriate and relevant activities that ensure we maintain our strong position in international rankings for sustainability.Engaging students, faculty and staff in sustainability effortsWe have implemented Green Impact, which is an Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) learning and award programme designed to encourage and support universities, colleges and other institutions to improve their environmental performance and foster sustainable behaviours within their communities. It launched at UC in 2023&nbsp;and has grown in 2024 in terms of both numbers of staff engaged and actions completed.&nbsp;Alongside other universities, it’s mostly our professional staff who are engaged in the programme and we are working on understanding this further.&nbsp; We also hold annual sustainability awards that are open to all UC staff, we developed a sustainability module for PhD students, which we will roll out to undergraduates and staff in 2025, and we recently held a showcase event on campus activities and research, which will become an annual event. Measuring the successWe use key performance indicators to measure the success of our sustainability improvements, such as the total greenhouse gases year by year divided into categories, international rankings (especially sustainability rankings), the number of PhD students working in sustainability-related areas, and our energy use and waste metrics.&nbsp;I see myself as the focal point for sustainability at our university, and receiving a share&nbsp;of the&nbsp;diversity&nbsp;of views&nbsp;on a range of issues and responding to those is success of the role to me. It underscores the accessibility for individuals to express their concerns and signifies a dedicated effort to engage with and address those concerns. Staff and students need to understand that our research and the information we impart can lead to societal solutions in the long term, which is an increasingly important role for universities. Sustainability is a global priority and talking about it encourages us to ensure our future graduates are well equipped to deal with such issues.Jan Evans-Freeman is pro vice-chancellor for sustainability at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Why visible senior leadership in sustainability matters

Successful or sustainable? Is this the biggest challenge that universities face when striving to reduce their carbon footprint? Jan Evans-Freeman explains where leadership fits into the equation 

Increasing concern with how corporate activity interacts with environmental and societal development has led to a rise in sustainability reporting since the 1990s. Until recently, companies have been able to pick, choose or ignore several voluntary sustainability reporting frameworks and standards that seek to highlight how socio-ecological development might affect or be affected by their activity. Sustainability reporting has therefore remained on the margins of corporate reporting subject to concerns about greenwashing and irrelevance. However, as recent developments look to mandate new forms of sustainability reporting across the EU, the UK and elsewhere, this article offers ways to help students distinguish and evaluate how sustainability is translated within different international reporting standards.As a starting point, one can ask students to look at specific sustainability reports published by large companies and ask them to identify the focus of the reports on a spectrum between two poles: are the reports focusing on the sustainability of the planet; or are they focusing on the sustainability of the company? We can then ask them to explain or justify their choices, and thereby critically explore the interactions between those different translations of sustainability. For example, the tension between seeing corporate activity as a cause of (harmful) socio-ecological change and as a source of innovation and economic value that can be used to address socio-ecological challenges.
  
      
  
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After sufficient discussion, we can then introduce the differing conceptions of materiality that are used to distinguish the poles in sustainability reporting and inform what type of sustainability information companies should disclose to the markets and society.Sustainability reports focused on the sustainability of the planet use an inside-out conception of materiality that requires companies to report on how their activity materially affects the environment, society, the economy and human rights. Information is reported based on its impact on the planet (impact materiality), rather than its financial impact on the firm.Resources for higher education professionals on the sustainable development goalsHow to implement experiential learning into accounting educationSustainability accounting is coming: here’s how to navigate itSustainability reports focused on the sustainability of the company use an outside-in conception of materiality that requires companies to report only on those social and environmental issues that are deemed by management to materially affect the decisions investors make about the future value of the firm. In doing so, the standards seek to reorientate flows of financial capital to those firms that can show they are less affected by climate change, water stress, biodiversity loss and societal upheaval and those that might thrive by offering solutions to socio-ecological challenges.&nbsp;As these outside-in standards focus only on reporting socio-ecological issues that are financially material, they look to tweak rather than revolutionise current notions of corporate success by seeking to extend the time horizon over which success is measured and highlight those socio-ecological factors upon which future corporate success depends.After introducing the different approaches to sustainability reporting, classroom debates can help to identify inside-out reporting information and consider when or whether it is likely to become material from an outside-in perspective.&nbsp;Teaching examplesInside-out reporting: impact on the environment, the economy, society and human rightsIssueOutside-in reporting: impact on the firmClimate changeCarbon emissionsCosts arising from mitigation plans, and tax/regulation required to meet international agreementsAgricultural monoculture (e.g. palm oil, soya bean, forestry) leads to material biodiversity lossBiodiversityBiodiversity loss lowers yields for producers and increases input pricesShort lead times perpetuate the abuse of labour rightsSupply chain subcontractingRegulatory and reputational costs if discoveredMaterial freshwater usage in water-stressed areasWater usageCosts if water usage becomes subject to tax/regulationPlastic packaging causes microplastic pollutionPackagingCosts if packaging materials become subject to tax/regulation, or lead to a fall in customer demandOpening a new manufacturing facility in a region of high unemployment leads to job creation and trainingEmployment and community developmentBenefits if the region offers cheaper employment and training costsIn thinking about the relations between the left and right columns in the table, we can introduce the notion of dynamic materiality, which recognises that issues that might only be material from an inside-out perspective can also become material from an outside-in perspective over time. For example, while carbon emissions would be considered material from an inside-out perspective in the 1980s, management might consider they would have no material impact on expectations of corporate value. Since then, international agreements and the advent of emissions trading schemes lead carbon emissions to be financially material from an outside-in perspective.Finally, one can introduce the new standards that learners will probably be interacting with in the future. For example, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has developed standards based on an outside-in vision of reporting. A contrasting approach, led by the long-standing Global Reporting Initiative’s Global Sustainability Standards Board (GRI/GSSB) offers a more expansive vision and a more radical shift in the notion of corporate success. The middle ground, encompassing both materiality perspectives (so called double materiality), offered by the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, is being implemented across the EU.As sustainability reporting moves from the periphery to the mainstream and becomes embedded across curricula rather than being treated as an adjunct add-on, the materials offer some ideas of the ways to distinguish and appraise the ways in which sustainability is translated.Nick Rowbottom is a professor at Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How to distinguish sustainability in accounting and business

In this resource, Nick Rowbottom offers ways to help students distinguish and evaluate corporate sustainability within different international reporting standards

How to unpick sustainability reporting in your business teaching

Building a sustainable global economy that can address the multifaceted crises we face requires a reimagining of the purpose, principles and practices of accounting. As accounting professionals with a central place within both the real economy and capital markets, we need to understand and measure value creation differently, change the way we account for performance, present a more balanced, true and fair reflection of organisations’ positions and integrate social and environmental factors into financial decision-making.&nbsp;The pace of change currently outstrips the profession’s capacity-building efforts. We are heading towards a global skills shortage that will hamper the transition to a nature-positive, just, net zero economy. Although business schools are increasingly integrating sustainability into finance and accounting modules, syllabuses often do not provide the practical skills accountants need to integrate sustainability into their professional roles such as valuation, accounting, performance management, budgeting, financial risk analysis, capital allocation and the ability to make financial and business decisions.Experiential learning offers a solutionExperiential learning emphasises the importance of acquiring knowledge through direct experience and, crucially, reflection on that experience. Instead of passively receiving information from lectures or textbooks, experiential learners actively engage in hands-on experiences, allowing them to directly apply what they’ve learned in real-world contexts. Examples include simulations, case competitions, internships or active implementation of a newly learned concept. Gaining this concrete experience fosters deeper understanding, problem-solving skills, critical thinking and personal growth.&nbsp;Embedding experiential learning into your programmes doesn’t have to be complicated. For example, simulations don’t have to be centred around technology; you can set an assignment that requires your students to act out situations they may face within an organisation navigating sustainability.&nbsp;Resources for higher education professionals on the Sustainable Development GoalsEmbrace broader definitions of accounting to help your students operate sustainablySustainability accounting is coming: here’s how to navigate itSetting experiential learning assignmentsBelow is a simple framework you could use to incorporate experiential learning into your accounting courses:Choose an approach&nbsp;Select a fictional or real-world scenario. There are advantages and drawbacks to both; a fictional scenario gives you greater flexibility to tailor the assignment to specific learning outcomes, but developing it takes time and care. Alternatively, using a real-world scenario enables you to build the assignment around a public company with readily available accounting and sustainability information. There is also the potential to involve the company, particularly if it is located nearby.Define students’ roleStudents may form various teams such as management accountants, financial analysts, a finance leadership team, an audit committee or a due diligence or audit team. Does the team need a leader who plays the role of finance director, CFO, audit committee chair or accounting firm partner? Do you select this leader or leave the team to choose their own? Setting parameters around leadership could provide extra learning opportunities.Set the challengeAssignments should be accessible to the students, consider their skills and experience and challenge them. The scenario should allow them to gain new knowledge and apply their existing competencies to new situations. Base the challenge on real-world business needs.&nbsp;Examples for undergraduates could include:Developing a company-specific carbon accounting manual, based on recognised carbon accounting standards while incorporating the rigour of financial accounting and control environmentsBuilding a management information framework to present sustainability information alongside financial informationCreating a capital investment decision-making process that incorporates social and/or environmental factors.For master’s students:Presenting a commercial business case for investment in a specific asset or initiative that generates significant social or environmental benefitsDeveloping an internal carbon pricing mechanism to support a greenhouse gas reduction target and presenting the plan for roll-out to executive managementWriting a due diligence report or investment analysis incorporating a balanced critique of financial, social and environmental considerations.&nbsp;Design the assessment&nbsp;Ensuring students are fairly assessed in an area in which you might not have specific expertise can be a real worry. Here, collaboration is key. You could:Call on colleagues within or outside your department who have sustainability expertise and split the marking accordinglyUse an assessment panel of internal and/or external expertise (which can include representation from the company the assignment is focused on). This can work particularly well for assignments where students are required to present their findings as a pitch/to a mock executive teamBuild the marking rubric for the sustainability element based on how understandable and usable the students’ proposed solutions would be to a typical accountant.If this all feels a step too far, you can always take advantage of existing sustainability-focused case competitions and challenges. In whatever form your students engage with experiential learning opportunities, the benefits are noteworthy. They can really enhance accounting students’ learning, give them the freedom to make mistakes in a safe environment, strengthen their professional credibility and skills and empower them to drive much-needed change.&nbsp;Helen Slinger is executive director of knowledge and learning at Accounting for Sustainability (A4S). She is also head judge for the A4S International Case Competition.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

The role of experiential learning in accounting education

The accounting landscape is evolving rapidly amid growing environmental and social challenges. There is a need for urgent action, yet finance teams lack essential sustainable business competencies 

How to implement experiential learning into accounting education

When deciding what to teach, and how to do so, we are accustomed to considering aims and learning outcomes. Alas, we don’t always consider what our students want to become and achieve, and how this motivates them to enrol.This is even more important when considering embedding sustainability into our teaching. We all must understand and deal with sustainability and our part in making the world a better place, not just leave it to experts or specialists.All of us, as educators, want to inspire the next generation of professionals. We want them to make new connections, experience a broad education and reflect on what they want to become and achieve. For guidance, UK academics should consult the subject benchmark statements, which show what graduates might reasonably be expected to know, do and understand at the end of their studies.Indeed, all academics should consult these statements when considering course design and delivery. They include five themes that cut across all subject benchmark statements:Equity, diversity and inclusionAccessibility and the needs of disabled studentsEducation for sustainable development&nbsp;Employability, entrepreneurship and enterprise educationGenerative artificial intelligence (as of February 2024).This year, accounting is one of eleven subject benchmark statements being subject to review and members of the advisory panel are hoping to rewrite it to embrace wider, and more apt, definitions of accounting and auditing, where accounting students are taught to cope with uncertainty and able to adapt to hold companies accountable in a more sustainable world.Current and prospective students who aspire to become effective accounting professionals need to understand the nature, roles, uses and impacts of accounting, opening up the full potential of the discipline, recently defined as “…a technical, social and moral practice concerned with the sustainable utilisation of resources and proper accountability to stakeholders to enable the flourishing of organisations, people and nature”, by Garry Carnegie, Lee Parker and Eva Tsahuridu in the Australian Accounting Review.This definition and others like it drive teaching knowledge beyond accounting as a mere technical practice, developing awareness and understanding of the organisational and social contexts of entities of all types in which accounting operates. They focus on teaching skills such as critical judgement, coping with uncertainty, qualitative evaluation of evidence and the ability to recognise that knowledge is contextually driven.Resource collection: resources on the Sustainable Development GoalsSustainability accounting is coming: here’s how to navigate itTeaching business students how to prepare sustainability reports for SMEsSimilarly, students who are considering specialising as auditors can appreciate their vital role in inculcating trust and holding organisations accountable by considering a wider, more apt definition of auditing, such as the following, prepared in developing this contribution:“Auditing is the independent authentication of accounts and key performance indicators, financial and non-financial in nature, designed for assurance purposes to inspire confidence and illuminate risks, increasing the trust of stakeholders in accounting as dependable multidimensional technical, social and moral practice.”This definition sets out to depict the importance of being independent and being seen to be independent, rigorous in instilling and safeguarding trust and actively campaigning against the curse of greenwashing. It also means that students need to develop skills such as professional scepticism, the ability to triangulate evidence and adequately informed judgement to address incongruencies. They need to practise critical ignoring of weak forms of evidence and have a strong focus on the needs of the users of accounts, well beyond a limited “pleasing the client” orientation.The above definitions indeed help shape the journeys of students between what they are, and what they have the potential to become in their professional lives. They allow them to redirect their energies and draw on broad-scope approaches to dealing with challenging issues to help shape a better world.There will be an exposure period after they are written (July 2024) and before they are confirmed (in 2025), but once they are published, be ready to consult them and contemplate what you want your students to become. These statements can act as catalysts for effectively educating our students and encouraging them to take up and play their part in creating a better, more sustainable world.Jennifer Rose is a senior lecturer at the Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. Garry Carnegie is an emeritus professor from RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Embrace broader definitions of accounting 

Broader definitions of accounting help students redirect their energies and draw on broad-scope approaches to dealing with challenging issues to help shape a better world

Embrace broader definitions of accounting to help your students operate sustainably

Podcast interview: Kathryn Sikkink, Harvard Kennedy School 

Human rights scholar and award-winning author Kathryn Sikkink talks about her work with the Harvard Votes Challenge, how young people are more savvy about misinformation than older generations and why, in this year of elections, democracy needs protection 

THE podcast bonus episode: an interview with Kathryn Sikkink, Ryan Family professor of human rights policy at Harvard Kennedy School

“So much to do!” “So much to cram in!” “So little time!” This is a common trope from accounting academics, professional bodies and training providers responding to requests to embed sustainability into accounting and finance curricula. The good news is that there are many examples of successful, time-efficient ways to do so, drawing on over 30 years of academic and professional work. As well as material from individual academics, professional accountancy bodies, learned societies and academic networks (such as the&nbsp;RSA, the&nbsp;Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research, the&nbsp;Network for Business Sustainability), there are many global programmes supporting these efforts, like the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (UN PRME) &nbsp;and Education for Sustainable Development. Not only is embedding sustainability possible, it is an imperative if accountancy and finance professionals wish to future-proof their field and contribute to sustainability transformations.In this article, we highlight examples that can be adapted to different educational settings and illustrate what can be done &nbsp;– not the limit of what should be done – to mainstream the principles expressed in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and support the development of key competencies for sustainability.There are many accounting practices (and countless textbook exercises) that provide evidence of how to overcome limiting factors or resource bottlenecks – eg, limited labour hours, machine capacity constraints or sales forecast. A simple adaptation would be to replace these limiting factors with a water extraction licence for a brewery, greenhouse gas emissions for a cement factory or soil fertility for a food producer. Same sums, different problem, useful evidence. Or we could look to implement Mark Carney’s proposal in his recent book, Values: Building a Better World for All, that any financial cost produced should be accompanied by a carbon cost, producing meaningful evidence to move a business along its net-zero pathway. A good example of how to teach this is the carbon accounting mini-lecture series produced as part of University of Birmingham’s Carbon Accounting for Net Zero initiative.Three steps to designing online learning that supports a sustainable futureEngaging students in applied research to tackle Sustainable Development GoalsAll Campus’&nbsp;higher education resources to reach the sustainable development goals&nbsp;We can also revisit and reflect on the appropriateness of accounting techniques and valuation theories from the perspective of known sustainability risks. A good place to start could be seminars discussing the best way for oil and gas companies to value their stranded assets and the accompanying stranded liabilities of their bankers or shareholders. Similar risks to value, including known sea level rises, forest fires or flooding, could be integrated into the financial reporting and asset valuation modules taught in these courses. A more adventurous approach would be to extend consideration of these sustainability consequences into more active role-playing sessions or dramatic representations. Anne-Christine Frandsen and Nick Bailey at the University of Birmingham have honed this approach over several years and have produced a highly adaptable dramatisation that gets to the core of the intersections between accounting, responsibility and sustainability.&nbsp;&nbsp;Another way to efficiently embed sustainability into business reporting and assurance education is through an alternative accounting approach. Assign students an organisation or let them choose one and then task them with gathering and assessing publicly available evidence about the organisation from social media, news media and primary data. They’ll use this to conduct critical gap analyses of the organisation before recommending how it might improve the design and content of future sustainability accounts. Central to this activity is a concern with designing new and meaningful accountability mechanisms, rather than solely ensuring compliance with existing standards. This exercise empowers students to become sceptical assurers, forensic accountants, critical researchers, creative report designers and skilled in gap analysis, while also developing a sensitivity to a full range of stakeholders instead of being fixated on shareholders. This approach has been successfully adapted to different teaching contexts, ranging from a single tutorial exercise, a capstone assessment and even the basis for international collaboration. One iteration involved students auditing the sustainability of their university, presenting their accounts to the management and engaging in a discussion of their findings, allowing for mutual learning as well as providing a clear purpose for this work.A final source of inspiration can be found in national and international case study competitions within accounting and relevant disciplines of finance, economics and management. These challenges invite students to write a case or essay to address a predetermined problem. Recent examples include Accounting 4 Sustainability’s case competition inviting students to develop specific solutions to reflect a sound commitment to action on human rights within business and the 8th student writing competition from the UN PRME UK and Ireland. These competitions are relatively straightforward to integrate into accounting and finance programmes and often deliver multiple outcomes in an engaging, purposeful and collaborative activity.From valuation to costing and reporting, sustainability matters and will continue to do so. Given its importance, the approaches outlined above illustrate the continued collective effort across academia and the profession to ensure accounting professionals can effectively and ethically address the risks associated with unsustainability. For educators, it may seem as though there’s limited, if any, spare time to incorporate the teaching of sustainable practices. But if we come together and engage in a collective, not competitive, endeavour, then we can work smarter to embed sustainability. Not acting is not a sustainable strategy.Shona Russell is a senior lecturer in the School of Management at the University of St Andrews. Ian Thomson is a professor at the University of Dundee School of Business.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

There is an imperative for sustainable accountancy education

Finance and accounting educators have a moral obligation to embed the principles of the SDGs into their courses. Thankfully, it’s easier than ever to do, write Shona Russell and Ian Thomson

The climate crisis heralds an imperative for sustainable accountancy practices

Technical innovations alone cannot resolve the climate crisis. Solutions must emerge from grass-roots efforts that address the needs of entire societies.Central to this effort is the representation of women in decision-making processes where policies and actions are crafted and implemented. Despite women comprising half of society, women’s voices and perspectives are often absent from crucial discussions. A case in point is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of Parties (COP) events, where the collective vision for combating climate change is shaped by 197 countries. At COP events in Glasgow, Egypt and the UAE, I have observed that men overwhelmingly dominate the discourse — 74 per cent of plenary attendees at COP26 in 2021 were men.&nbsp;What I learned from COP28:&nbsp;In-person events are still necessaryDriving change: creating student-NGO partnerships for climate solutionsA practical approach to tackling eco-anxietyMy observations at these events were sadly unsurprising. Three decades ago, I embarked on my professional journey in international development, during an era focused on “women in development”. My work, which centred on designing and implementing clean cookstoves for rural women in India, was addressing a climate-related issue, but we didn’t realise the significance of this at the time.Today, the disconnect between women’s needs and the solutions offered persists and underscores a fundamental issue: the absence of a gender-focused approach to problem-solving. While the terminology has evolved to encompass broader gender perspectives, gender parity in decision-making roles has not. Alarmingly, the relative position and power of women leaders have deteriorated over the years, exacerbated by their disproportionate exposure to climate change impacts and associated challenges, including gender-based violence and mental health strains. With the clock ticking on the climate emergency, urgent action is imperative.&nbsp;Universities have a pivotal role to play in redressing gender parity in decision-making. They are well placed to foster awareness and develop the capability among students to approach climate science (and the area of sustainability more generally) with gender neutrality. This agenda must be central for our future leaders, no matter what their gender.The way forward, as I see it, is to build capacity among our student population. We need to consider embedding not just relevant support in terms of learning and teaching material within courses but positioning the concept of “inter-generational climate justice” at the core of what is being taught. Inter-generational climate justice is concerned with acting now to meet the needs of future generations. Our students are our future leaders, whom I believe can instinctively drive gender parity in the climate space.By way of approach, my advice follows three basic steps that revolve around co-creation, co-understanding and co-producing solutions via bottom-up rather than top-down thinking.&nbsp;The three steps need to be tailored and embedded around the specific subjects being taught, and the steps are also a good way of introducing the idea of gender neutrality.&nbsp;The first is a process of enquiry to understand the basics from students on their opinions and understanding of gender-nuanced thinking and climate change.The second is initiating conversations and discussions to uncover what they perceive as the challenges and which of these they consider to be important to overcome and break barriers. This could be policy, practice, behavioural change or attitudes.&nbsp;The third step is to co-produce solutions in the context of course and subject matter that can be taken away and put into practice. This could be immediate takeaways in day-to-day activities or carried forward, so that the inspiration and motivation remain as graduates move into their future careers.&nbsp;Ultimately, it is important to effectively communicate and demonstrate the relevance of gender balance in the subject being studied. Critical issues on gender should be integrated across a range of programmes to a point that our students become “gender-just intrinsic thinkers” in tackling climate change.My experiences at events such as COP underscore the necessity for societal transformations that are both climate-smart and climate-just, with women’s leadership playing a central role. Achieving gender balance goes beyond mere representation; it necessitates a profound shift towards gender-sensitive decision-making processes. This entails prioritising training and awareness initiatives, particularly among the younger generation – our future leaders – who will shape the discourse in the coming decades.As an educator and advocate for climate justice, I am privileged to influence change through learning at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU). By sharing insights gleaned from my experiences across 16 countries, I contribute to fostering a climate-conscious mindset and empowering future leaders to drive meaningful change. It aligns with GCU’s commitment to climate justice and the common good, embodying the imperative for collective action in addressing the climate crisis.&nbsp;Tahseen Jafry is director of the Mary Robinson Centre for Climate Justice in the department of civil engineering and environmental management at Glasgow Caledonian University.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Empowering women leaders in climate action

Achieving gender balance goes beyond mere representation, writes Tahseen Jafry. Tackling the climate crisis necessitates a profound shift among the next generation of leaders towards gender-sensitive decision-making processes

Empowering women leaders in fighting climate change: a call to action 

During a recent online seminar seeking to help practitioners prepare for sustainability reporting, comments such as this appeared in the chat: “What has this got to do with accountants? It is political virtue signalling and a huge burden on business…this is a job creation scheme for accountants which, in my view, is completely unethical.”There was also this: “…politicians can keep their busy-bodies out of private enterprise as far as I&nbsp;am concerned.”It’s impossible to know if the contributors are climate change deniers or believe business has no role to play in sustainability. Perhaps they fear that their knowledge, skills and experiences are outdated. Regardless, such comments indicate the challenge facing politicians, regulators, professional bodies and educators tackling sustainability reporting and assurance. The greatest obstacles are not frameworks, regulations or disclosures. It’s hearts and minds that place accounting educators in a crucial position, at least for our future accountants and leaders.Sustainability represents humanity’s biggest and most complex challenge since mass industrialisation. Every aspect of society worldwide is affected: environment, politics, economy, communities, jobs and lifestyles.There’s an overwhelming body of accounting regulations and resources. Which regulations will apply to which entities or by when is also unclear. So the challenge for accounting educators is significant, important, urgent and unclear. Previous knowledge, skills and experience are insufficient. If you are not alarmed, you’ve not been paying attention.Where to start with sustainability accountingThe first step is to accept that sustainability accounting is coming, whether you’re ready or not. Businesses are grappling with its challenges. It’s already part of the reporting landscape, and its importance will likely only increase. Very soon, every qualified accountant will need sustainability accounting competencies. If our students are to be “future-fit”, they’ll require a sustainability mindset. So will educators.But where do you start? Our attention spans have limits, and there’s an overabundance of information. It’s no surprise if you feel unsure, hesitant and overwhelmed. But there’s no need to panic. You won’t become an expert overnight, and nobody expects you to.The fundamentals of sustainability accounting are not complicated. It focuses on resource use, emphasising continued availability for current and future generations. This simple approach emphasises that resources are limited like an entity’s cash. Sustainability affects all businesses and not just energy-intensive or extractive industries.Consider the way we teach accounting for inventories. Traditionally, we may have encouraged our students to think that accounting for inventory starts when materials are purchased. A sustainability mindset expands the focus and seeks to capture elements that financial accounting cannot. We can provoke questions about where inventories are sourced from and where they end up.Resource collection: How universities can work towards the SDGsTeaching business students how to prepare sustainability reports for SMEsIn-person events are still necessaryFor example, the fashion industry faces several sustainability and ethical challenges related to inventory:Many synthetic fabrics don’t biodegrade, aren’t easy to recycle, and release microplastics and greenhouse gases during manufacturing and decompositionNatural materials, such as cotton, use significant amounts of water and pesticides. Silk is woven by silkworms that are mostly boiled or gassed alive inside their cocoonsLeather production processes also concern animal welfare and require harmful chemicals and energy use.These are just a few of the issues relating to the materials. There are also ethical concerns related to animal welfare, working conditions, modern slavery, shipping and transport and the impacts of fast fashion.Here are some examples related to the electronics industry:The manufacturing process demands rare earth elements, aluminium and lithium, and creates pollution and water contaminationShort lifespans lead to increased electronic waste, affecting emissions and landfills, exacerbated by poor resource recycling and recovery ratesSending and storing data requires electricity to power cooling systems and servers.Sustainability Accounting and Accountability by Matias Laine, Helen Tregidga and Jeffrey Unerman explains sustainability concepts brilliantly and establishes relevant connections within an accounting context.Discussions such as those outlined above provide an opportunity to explore externalities, an important concept in sustainability accounting, and not a common consideration within conventional accounting. Externalities are impacts arising from the activities of an entity that are borne by others. We recommend Corporate Reporting and Accounting for Externalities by Jeffrey Unerman, Jan Bebbington and Brendan O’Dwyer for a clear and insightful discussion about them.Emissions are a good example. We have compelling scientific evidence that, as a result of human activity, greenhouse gas emissions are a leading cause of a warming climate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) expects “widespread adverse impacts related to losses and damages to nature and people”.Accounting for externalities is one way to highlight the connection between businesses and climate responsibilities. Increasingly, it’s an area that some businesses are embracing. Puma is a multinational sportswear manufacturer that publishes an environmental profit and loss account that measures and quantifies its environmental impact. It’s an excellent example to use with students as it presents useful information but acknowledges that the methodology is imperfect.An activity to try with your studentsThe discussion about inventory above might be a useful primer for students to explore an entity’s considerations when acquiring a noncurrent asset, say, a piece of manufacturing equipment. You might ask them to consider the purchase with a traditional accounting lens. For example, the costs of acquisition, installation, expected useful economic life and residual value.Then add a layer using a sustainability lens. We have found that students are keen to engage in this type of discussion, raising insightful and intelligent observations. Discussion points might include:Estimated emissions from producing the assetProjected emissions from using the assetWill the equipment produce sustainable products?Do operators require training (health, safety, product cycle) that will improve the asset’s sustainability (emissions and useful economic life)?Will maintenance of the asset use sustainable resources?Can the asset be rectified, modified or enhanced or upgraded to prolong its life?What happens to any waste produced by using the asset?What are the environmental aspects of disposal? Can the equipment be repurposed?What are the trade-offs between sustainability and economic factors?The answers are harder to provide than the questions, but that’s true for the sustainability landscape more generally. The available datasets for sustainability reporting are hard to identify, immature and often outside an entity’s direct control. It’s fair to say that sustainability reporting is vague and still being created. We can expect radical changes over the next few years. It might be hard to keep up, but developing a sustainability mindset for yourself and your students seems like a good place to start.Sulaiman Aliyu and Toby York are senior lecturers at Middlesex University Business School.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Sustainability accounting is coming: here’s how to navigate

We can expect radical changes in sustainability accounting over the next few years. Developing a sustainability mindset for yourself and your students seems like a good place to start, write Sulaiman Aliyu and Toby York

Sustainability accounting is coming: here’s how to navigate it

At the heart of the Empty Bowls Project lies a potent symbol of the hunger that afflicts individuals, families and communities worldwide. The handmade bowls that diners choose and use at this public event serve as tangible reminders of the need to address food insecurity and poverty and highlight our shared responsibility to help fill the plates of those in need.In the fall of 2011, my students and I accepted the challenge to address food insecurity through a service-learning ceramics course. For the past 13 years, design students at Virginia Tech (VT) have worked to design and produce soup bowls in partnership with local organisations to raise awareness and financial support for feeding the hungry.&nbsp;As part of this project, the students craft the bowls, of course, but they are also empowered to be actively engaged in all details of the event itself, in essence co-creating their own learning experience. For example, they source soup recipes from relatives or friends, prepare the food for the community dinner, think about what bowl shapes are best for the soup, advertise the event, design and screen-print T-shirts, and run the day-of activities. People come back year after year to participate in the meal. Students see first-hand the tangible impact on the local area and how their commitment improves the community’s well-being. Linking learning to community service and engagementThe phrase “service learning” is used on the VT campus to ensure that community outreach is part of course learning outcomes. Many of our service-learning projects are about improving health and wellness in Virginia. Bringing together community engagement and the eradication of food insecurity, in this case, demonstrates the capacity of our design students to address a vexing problem here and abroad and how design can empower people and their communities. 
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During the course, students choose a ceramics-making method that they will use over and over to create pinch- or slab-formed bowls using sheets of clay or bowls thrown on a wheel or made through moulds. As part of the process, they learn the fundamentals of industrial design, where objects must be replicable and the production scalable. At the end, we have hundreds of vessels for the local Empty Bowls project. Empty Bowls is a national grass-roots movement of artists and crafters who host community meals, donate their art and raise money to combat food insecurity. Community service is one of the four pillars of the department of design. When our students leave our university, they will have experienced some form of community engagement. I believe that most VT students who graduate feel empowered by design and engaged as activists towards a healthy, happy future for their communities and themselves. Bright students can apply their critical-thinking and advanced making skills and their specialties in design where they live. Universities’ responsibilities to their local areaAs a land-grant university, we at VT have a responsibility not only to give back to our community but also to instil in students a commitment to civic involvement and community leadership. Food insecurity in Virginia is a result of economic disparities, geographical challenges, and social and systemic factors, and hunger perpetuates cycles of poverty and contributes to health disparities.The act of serving food to others is deeply rooted in cultural, social and emotional contexts; it fosters connections&nbsp;and&nbsp;nurtures relationships. Design in food service is not just about crafting functional&nbsp;serving vessels but also about fusing aesthetics, sustainability and cultural expression into a nourishing event that can be memorable for all who share the table. Discussing rituals for eating with emerging adults is joyful and illuminating, as they are often navigating personal accountability for their own food intake. Through the Empty Bowls project, ceramic design students have raised more than $20,000 (£16,000) for Micah’s Backpack, a community programme that provides food assistance to area children. For the past four years, we have partnered with Plenty!, a farm and food bank in Floyd County, Virginia, boosting fundraising fourfold through collaboration with Tour de Dirt, a public bike ride in the Blue Ridge Mountains.Service-learning projects create meaningful and authentic connections between students and the community. VT has a formal programme for finding and expanding community outreach programmes – through VT Engage – and this is a model that other institutions can also adapt. I like to send my students off to internships, but I also like to use the resources we have on campus to better the community because a lot of our graduates will stay in Virginia. I think people need entry-level opportunities to become mindful citizens. If we are successful, through this project, our students learn that if we each give a little, the greater community benefits exponentially. Martha Sullivan is department chair and associate professor of practice in the industrial design programme in the School of Design at Virginia Tech. She received the School of Architecture + Design outreach award and an excellence in teaching award in 2022.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Fostering student co-creation to give back to the community

Engaging in local civic projects offers students meaningful learning opportunities, fosters co-creation and supports the community at large. Here, Martha Sullivan outlines the benefits based on working with the Empty Bowls project

The United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) events have been criticised for the carbon emissions created when thousands of delegates take long-haul flights to get there. Some claim that Zoom meetings would be preferable. I worried about this myself and gave several virtual talks at COP27. However, my first in-person attendance, at COP28 in Dubai, has convinced me of the value of meeting physically. Everyone I met was in the climate game and had useful insights to share, enabling me to cross-check points made by others to see which ideas stood up to scrutiny. COPs attract international media attention as member states gather to agree policies associated with climate change. COP28, which was held over two weeks in November and December, had a record 84,000 attendees, including leading scientists, journalists and members of the public. It’s a key annual event in which the higher education sector has a clear role to play. 
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Here are strategies I have learned to maximise the benefits that in-person events can bring for individual researchers and HE. Make the most of incidental networking opportunitiesWe are all, rightly, under pressure to integrate the UN’s sustainable development goals into our teaching. In my view, the most pressing of these relate to the need to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions before we pass tipping points that we can’t come back from. However, to do this well, we need to stay up to date with the latest climate solutions. Many ideas that sound great in practice solve one problem by creating another. Some won’t work or will only work with trial and error and huge investment. But we must find a way to sort the wheat from the chaff. I’ve learned the necessity of this from experience. I’ve been running a sustainable hairdressing project for more than a decade and initially thought sustainable palm oil was a green alternative. It isn’t, and thinking it is matters when around half of the products sold in supermarkets contain palm oil. The green solution is using less – shampooing less often, supplementing with&nbsp;dry shampoo and using options such as leave-in conditioner. This reduces the carbon footprint of haircare by several thousand per cent, because most of the carbon footprint of hair care is in the energy used to heat hot water. Less resource-intensive hair-care routines are also better for the hair and skin, less time-consuming and save money. It’s a great example of how using less increases rather than decreases our quality of life. But this is not a message you will get from businesses that profit from unnecessary consumption. I had no sooner voiced the question of how to address the issue of marketing than the person sitting next to me on the metro home had a solution. His proposal was to charge a dollar for every dollar spent on advertising. The money goes into a central fund to be distributed to carbon dioxide removal projects. I loved it! I’d spent time throughout 2023, checking out the UN website, contacting the names of coordinators of the various pavilions at COP to see where I could usefully contribute, but I got just as much from these kinds of unplanned encounters by simply talking to the person next to me. Use speaking invitations to form or reinforce connectionsI did a joint talk with a fellow climate fiction writer, engineer Steve Wallis, who has turned to writing novels to share details of projects that would make a difference, as well as a form of therapy for himself. I had worked with him on an anthology for COP27 called No More Fairy Tales: Stories to Save our Planet. Our discussions led to development of a new novel, Fairhaven, with which we aim to present a vision of a workable future through the story of a young Malaysian engineer who works on a huge climate adaptation and mitigation project. Steve sees it as a blueprint for action for low-lying lands such as Penang.Seek out like-minded scholarsAlso at COP28, I bonded with a couple who ran the “extreme hangout zone” over our shared desire to engage wider audiences in climate action. They liked my Green Stories Project, and I loved their approach, which was to engage sports celebrities in spreading the climate message. I’m based at the University of Southampton, UK, and we have celebrity football players. We discussed hosting an extreme hangout where a local football player would bring in the crowds with a talk on what young people can do about the climate crisis. The advice here is to introduce yourself. People are there to network, learn and share. If they’re there, they’re almost certainly keen to talk about why. Despite the shared theme of climate, there was a clear division between those who thought we could continue with business as usual and those who didn’t. It’s easy to find those on your wavelength, but often you can learn just as much from those who aren’t. How to turn in-person events into successful engagement This is what COP28 offers – a chance to form alliances, learn from each other and share ideas for action. It is an invaluable forum for meeting kindred spirits, bouncing ideas around and forming collaborative partnerships. Take with you an open mind and eagerness to learn, and if you get tired, just sit on a bench and talk to the person next to you. The chances are that either you or they will learn something useful. Denise Baden is a professor of sustainable business in the Southampton Business School and lead on the Green Stories Project at the University of Southampton. If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How to make the most of international in-person events

Should academics be travelling to events that could be done virtually? Drawing on her experiences at COP28, Denise Baden shares tips on how to make the most of these events – and why a chance to form alliances, learn from each other and share ideas for action make it worth being present

In-person events are still necessary

It was the student voice that provided the impetus for the initial scoping of a £6.45 million decarbonisation project at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). The conservatoire’s climate action group approached members of the executive team to ask the institution to declare a climate emergency – and we could not in all conscience do so without being able to say we were doing all we could to address it on an institutional level. So, the inciting relationship for the programme was the one between the RNCM and its students. Then, other robust partnerships were essential in delivering this ambitious work while keeping the institution fully open and accessible to students 18 hours per day, seven days per week. 
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The result was that in 2021-22, through the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) public sector decarbonisation scheme (and funded by Salix), the RNCM delivered a programme of works to decarbonise our building and radically reduce our carbon impact via the delivery of a full building retrofit, which was to include: 
	full roof replacement and cavity wall insulation to improve thermal efficiency
	a new building energy management system
	four-pipe hybrid air source heat pump solution
	high-efficiency replacement chiller
	replacement pumps and motors
	solar photovoltaics
	smart metering 
	significant upgrades to electrical infrastructure
	replacement transformer and 
	1 megawatt of battery storage. 
Build partnerships that tie funding to deliveryThe process of securing significant programme funding from Salix was complex, for which a strong, joined-up partnership was critical to its success; going it alone was not an option. In particular, clearly defined links with GMCA’s low-carbon team were essential in providing guarantees to Salix that we could demonstrate strong feasibility and meet tight deadlines, as well as a clear idea of what the carbon outcomes related to their funding would be at a subregional level. At a time when other programme partners were forced to return money to Salix as their projects proved undeliverable, the RNCM’s ability to react quickly to additional opportunities helped us to demonstrate that we were able to spend their money considerately and effectively. Move quickly, keep an open mind, think criticallyOnce funding was secured from Salix, the deadline imposed by the scheme meant that we had to mobilise the project team and associated contractors very quickly. The creation of a cohesive, open-minded project team (see Additional Links) was crucial to the project’s development and delivery. The team fostered a critical-thinking culture where nothing was off the table and “no ideas are stupid”, necessitated by the need to deliver an ambitious and complex programme of works in a live academic facility. Detailed programming between the RNCM and its contractors was required to keep activity to a schedule that minimised disruption and noise within a live music-teaching environment. The project team used granular detail of what learning, teaching and performing activity was booked, where and when, resulting in an unconventional delivery pattern that included extensive out-of-hours and overnight work. Use measurable success to catalyse changeThe success of the project partnership is evident in the delivery of the works and the results: the works will save an estimated 389 tonnes of carbon annually, lowering our on-site gas usage by 41 per cent. Current data shows in-year kWh savings for on-site gas use have already exceeded 50 per cent. The RNCM has retained the same project team for its next major capital project, to redevelop our library, again with the aim of securing Salix funding. Salix is increasingly looking for evidence-based research and evaluation in funding proposals; the experience and track record of delivery of the RNCM’s robust partnership places us in a strong position to maintain this funding relationship. The project has been a catalyst for change across the RNCM:
	By listening to the student voice at all levels of the institution, up to the principal, we put into action a cohesive programme that produced demonstrable results and led to the RNCM declaring a climate emergency as requested by our students. 
	The conservatoire’s board and finance committee are fully aware of the needs, opportunities and benefits of decarbonisation and other sustainability programmes, which is reflected in a new performance and programme theme for 2023-24, The Future Is Green. 
Finally, we hope to use networks and partnerships to inform the wider higher education sector’s activity addressing the climate emergency. As chair of Conservatoires UK, RNCM principal Linda Merrick has presided over the establishment of a new environmental forum to develop and share best practice across the sector, and we hope other conservatoires and HE institutions can learn from our experience. The approaches we have taken, through the partnerships we have developed, are replicable by other institutions, whatever sector they operate in.Dominic Wood is head of environment and facilities at the Royal Northern College of Music.The Royal Northern College of Music decarbonisation scheme has been shortlisted for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership in the Times Higher Education Awards 2023&nbsp;#THEAwards. Click here for a full list of shortlisted candidates. Academics and university leaders from across the UK and Ireland will come together on 6-7 December at&nbsp;THE&nbsp;Campus Live UK&amp;IE&nbsp;to talk about institutional strategies, teaching and learning, the student experience and more.&nbsp;Join us&nbsp;for this two-day event in Liverpool.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

From listening to the student voice to creating joined-up partnerships, success on major capital works depends on teamwork. Here, Dominic Wood outlines key elements to ensure project delivery and reap long-term benefits

Using partnerships to establish and build on project success

Street homelessness is a global phenomenon and an extreme manifestation of social injustice with profound negative consequences for individuals and communities. Yet, until recently, international collaboration to address this issue was virtually absent outside Europe. In 2017, the Institute of Global Homelessness launched A Place to Call Home, the first concerted effort to eradicate street homelessness globally across an initial 13 “vanguard cities”, from Montevideo in Uruguay to Bengaluru in India and from Tshwane, South Africa, to Edmonton, Canada. 
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The role of Heriot-Watt University’s Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research (I-SPHERE), in partnership with the GISS Institute in Bremen, Germany, and funded by the Oak Foundation, was to provide the independent evaluation of the initiative. This involved monitoring progress towards the numerical goals set by each city but also, crucially, drawing out successful interventions and common barriers across six continents. Organising an evaluation of a project with this scale is a formidable challenge. Here are the seven lessons we learned.Work collaboratively with resident researchers The benefit of working with resident researchers who were fully embedded in each city was immeasurable. The researchers brought on-the-ground community insights that added value throughout the process. Ensuring those working in front-line services were interviewed by resident researchers in their local dialects demonstrated our respect and consideration for the cities we were operating in. It can be damaging for relationships when researchers helicopter in, take information and helicopter out. While it takes considerable time to find, brief and build trust with resident researchers, we found that integrating this into the project timeline was invaluable. Contract your expectationsA clear set of expectations and deliverables, and a timetable, was agreed with each resident researcher at the project’s outset. This helped ease the challenges of working with partners across six continents with differing levels of experience. By agreeing protocols in contract format, we were protected legally, but this process must be respectfully managed. We took considerable time to get this right, seeking legal advice and support from our institution.Stay nimble to changing events We scoped our evaluation before the pandemic, but as lockdown hit, we had to pivot rapidly and approach the research in a radically different way. We changed our approach to accommodate remote interviews and made changes to the timetable to adapt to Covid peaks in different countries. Our stakeholder relationships, including our close collaboration with resident researchers and the trust we built with local homeless strategy leads, meant that we were well placed to be agile and quickly adapt to a changing world without affecting the study’s success. Co-design your research instruments To enable rigorous comparative data that drew out common barriers and successful interventions, it was essential that we standardised our research instruments. However, this had to be balanced against highly diverse city and cultural contexts. Our instruments needed to make sense to all individuals taking part. Achieving this balance was, perhaps, our biggest intellectual challenge. In some cities, families with children were sleeping rough, while in others it was limited to single people. We consulted closely with our resident researchers on the local applicability of each tool to deliver the rich set of data we needed. Forge a two-way relationshipBefore asking A Place to Call Home project leads in each city to take part in an evaluation, it is helpful to consider how their participation will benefit them. Initially, we faced wariness from some city stakeholders who were unaware that their work would be evaluated in this way. To win over hearts and minds, we reconsidered how we could give more back to the project leaders. Through discussions, we unearthed an appetite for bespoke feedback seminars, grouping relevant cities together so they could hear and learn from each other. These interim sessions proved essential when finessing our final outcomes and built lasting connections among and within each city. By the end of the study, we’d overcome stakeholder anxiety by making the evaluation of value to each city, focusing on lessons learned rather than judgement. Take control of the logisticsA global evaluation of this scale requires serious logistical considerations, including coordinating data-sharing agreements, local payments and translation requirements. The time required for logistics far outweighs a standard research project and the research lead can’t do it all. I highly recommend working with a dedicated project manager alongside someone with professional legal expertise. Working in seven languages as well as local dialects in some cities required trusted translation capabilities to interpret local language nuances. This required a bespoke service tailored by city. Perhaps most challenging of all was managing complex payment arrangements for resident researchers across six continents. Working with the CORRA Foundation, a facilitating charity, allowed us to effectively navigate these difficulties. Create a lasting legacy Our transformative evaluation findings, published in April 2022 and shortlisted for a THE Award, provided crucial evidence to local and national governments, giving local stakeholders a resource with which to lobby for change. It demonstrated for the first time that comparisons spanning diverse contexts in the Global North and South are both methodologically possible and invaluable when tackling street homelessness. With robust project management, expert legal advice and, perhaps most importantly, investing the time to build robust local relationships, we’ve created a lasting legacy for the next phase of A Place to Call Home and taken one step closer to ending street homelessness across the globe. Suzanne Fitzpatrick is the director of the Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research (I-SPHERE) at Heriot-Watt University. Heriot-Watt University has been shortlisted for International Collaboration of the Year at the&nbsp;Times Higher Education&nbsp;Awards 2023&nbsp;#THEAwards. See the full list of shortlisted candidates.&nbsp;Winners will be announced at a ceremony on 7 December in Liverpool.Academics and university leaders from across the UK and Ireland will come together that week at&nbsp;THE&nbsp;Campus Live UK&amp;IE&nbsp;to talk about institutional strategies, teaching and learning, the student experience and more.&nbsp;Join us&nbsp;for this two-day event in Liverpool.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How to carry out a large-scale international evaluation

From working with resident researchers to navigating local salary schemes, Suzanne Fitzpatrick offers lessons on how to carry out a large-scale international evaluation programme 

Case study: how to do an independent evaluation on homelessness on six continents

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) produce about 60&nbsp;per cent of carbon dioxide emissions and about 70&nbsp;per cent of all pollution. Sustainability reports can help these organisations to realise their negative impacts and spur them to act to reduce excess energy use and curb waste and pollution.Research has shown, however, that SMEs often lack awareness, time, financial resources and expertise to produce sustainability reports. To encourage SMEs to start on this journey, they require training and help.We believe that the University of Southampton is the first institution to harness the power of the international, independent Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to create a framework to teach students how to report sustainability for SMEs. By using the GRI, we can help SMEs become more transparent and take responsibility for their impact on people, the economy and the planet. Not only will this sustainability reporting help to fight climate change, but it will contribute to alleviating poverty, too. The GRI sustainability standards help businesses, governments and other bodies to communicate their impacts on issues such as climate change, human rights and corruption.Bring the SDGs into the classroom through role play and gamificationMaking sustainability part of university DNAUniversities must follow business and place ‘purpose’ front and centreConsistent with Southampton’s Triple Helix strategy of fusing research, education, and knowledge exchange and enterprise, our model, Kickstarting Sustainability Reporting for SMEs (KSSRI), involves students, academic staff and SMEs working together to produce sustainability reports.Before we could start, our department of accounting had to secure GRI-certified training partner status. Academic staff were trained in sustainability reporting; they then developed the relevant sustainability modules and supervised students to help SMEs produce sustainability reports.Teaching students to produce sustainability reportsOur syllabus consisted of:definition of sustainabilitythe role of sustainability reporting in reducing global warmingGRI sustainability reporting standards (GRI 1, 2, 3 and topic standards) and preparation of a sustainability reportGreenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG) regulatory framework and guidancesources and calculation of greenhouse gas emissionspreparation of greenhouse gas emissions statementappraisal of sustainability performance based on a greenhouse gas emissions statement and a sustainability report.Teaching can come in a variety of forms: lectures, case studies and presentations from guest speakers. Students can be encouraged to read publicly available sustainability reports to get ideas.The benefits of teaching the moduleStudents gain valuable experiential learning to support their employability. We found that academic colleagues’ experience of working with SMEs enriches the lectures that they deliver to students.Once a sustainability report is produced, an SME will experience pressure from stakeholders to reduce negative impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions. This helps to fight climate change.Challenges of teaching within the GRI frameworkThe GRI framework, which is the basis of our syllabus, applies to all companies, big or small, public or private. The course requires the students to collect three types of information:GRI 2: general disclosures 2021 information (the students capture information on: the organisation and its reporting practices; activities and workers; governance; strategy, policies and practices; and stakeholder engagement)GRI 3: material topicsTopic standards.Students may lack understanding of business managementThe main challenge encountered is that some information required to prepare the sustainability report assumes a certain level of knowledge of business management structures and operations on the part of the students. Also, some information might not be applicable or the SMEs might not have it. For example, GRI 2-9 to GRI 2-21 require information regarding corporate governance, such as nomination and selection committees, delegation of responsibility for managing economic, environmental and social impacts, conflicts of interest and remuneration policies.Students unfamiliar with corporate governance will struggle to understand the meaning of terminologies such as “nomination and selection” committees. Lack of understanding of corporate governance becomes problematic when the students ask for such information from SME owners/managers, who might also not understand the terminology or might not have such committees.To overcome gaps in understanding of corporate governance and how businesses operate, we go through all the information required by GRI standards in preparing sustainability reports. We make sure that the students understand the nature of the information requested and that they can confidently explain it to an SME owner or manager.We encourage students to have an initial meeting with the SMEs to find out more about their operations and management. Based on the meeting, the students will then eliminate questions from the GRI requirements that are not applicable to a particular SME. To make sure that the sustainability report complies with GRI requirements, students include reasons for any omissions.Lack of textbooks on sustainability reportingSustainability reporting is an emerging area, so there are no textbooks that you can refer students to other than the GRI sustainability standards. The lecturers had to produce new material – such as videos and examples of published sustainability reports – so the students could better understand the module. The lecturers are now writing a textbook to address this shortage.SMEs themselves don’t value sustainability reportsAwareness of the value of sustainability reports among SMEs is not universal. To address this, we invited SME owners/managers to a sustainability reporting awareness event at the University of Southampton that explained why sustainability reporting was important for their business.SMEs tend to keep minimal records, but the first sustainability report does not have to have all the information required. What is important is to identify where the information gaps are and then take steps to get that information.Students might lack reporting and design skillsNot only do students need to be fully conversant with GRI standards, but to complete the sustainability report, they will need to have adequate design skills to produce the brochure at the end.To make sure that students can produce a professional-standard sustainability report, they are advised to learn publishing software such as Canva, Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Publishing or Visme. Students are given information that was used to produce sustainability reports and asked to use it to practise publishing a sustainability report professionally.Impact of engaging with SMEs to boost sustainability awarenessThe greatest benefit that this project will deliver is its contribution to fighting climate change. Given that what is measured and reported gets managed, working with SMEs to help them prepare sustainability reports will make them realise their negative impacts. Such realisation will spur them to act to reduce negative impacts such as energy use, waste and pollution. Thus, sustainability reports are critical in triggering action to fight climate change. But also, by producing a sustainability report, SMEs gain an advantage over competitors, reduce costs and attract new customers.In our first year, we helped three SMEs to publish their first sustainability reports, and this year we added 15 more SMEs. We now have a model that can work internationally; and next year, we will start to work with universities in Africa and Asia to set them up so that they can adopt our model and make a difference.Ven Tauringana is professor of accounting and sustainability at the University of Southampton Business School.&nbsp;This article was produced with editing support from Lesley Taunton, internal communications manager at the University of Southampton.&nbsp;Kickstarting Sustainability Reporting for SMEs Internationally was fully funded by Higher Education Innovation Funding.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Teaching sustainability reporting to business students

In engaging with small and medium-sized enterprises, universities can raise SMEs’ awareness of their own climate impacts. Here, Ven Tauringana shares a model for teaching accounting students how to produce sustainability reports

Teaching business students how to prepare sustainability reports for SMEs

Knowledge exchange requires capturing your audience’s attention. Given that humans are hard-wired to enjoy stories, adapting your content as a story can bring it alive. We are 22 times more likely to remember information if it is presented in a story, according to reports. The learning is often subliminal, with audiences typically believing it was information they already knew and denying it was acquired from a story.Drawing on my experience running the Green Stories project, I show how storytelling – with a protagonist and an arc that includes a goal, obstacles and a resolution – can be a creative means to facilitate knowledge exchange, public engagement and impact generation. This is crucial because&nbsp;impact case studies as much as publications now determine how universities are rated in terms of the effects of their research on the world. 
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My experience provides solid evidence that stories aimed at a mainstream audience with green solutions embedded can affect behaviour. I wrote the rom-com Habitat Man as a way to share information about sustainable practices with a wider audience. The story follows a man who gives up his city job to become a wildlife gardener. In the process he falls in love and digs up a body. Research revealed that 98 per cent of readers adopted at least one of the green solutions mentioned. These included wildlife gardening, composting and even changing their will to specify a natural burial, showing that embedding climate solutions within a rom-com or cosy mystery can reach wider audiences than writing them into an academic paper.Using a writing competition to raise issue awareness The Green Stories project has run several writing competitions to raise awareness of topics.&nbsp;This has turned out to be an effective means to engage writers and readers.&nbsp;Clean vs Green, for example, encouraged writers to incorporate research on hygiene and optimal cleaning practices. The goal was to educate about the difference between viruses and bacteria and the importance of friendly bacteria. This had become especially relevant after Covid-19 led to over-cleaning in some. A survey of 77 readers of the top six stories found that messages embedded into the stories significantly changed attitudes and behavioural intentions one month after reading the stories. Using stories to illuminate research for policy impactPutting research results into a story can also make it easier for politicians and policymakers to absorb and digest the information than theoretical explanation. Decision-makers are exposed to expert opinions from researchers from different disciplines, but what they need to know is how an idea might work in practice. For example, how might a climate policy affect all other systems? Who will benefit and who won’t? Politicians often need to get complex ideas over to a broad audience, but these are not easy to capture in a soundbite. Stories can draw on common schemas that we are familiar with and help us deal with complexity. An example is the interactive play Murder in the Citizen’s Jury, set in a citizens’ assembly, where eight people meet to debate climate solutions. The whodunnit provides an entertaining way to explore key climate solutions in depth. Each character considers how each proposed solution would affect them, and the audience is encouraged to vote on which climate solutions they like. The play, which is available royalty-free, is a fun way to educate the public about climate solutions and provide feedback for policymakers. For example, one solution proposed in the play is a system of personal carbon allowances, also known as personal carbon trading. (This idea was floated in 2007 but we didn’t have the carbon footprint knowledge that we have now to make it feasible.) The interactive play provides insights into the likely public reactions to such ideas.Using stories to explore future scenariosScience fiction is well known for anticipating technologies and helping us to imagine how they might interact with human societies. But what about more political or economic innovations? A recent Green Stories project teamed experienced writers (sourced from the Climate Fiction Writers League and our own previous competition winners) with climate experts (sourced from our own contacts) to create an anthology of 24 stories,&nbsp;No More Fairy Tales: Stories to Save Our Planet. Each story showcases transformative climate solutions, and readers can see how to help make them happen by following links to the accompanying&nbsp;website. The stories, in genres including romance, whodunnit and family drama, highlighted climate solutions ranging from nature-based carbon-drawdown projects and legal approaches to technical engineering-type stories and stories that addressed systemic aspects of our political economy and culture. They are already having an impact: three stories that explored the idea of giving nation status to the ocean were shared at a recent ocean summit and were proposed for the agenda at the next world ocean summit. These have led to a novel, Fairhaven, which is being shared at COP28. The format of the anthology reflects learning theory. When we first hear an idea, it has nowhere in our brain to go. But the next time we come across the idea, it is more familiar and ties into more connections. When we hear it a third time, it gains more credibility. In the anthology, we seed the key ideas in a couple of broad stories that cover a range of solutions. Then key solutions are explored in more depth in individual stories. The final story, like the first two, brings together many of these ideas again in a new way. This way the anthology follows the classic structure of introduction of an idea, in-depth explanation and consolidation. If the reader is enthused, we provide a link so they can go to a website to find out more how to progress any idea that engages them.Denise Baden is a professor of sustainable business in the Southampton Business School (SBS) and lead on the Green Stories Project at the University of Southampton.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Presenting sustainability research in a story – with a protagonist, goal and resolution – can bridge the gap between complex theory and real-world results for wider audiences and policymakers alike 

How storytelling boosts environmental impact and engagement

Imagine a scenario where students walk into a room and, without any introductions or explanations, they are assigned one of three roles: a team member, a worker or a buyer.&nbsp;Then they move to their designated work areas, filled with uncertainty, and find lanyards, torn pieces of paper, scissors and cloth bags.&nbsp;The students who drew “team member” roles learn that they must make as much money as possible by working to make products with the paper. Anything not sold and all other materials are then waste.The “workers” are told their aim is to meet their given weekly household costs by picking up the waste generated by the teams and selling it to the buyers.And the “buyers” are tasked to make as much money as possible by buying the waste from the workers and selling it to the recycler (a role played by a facilitator) for a higher margin.Over the next two hours, students become immersed in their roles, moving around and completing their tasks.&nbsp;Without knowing it, these students are acting out the key roles in India’s informal urban waste-management system. And although it’s just a simulation, the emotions students feel during the activity are genuine. In the facilitated debrief after the role playing, students are silent and reflective as they see the faces and names of the waste&nbsp;pickers they had been playing. This is the moment when, for many, it goes beyond just a game.Through experiential learning, such as this simulation, and also role play and gamification, global development challenges that often appear vast, distant and overwhelming can be brought into a safe classroom environment.&nbsp;How to teach through the lens of the Sustainable Development GoalsExperiential education through a simulated summit to combat human trafficking&nbsp;Serious play: building knowledge with Lego blocksThe Deloitte Millennial Survey 2019 showed that 47 per cent of Gen Z have ambitions to make a positive impact on the world. This active approach, supported by in-depth debrief facilitation, builds students’ confidence in believing they can contribute to impactful initiatives.&nbsp;We often hear students say things like: “This made the UN SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] come alive. They feel real and I feel I can make a difference.” And: “This has made me consider other avenues for my future career”, as well as: “Why don’t we learn more like this?”Experiential activities also take students’ learning beyond intellectualisation of the issues and help them to make sense of their complexities. When they’re faced with real-world challenges in a simulation environment, students don’t jump to find solutions; they first build empathy with the people for whom this situation is a reality. And it’s skills such as empathy and social awareness that cannot (currently) be replicated by generative AI systems, making experiential learning even more vital to students’ career outcomes and in nurturing the next generation of change-makers and world leaders.Our post-participation surveys show that 95 per cent of students want to engage with these issues further through research, internships or volunteering. Our role is then to open these pathways for them.Here are steps you can take to build your own simulation, referencing our partner ProjectCHAKRA’s simulation experience:Choose a real-world challengeThis should be something you have direct experience of working in as you’ll need to know the system well in order to create a simulation. A challenge that involves real people works best because people connect with people, and the aim here is to make your students feel connected to the individuals affected by the issue.&nbsp;For example, the informal urban waste-management scenario was based on ProjectCHAKRA co-founders’ extensive work in India with a social enterprise that supports women waste pickers.Identify the key stakeholders involved in the challenge or systemKeep things simple. Pick the stakeholders who make the most impact in the issue you’re aiming to highlight and map out how they are connected.The key stakeholders we identified for the informal urban waste management system were:team members: everyday householders who generate waste on a daily basis&nbsp;workers: women waste pickers who pick up this waste from the roadside&nbsp;buyers: scrap shop dealers who buy the waste from these women.By keeping it simple, you help students easily engage with the activity and know how their assigned role fits into the system.&nbsp;Translate real life into the classroom using gamificationThis is the creative part. Give your characters (key stakeholders) an aim (their “why”) and tell them what they have to do to achieve this aim, which should mirror what happens in real life.&nbsp;In our example, the team members were producing sellable products to make money, the workers were collecting waste to cover their household costs, and the buyers were selling this waste at a higher margin also to make money.&nbsp;Add detailOnce you have the economy of the system in place, the next phase is to add details to every aspect of the simulation to make it as realistic as possible.&nbsp;For example, in real life as the women pick up more waste, the bag they carry gets heavier. To bring this dynamic into the classroom, we add weights to the workers’ bags as the simulation progresses.Facilitate debriefs to support personal and collective reflection&nbsp;The simulation game play is only half the experience. The remaining consists of a facilitated debrief process that gives time for students to self-reflect on their behaviours, emotions and dynamics of what they have experienced.We go through four reflective phases that build on each other:&nbsp;Objective&nbsp;To begin, establish the facts of the challenge and engage the five senses by asking questions such as: what did you do? What did you see? What did you hear?&nbsp;This is an opportunity for all participants to understand everyone’s experience of the game.&nbsp;&nbsp;Reflective&nbsp;Next, encourage students to share their personal experiences of the activity to discover and share how they feel.&nbsp;Interpretive&nbsp;This is the time to explore how what participants experienced in the classroom translates to the real world.Decisional&nbsp;Finally, it’s time to take action. The overarching question you put to your group is: “So, what are we going to do about this?”In our example, some students shared they would be more mindful of the everyday systems they lived in to see the whole from the parts. Others committed to volunteering locally and some students felt inspired to go to India to work on the ground with the social enterprise that supports these women.&nbsp;At the University of Surrey, this engagement has opened opportunities to strengthen our international strategy. Following this experiential workshop, our students participated in a social leaders programme in India to continue to develop their global citizenship.&nbsp;Anand Mistry is co-founder of ProjectCHAKRA.&nbsp;Kat Mack is student enterprise manager, and&nbsp;Shelini Surendran is associate dean (international) of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, both at the University of Surrey.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Role play and gamification ideas to teach the SDGs

A case study showing how simulations, role playing and gamification can develop students’ global citizenship and help grand challenges feel more surmountable

Bring the SDGs into the classroom through role play and gamification

Students often feel disheartened by climate change, perceiving their contributions as insignificant compared with nations and corporations. Indeed, a 2021 Lancet Planetary Health study revealed that more than 50 per cent of 10,000 students experienced negative emotions when discussing climate change, with 82.6 per cent feeling that people had failed the planet.In order to empower students in this crucial area, however, it is worth considering a 2017 study by GlobeScan and the SustainAbility Institute, which rated NGOs and the United Nations above national governments in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Moving beyond climate change to teach the climate crisisCircular impact: a call to action for research on grand societal challengesTHE podcast: universities aren’t too small to lead the climate crisis fightWe have found that involving students in collaborations with climate-focused organisations can empower them to contribute to solutions. To guide you in initiating these collaborations and ensuring their effectiveness, we present eight steps for creating a project with students and NGOs focusing on SDG 13 (“Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”).1. Talk to your classDiscuss your students’ interests and find out how they wish to engage in climate-related topics such as mitigation and justice. Show that you care about their concerns and explore these subjects in your class to help them determine their approach for collaboration.2. Frame your class participation in climate actionExplore the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s publication on youth engagement for climate action. Read it in detail, focusing on part one for foundational insights for your class project. In part 1.2, you should gain clarity on your students’ potential levels of participation, whether that comes in policy, politics, community initiatives, climate justice or specific local problems. You can also consider asking different groups to focus on different functions or outcomes, such as research, community building, communications, even entrepreneurship. Remember that each of these is valuable, even if the entire class assumes the same role. If you’re uncertain, limit participation to a single function to simplify the project.3. NGOs as partnersWhen considering an NGO for collaboration, it’s important to choose one that aligns with your students’ characteristics and interests. Some youth-oriented options include the Youth Climate Action Network and Fridays for Future, but research or ask your students for recommendations that match their attitudes and interests. Regardless of your choice, prioritise creating a comfortable and empowering environment for your students, allowing them to express their agency, as recommended by the UNDP.4. Think local, act localEncourage hope by showcasing the results of students’ actions. Explore local climate crisis impacts and their causes, then collaborate with a community-focused NGO to address these issues through various activities and approaches.5. NarrativesTo drive real change, consider the UNDP’s narrative assessment approach. This involves challenging the status quo behind the climate crisis and proposing alternatives. Show your class what’s been done, why it hasn’t worked, key stakeholders and other relevant factors to reveal systemic issues. This also encourages critical thinking about prevention, mitigation and adaptation strategies and their impact on the crisis.6. Working on the project: start smallFirst, start small. A good way to do this is by making sure your students know which target of SDG 13 (or any other) they’re working on. If different agencies or organisations are to be used, make sure everyone knows if they’re affecting different targets and the roles they will play in doing so.7. Working on the project: pedagogyCheck Unesco’s education for sustainable development road map, especially its advice on interactive, project-based, learner-centred pedagogy in the learning environment. Also, if you have questions about which topics and/or approaches to explore, consider reading the education for sustainable development goals’ learning objectives guide.8. Working on the project: what will they turn in?This is linked to the role/function your class, or different groups, were asked to assume. If they were focusing on communication, their task might be the creation of a multimedia project covering the crisis context, key players, impact, reasons for the lack of change and necessary reforms. Alternatively, if they were focused on entrepreneurship, this could involve designing a sustainable product or service backed by scientific principles and ensuring equitable access. Regardless of their function, assessment should focus on their systemic analysis, adherence to scientific principles and consideration of climate justice.Remember that the project needs to be as focused as possible yet also requires complex preparation so it ends with real climate action and students feeling empowered. If you need an example, consider ours: in an online class, 360 of our students collaborated with the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) to address sustainability issues, particularly ocean pollution in Mexico. Their #PorNuestrosOcéanos campaign involved creating videos (meaning they participated as communicators), with the top three shared on UNIC’s platforms and at Mexico City train stations. With guidance from 10 teachers, students completed these videos in a month, resulting in 100 per cent of them reporting feeling excited about contributing to ocean pollution solutions and 94 per cent expressing renewed hope for environmental impact. If you’re interested, here is the video that earned first position.Luis Ricardo Fernández Carril is a professor and sustainability coordinator in the School of Humanities and Education, and&nbsp;Luis Gerardo Rojas Solorio is an associate professor of ethics, sustainability and social responsibility, both at Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Creating student-NGO partnerships for climate solutions 

Luis Ricardo Fernández Carril and Luis Gerardo Rojas Solorio reveal how to energise and empower students to take part in the fight against climate change 

Driving change: creating student-NGO partnerships for climate solutions 

“The worth of education must now be measured against the standards of decency and human survival…It is not education that will save us, but education of a certain kind.” -&nbsp;David Orr.A much wider social mobilisation is needed to impel decision-makers to deal with global heating and the related ecological crisis. This requires activism, advocacy, new careers, and an engagement with policy, details and political power at every level, and in every town, city and state of the nation. This also requires scaling up university education, not only on climate change, but on the climate crisis – a psycho-socio-political-economic analysis of the predicament and what to do. Based on my experience teaching the climate crisis, proposing a general education requirement in our local academic senate, organising on climate action with students and talking to colleagues at many schools, I see four ways that the scale-up of education is being attempted, or could be: 
	Institute an interdisciplinary approach by peppering the climate crisis through many different classes (philosophy, earth science, arts) and ensure that each student gets several of those classes. This has the downside of requiring a lot of coordination and increasing time-to-degree.
	To minimise extra effort, expense or time-to-degree, require students to pick one from a list of existing classes that deal with climate change. Unfortunately, this provides a narrow view. A more ambitious plan of broader education would install a committee that specifies criteria for classes to be on the list; criteria that include the components discussed below.
	Require a generic “Introduction to Climate Change” class, the kind already taught in many schools by earth scientists. While students in this class will have a strong grounding in the physical facts of climate change, they are unlikely to be exposed to the sociocultural-political dimensions or develop any sense of what to do about it. 
	Teach a broad spectrum curriculum through one class, covering the history, current and projected impacts and causes of climate change and potential solutions. The challenge for scaling this is that it requires teachers who feel competent delivering this broad spectrum content. Yet, if institutions take the imperative seriously, they could achieve this with workshops and graduate student stipends.

	Resource collection: Universities’ role in the climate change battle
	‘Embrace messiness’: how to broker global partnerships to tackle the Sustainable Development Goals
	Resource collection:&nbsp;How universities can work towards the SDGs
Whatever approach is taken, it should help the student find answers to these five questions: Is adaptation enough or must we still struggle to leave fossil fuels in the ground?Our societies and infrastructure must adapt, but this is not easily achievable for people in the Global South who are already struggling. In any case, continuing to emit at present rates means we risk breaking through 1.5 degrees of heating in a sustained fashion in the early 2030s, which could soon lead to climate tipping points being passed, resulting in methane “bombs” from permafrost thaw and the collapse of the Amazon. This argues it is critical to still struggle now to leave fossil fuels in the ground.What policies do we need to leave fossil fuels in the ground?Students need practical insight into&nbsp;changes in agriculture, consumption reduction&nbsp;and&nbsp;the renewable energy transition such as electrification of buildings, transportation and industry, provided by renewable energy sources with storage. This material has to be discussed along with alternative technical approaches such as nuclear, carbon capture, carbon offsets and pricing. Discussion must be done through a climate justice lens which is alive to the extractivist mentality that brought us the climate and ecological crisis in the first place. Technical approaches must be compared by cost, speed and amount of environmental damage and exploitation Yes, the Inflation Reduction Act escalates the renewables transition but it also expands the fossil fuel industry. We cannot save the world without a confrontation with that industry. What are the barriers for those policies to be implemented?The barriers that need to be discussed in class include: the decades-long campaign by fossil fuel and investor-owned utilities to seed doubt over man-made climate change; greenwashing by organisations that promote sustainable practices while relying on fossil fuels; the everywhere-evident social licence to keep on polluting, be it planes dragging adverts through the sky to garbage trucks emblazoned with “powered by clean natural gas”; the social norms that make many of us feel entitled to high carbon intensity lifestyles; and the obsession with economic and institutional growth. A fundamental issue to highlight is that many policy goals are set way too little, way too late, and use “net zero” and “carbon neutral” language that tends to license more extraction now on the promise of removing atmospheric carbon later. Even when local elected officials promise climate action, they scarcely implement it – not only due to entrenched interests but because they are not impelled by the public. How can we help overcome those barriers locally?Beyond scepticism about the human cause of global heating, many people are sceptical that they can mount a useful response, or that any response is possible by their community. Students can be encouraged to overcome this skepticism, and model new social norms, by engaging in individual actions such as electrifying a home, shifting personal banking, reducing consumption and being a good climate communicator. They can be taught how individual actions done in concert with many others does become system change. Above all, they can be taught and encouraged to practise collective action, using the principles of organising theory, social movement theory and the psychology of collective action. Local collective action is critical to drive policy implementation for buildings, transportation and grid electricity, and for ensuring that the renewables transition happens as much as possible under democratic as opposed to for-profit control.Why is it worth acting locally when this is a global problem?Some people do little because they expect that internationally binding resolutions or federal and state action will drive local policy: a global to local theory of change. By contrast, acting locally has a different theory of change: flowing from local to national to international. Motivating this local theory of action requires covering the United Nations climate process, the politics of national climate action, and above all, the history and social science of environmental and social movements. For example, covering the story of how the Nixon-era regulations of the 1970s and the Inflation Reduction Act of last year were partly triggered by local action.Saving the biosphere requires going beyond teaching students about the climate predicament itself: they must develop core knowledge about the kind of energy transition that is worth fighting for in timescales that matter. They must understand the blocks to policy, and they must build their belief, partly through practice, that local collective action can help give us the social tipping point that forestalls climate tipping points.Adam R. Aron is professor of psychology at the University of California, San Diego.This advice is drawn from his textbook, The Climate&nbsp;Crisis: Science, Impacts, Policy, Psychology, Justice, Social&nbsp;Movements.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Ways to scale up education relating to the climate crisis and the questions it must guide students to answer

Moving beyond climate change to teach the climate crisis 

Choosing a parking spot can be tricky when there are lots of options. Perhaps a space closest to the supermarket entrance is the best when carrying large loads. Or one at the side with plenty of shade on a hot, sunny afternoon. Maybe a slot in the furthest corner works well if your daily step count is below par. Or an extra wide bay if the chance of door scrapes and dings are to be minimised. Decisions, decisions, decisions.The eventual choice will reflect the priorities of the driver – whether they are convenience, comfort, fitness, or defensiveness. Much less trivial, development of a climate adaptation plan for a university requires shortlisting and ranking risk management options according to specified criteria. However, unlike the parking options, which are clear, adaptation decisions contend with a great deal of uncertainty about the future pace and sometimes direction of climate change impacts on people and institutions.
	Resource collection:&nbsp;Universities’ role in the climate change battle
	Building futures: how estates directors can deliver net zero
	Accelerating towards net zero emissions: how to mobilise your university on climate action
In part three, we closed with a set of illustrative actions that could protect students and staff from more severe heatwaves. These included upgrading problematic buildings with cooler, more reflective materials, and better ventilation; incorporating more vegetated spaces and water bodies into campuses; targeting vulnerable groups via weather forecasts and heat health advice; and rescheduling academic and sporting activities to cooler periods. In practice, there are probably insufficient resources to introduce all these measures at once. So, how might they be ranked and implemented in the most effective way?Steps five and six of the UK Universities Climate Network (UUCN) framework on strengthening the climate resilience of higher education institutions address the prioritisation and evaluation of climate adaptations.&nbsp;Step five focuses on prioritising and implementing the most urgent climate actions. Step six ensures that monitoring and evaluation processes are in place to track outcomes on the way to resilient net zero:Step 5: Implementing adaptation actionsLet’s imagine that we have identified the most urgent climate risks faced by the university, using step three of the framework, and compiled an inventory of responses in line with step four. Feasibly, the priority is flash flooding. Now consider a particularly vulnerable asset – such as a ground floor laboratory – that has been flooded many times. Potential structural solutions would be to improve local drainage and permeability of open surfaces, construct a levee or retention pond, raise the whole floor level, retrofit with flood-resilient materials, or relocate the facility. Alternatively, high-resolution flood forecasts could be used to trigger evacuation, movement of valuable equipment and deployment of temporary flood defences. To do nothing and live with the recurrent damage and disruption is also an option. Rating criteria for adaptation options might be safety, cost, effectiveness, functionality, adaptability, longevity, ease of implementation, social acceptability, carbon footprint and wider environmental benefits.The most cost-effective option could be to install temporary flood barriers but these depend on timely and accurate forecasts as well as on qualified personnel for their operation. Access to the building would be impeded so functionality, and ease of implementation, would be low. Instead, a retention pond would be expensive to build and afford protection up to a point so is less cost-effective, although it offers improved biodiversity and amenity value. The cost of moving the laboratory is prohibitively high even if this option delivers most on safety, functionality and longevity.From this hypothetical case, it is clear that the criteria are not regarded equally. On a scale of 0 (least preferred) to 1 (most preferred) we might weight safety and cost as 1, and effectiveness and longevity as 0.8, with lower scores for the remaining characteristics. These weights would be highly contextual and should be negotiated as part of a transparent adaptation planning process, with input from stakeholders across the university community. So far, we have considered only the single climate risk of flash flooding and its impact on one building – ideally multiple risks and multiple receptors would be evaluated in this way at an institutional level, including for off-site climate impacts. Multi-criteria analysis is widely used in these kinds of complex situation. The tool provides a systematic way of blending expert input and stakeholder consultation when scoring multiple adaptation options against agreed criteria. The output is an overall ranking of tabled adaptation options.Step 6: Monitoring progress towards resilient net zeroNow let’s consider the following adaptations for a flood-prone lab, sequenced according to their cost-effectiveness: (1) a local flood action plan reliant on forecasts and temporary barriers; (2) retrofitting the building with hard floors and raised electrical circuits; (3) replacing exterior paving with permeable surfaces; or (4) decommissioning the site and constructing a new building outside the flood zone. Note: from the perspective of achieving resilient net zero, options (1) to (4) have increasingly large carbon footprints. At what point then should option (1) be augmented by (2), then by (3) and eventually (4)?This depends on the severity of climate change impacts, institutional resources and appetite for risk. Hence, a long-term monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework is needed to track evolving climate hazards as well as progress in implementing adaptation activities. Critically, this would focus on adaptation outcomes in terms of improved climate resilience. This requires locally relevant indicators of climate-related risks and actions. In the case of flash flooding, these might be on-site records of heavy rainfall, surface water flooding, cost of damages and hours of disruption. Ideally, such indicators would be reported annually to senior management and benchmarked against historic data. These metrics would also sit alongside those charting movement towards net zero emissions. As the climate risks grow, so new adaptation and mitigation actions are brought forward.Closing remarksOur four-part series has outlined the steps that can be taken by universities to achieve resilient net zero – that is, reduce the impacts of climate change whilst also shrinking carbon emissions. Read the previous three articles here:Start your university on a path to resilient net zeroSetting scenarios for a university adapted to climate changeA guide to evaluating and managing climate risks to universitiesThis is a long-term, technical endeavour that should involve all communities working and living on and around the university site and beyond. Even if the work is outsourced to consultants, we all have roles to play. These might be as informed managers, providers of information and knowledge, or beneficiaries of actions taken to safeguard people, property and university operations from climate change. The whole process of adapting to climate change is an iterative and collective effort so you may like to return to the first part of our series or even join a community of practice on managing climate risks.Rob Wilby is professor of hydroclimatic modelling at Loughborough University and Shona Smith is head of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at the University of Leeds.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

In the fourth and final part of their series, Rob Wilby and Shona Smith explain how universities can implement adaptation measures and monitor their progress towards resilient net zero

How to select and monitor climate adaptations for universities

The concept of impact has gained traction in academia since its introduction in the UK Research Excellence Framework nearly 10 years ago, which places emphasis on research that brings about positive societal change. However, as we confront increasingly complex societal challenges, there is a need to move beyond the retrospective lens on impact and embrace new ways to understand and achieve change. Circular economy research is an evolving field that brings together experts from various disciplines to address grand challenges, with an ambition that by closing the flow of resources in a system, so they keep circulating rather than generating waste, we are able to regenerate our environments and build thriving economies.Here, I explore the transformative potential of applying this same philosophy to impact, resulting in circular impact as part of research. This means delving into the fundamental implications of research to better assess what changes emerge as a result. The concept’s effectiveness hinges on collaborative efforts spanning government, industry and academia, and the establishment of cross-sector and interdisciplinary networks.By embracing circular impact, we can build narratives around our work for evaluation and monitoring purposes from the outset and use evaluation as a learning and improvement mechanism to design projects that rejuvenate and restore social, economic and environmental systems.
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From critique to actionMuch has been said about the “impact agenda” in UK higher education, both positive and negative. A lot of criticism highlights shortcomings in the way impact has been evaluated in exercises such as the REF, with authors citing the transactional nature of the process, the difficulty for certain fields and disciplines to reconcile the kinds of quantifiable evidence required and the lack of accounting for outcomes that might emerge over longer time periods. For an overview of these debates, the book The Impact Agenda is a good place to start. However, critique is not the focus here. Instead, I want to think positively about impact through the lens of practice. It is something our team often thinks about, for two reasons.First, in the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research&nbsp;(NICER) programme, we work on scaling capacity and capability for the circular economy in the UK. Alongside eliminating waste and circulating products and materials at their highest value, regenerative practice is a core principle in the circular economy community. Just as we strive to regenerate natural resources and create positive feedback loops in our work, we also aim to generate sustainable and long-lasting policy and industry impacts that benefit society and promote positive change over time.Second, to do this, our team has embedded an impact, monitoring and evaluation process co-designed with colleagues Żaneta Muranko, from the University of Exeter, and Madeline Smith, of Glasgow School of Art, that allows us to take stock of and co-produce our “theory of change” in real time – connecting activities to outcomes in line with the change we would like to see as a result of our research. This moves us beyond static mapping activities common at the beginning of a project and sees us continually and critically reflecting on monthly actions in line with broader goals and ambitions. By reviewing activities on an ongoing basis, we can make fine-tuned adjustments to ensure our work is reaching the best people and generating impactful outcomes. Evaluation needs to be developmental and evolving to match this reflective process. How we do this is addressed below.An additional consideration is the emphasis placed on impact by funding bodies such as UKRI, which break down impact into categories and provide toolkits for building impact into research projects.Impacting policyCircular economy has gained traction in policy circles, recognised as a viable solution to pressing issues in UK government strategy such as the recent Critical Minerals and MedTech strategies, the Skidmore Review of Net Zero, plans for growth outlined in Build Back Better, the Resources and Waste Strategy for England and many more in the devolved administrations. But while it is a hot topic, policy impact does not generate itself.The need to address complex challenges cannot be captured by publication metrics alone. It calls for a shift in mindset and practices, emphasising whole-systems approaches and sustainable research that draws on diverse knowledge. In short, the goal of circular impact is to shift mindsets from impact as an effect of research to impact as a purposeful act planned for upstream.How do we do this?“Theories of change” function as useful roadmaps that describe how programmes are expected to work, outlining how certain actions lead to certain impacts. However, this kind of linear causal thinking often does not reflect the complexity of real-world situations. To ensure we achieve the impact we desire, we cannot wait and see. Rather, we must practice circular impact, using reflective learning and adaptation to allow adjustment and improvement in real time. While it may seem a daunting prospect, as a team we follow some simple steps on a monthly basis that may serve as a useful starting point for others:1. We developed a tool: This could be relatively simple like a spreadsheet capturing basic information on events and publications, or a more comprehensive collection of evidence on audience numbers, alignment to performance indicators, reflections on the process and so on. The important thing, though, is to have a dedicated place to consistently record information that is accessible to all. In our tool, we have categories to capture data on activities, how they were initiated, who was reached, mechanisms for extending reach, and forecasting potential medium and long-term outcomes. 2. We meet regularly: Each month, members of the team responsible for documenting our theory of change meet individually with others across the project to discuss the month’s core activities. During this time, we consider how activities – such as presenting at a conference, attending a workshop, publishing a paper –&nbsp;align with our broader goals and explore potential for extending otherwise short-term events into longer-lasting opportunities. This could include translating an academic article into a piece for a general audience or appearing on a podcast to increase the reach of the findings. 3. We strategise, then act: During monthly discussions, we may identify further mechanisms to generate reach such as translating a technical academic article into a general audience blog post or opinion piece. Regularly strategising in small groups is fantastic for generating new ideas and uncovering otherwise unknown links – that call for papers or seminar you missed might be spotted by your colleagues and can be passed on as a result of regular discussion. Plus, finding ways to engage audiences beyond academia is key to building meaningful impact. 4. We adapt and evolve: Because this is part of our regular practice (don’t be fooled, it took some work to embed), we are able to evaluate what we are doing systematically over time. When things work well, we do more of them. When they don’t, we do less or we alter the course. In other words, circular impact for us means putting our theory of change into practice.Meaningful impactWith circular impact practices we are able to foster research that is not only academically rigorous, but which contributes to a regenerative and sustainable future for society and the planet by positively engaging with policymakers and broader society. Let’s embrace evaluation as a learning process and impact as a positive force, shaping a better world through our collective efforts.Ryan Nolan is a postdoctoral research impact fellow in the UKRI National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Hub at the University of Exeter and a member of the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN).If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

How to enact a ‘circular’ approach to research and impact so outcomes feed back into the work to inform ongoing planning and improvement

Circular impact: a call to action for research on grand societal challenges

Attitudes to risk are highly personal. One individual’s exhilarating mountain scramble may be another’s terrifying glimpse into the abyss; some will swipe a wasp away unflinchingly whereas others fear a sting. Consciously or not, a risk calculus is performed on the chance and consequences of something bad happening. The likelihood of tumbling from the slope may be low, but the consequences would be catastrophic; the possibility of being stung is higher but, for most, unlikely to be fatal. Objectively, a fall is the greater risk.Risks faced by universities vary as do institutions’ appetites for risks to people, property and operations. Depending on the region, the main climate-related hazards in the UK are extreme heat, flooding (by rivers, surface and groundwater), droughts, wildfires, poor air quality, strong winds and storm surges. The frequency, duration and severity of high-impact weather events are expected to increase over coming decades, according to Met Office UKCP18 projections, depending on global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Extreme weather could impact vulnerable groups of students, staff and visitors to university sites as well as fieldwork. Transport, energy and IT systems may be disrupted, or buildings and facilities damaged. For example, a flash flood in June 2019 caused around £20 million of damage to University of Stirling teaching spaces, accommodation, sports facilities and contents. Adverse weather&nbsp;may also affect&nbsp;university supply chains and sport events.
	Resource collection:&nbsp;Universities’ role in the climate change battle
	Charting a shared path to net zero universities
	Resource collection:&nbsp;How universities can work towards the SDGs
Given the many potential climate hazards, and direct and indirect impacts, how do complex organisations such as universities begin to evaluate their key climate risks in a systematic way? Steps three and four of the UK Universities Climate Network (UUCN) framework on strengthening the climate resilience of higher education institutions address this task. Step three is about rating climate risks to specific “receptors” such as critical assets. Step four then seeks out adaptation options to manage identified climate risks:Step 3: Assessing climate risksStart by agreeing the scope of the assessment and appetite for risk with stakeholders. The initial focus might be on a few critical assets or campus buildings, then extend to the wider estate, and eventually to off-site risks to the university. Next, review the major climate risks identified for your region. The most recent UK Climate Change Risk Assessment provides useful information about projected changes in climate and associated impacts. Academic staff may have access to more local climate data on historic and future conditions. For instance, long-term weather records collected on Loughborough University campus show that local flooding can occur in summer when 24-hour rainfall totals exceed 25mm. Media reports may also help with gauging the frequency of notable events such as droughts. These sources can be combined with available institutional data on damage and disruption caused by past extreme weather to produce a climate risk matrix, as below.

  
      
  
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An illustrative risk matrix for a coastal location showing the likelihood and consequences (cost £) of six climate-related hazards affecting facilities in the 2020s and 2050s (arrows). Colours are the risk level: low (blue), moderate (yellow), high (orange), and severe (red)

In the above case, the likelihood and consequence of hazards are each given a score on a scale of one to five. The former may be expressed as the number of times the event happens in a given period; the latter might be gauged in terms of cost (as here) or another metric, such as the number of hours of interrupted service. For this hypothetical coastal location, under present conditions (2020s) droughts occur on average once every five years and accrue only minor costs (£1000s) from irrigation of playing fields. However, by the 2050s, climate change is expected to increase the likelihood and severity of droughts ‒ and attendant hazards such as wildfires ‒ so the risk rating goes up. The likelihood of heatwave, floods and storm surges is expected to increase (denoted by the upward arrows), whereas the chance of a heavy snowfall decreases, and wind storms are unchanged.By multiplying the likelihood and consequence scores, it is possible to calculate the risk of each hazard. For floods, the risk score is 12 in the 2020s and 16 by the 2050s; for heatwaves, the assessed risks are 12 and 15 respectively. Hence, by the 2050s the priority order of the six hazards would be floods (16), heatwaves (15), drought (12), storm surge (10), wind storm (4) and snowfall (3). This scoring provides a basis for focusing adaptation actions on the most important risks. Once key climate risks are identified, they should be acknowledged within university risk registers, with assigned accountabilities. The universities of Cranfield and Nottingham provide helpful examples of climate risk and resilience assessment.Step 4: Identifying adaptation optionsList the measures that could be taken to counteract the identified climate risks. Fortunately, this has been done many times before, and much effort is saved through peer-to-peer knowledge exchange. This is because adapting to climate change is so often about learning by doing. Useful resources and case studies for getting started are available from the C40 Cities, the searchable portal of Climate-ADAPT, and the compendium of Global Environment Facility (GEF) projects. As far as we are aware, a bespoke adaptation inventory has yet to be developed for the education sector. Nonetheless, the suggested platforms offer a variety of options. For instance, the GEF actions cover investments in human capacity and behaviour, governance, monitoring and warning systems, “hard” and “soft” infrastructure, financial instruments and technology. Let’s unpack an adaptation option set for one of the most likely hazards faced by UK higher education institutions – heatwaves.What practical steps could universities take to protect staff and students from very high temperatures? Oxford Brookes used the redevelopment of their Clive Booth Student Village as an opportunity to upgrade building fabrics to reduce energy demand for cooling and incorporated more naturally ventilated spaces. Surrounding woodland landscapes provide shade while contributing to biodiversity. Other options for improving resilience to heatwaves include raising awareness through access to information campaigns and local heat-health alerts&nbsp;or changing behaviours around hydration, clothing and physical activity. Teaching and exam schedules could be adjusted to avoid the hottest part of the day. Over the long term, the estate might incorporate more green spaces and water features, retrofit buildings with more blinds, adopt more reflective building materials and minimise heat gain through large glass facades.Next stepsThis is the third in a series of articles offering advice on how universities can build climate change resilience while also working towards net zero. Read the first and second article here:&nbsp;Start your university on a path to resilient net zeroSetting scenarios for a university adapted to climate changeIn our fourth and final part of the series, we will suggest ways of rating adaptation measures according to their cost-effectiveness and other criteria. The aim is to deliver a final set of actions and monitoring systems that will enhance our institutions’ resilience to climate change, whether confronted by more heat, floods or droughts.Rob Wilby is professor of hydroclimatic modelling at Loughborough University and Shona Smith is head of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at the University of Leeds.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

In the third part of their series, Rob Wilby and Shona Smith explain how universities can determine their climate risk exposure, then identify actions to reduce associated threats to people, property and operations

A guide to evaluating and managing climate risks to universities

Our students, particularly Gen Z, report feeling under pressure to solve the climate crisis. While we have successfully embedded sustainability-related issues into many academic modules, this often increases students’ eco-anxiety while falling short of providing practical actions they can take. To address this challenge, Green Consultants provides an extracurricular opportunity for students to take action, while developing new professional skills. 

Why it helps 

Primarily an employability programme, run by the Career Zone at the University of Exeter, Green Consultants is composed of three elements. First, students from any discipline and year group are trained to work as sustainability consultants with a variety of soft and technical skills. They can then work in groups for the university’s sustainability team to deliver real projects on campus, such as auditing out-of-hours electricity use. Finally, students can undertake a week-long internship with an external organisation. The students gain valuable work experience, the university moves towards its net-zero goals, and knowledge and skills are spread throughout the community. 


	Resource collection:&nbsp;Universities’ role in the climate change battle
	Ease students’ climate anxiety by encouraging climate action
	THE podcast: universities aren’t too small to lead the climate crisis fight


Originally designed for up to 20 students, all of whom completed all three stages, with training delivered face to face, the training was&nbsp;relaunched online in September 2021. More than 400 students have now participated, with 250 finishing the training. The huge growth in engagement was thanks to increased capacity enabling more students to learn about this sector outside their academic studies.

Action against anxiety

Students lack awareness of sustainability employment opportunities, and often the problems are taught as too big to solve alone, which can be a paralysing combination. Taking action is the best offence against anxiety, and students can access the Green Consultants programme at any time. 

Anxiety can also be amplified by loneliness, so we have built community into the programme. A Viva Engage group is used for frequently asked questions, and through a bespoke LinkedIn group, we nurture community, promote opportunities, encourage networking and engage with alumni. We share graduate-level roles, training opportunities, posts from industry advisory group members, and relevant LinkedIn posts to keep the group informed. Alumni are encouraged to continue engaging once they have graduated, to support current students’ development.

Students and employers often have unrealistically high expectations of what can be achieved in the limited time available. Managing these expectations without crushing enthusiasm and drive is a balancing act with both parties. Initially, some organisations believe our students will solve all their sustainability problems in one internship. We have been asked to prepare a company for B Corp certification in one week. At the same time, our students think they can do it. While it is often a hard knock to students to learn to accommodate policies, board members and budget limitations, these tools make them attractive graduate candidates and great sustainability champions in their careers. 

We manage expectations when designing internships with employers by promoting SMART objectives and giving suggestions on what it is reasonable for students to undertake in a week. Previous projects have included a student devising a social media campaign to communicate sustainability actions to an organisation’s clients and calculating the carbon emissions for small organisations.

Impact and next steps?

Our sustainability work is driven by the career aspirations and values expressed by our students. A massive 88 per cent of our students think sustainability education is important, according to Responsible Futures research undertaken this year. We hope schemes like this can empower them with the confidence to make the greatest difference they can. 

By taking our training online, we have scaled up the reach and enabled more students to engage as part of their career decision-making process. Each student who undertakes Green Consultants can progress as far as they want. About 50 per cent of those who complete the programme go on to work in the sector, taking up roles as graduate sustainability consultants and solar specialists, for example. 

Students who complete the programme can demonstrate how they have made a difference to the university and an employer and that they do have the power and agency to make a difference. Students will take this learning with them whether they go into the green sector or not. 

Helen Hicks is programme officer and Dawn Lees is student employability and development manager at the University of Exeter.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

We induce eco-anxiety by teaching students about climate change, so training them in practical and achievable solutions to it are needed, too, write Helen Hicks and Dawn Lees



A practical approach to tackling eco-anxiety

An organisation can signal its commitment to sustainability through green certification and labels, or via marketing campaigns with messages of environmental stewardship. However, making bold statements and focusing solely on operational changes such as the eradication of single-use plastics is not enough to drive meaningful change. Instead, it’s the setting of specific and achievable goals and ensuring organisation-wide involvement that are more important.&nbsp;Some organisations embark on the sustainability journey with 1) lofty, non-specific goals or without getting all levels of the organisation involved; 2) haphazard implementation of a sustainability blueprint; 3) lack of technical skills to measure GHG emissions or to conduct materiality assessments; or 4) insufficient alignment of the sustainability plan with key business goals. These factors lead to problems that hinder organisations from reaching their sustainability goals.Higher education institutions (HEIs) have opportunities to foster sustainability and to become carbon neutral. What does it take to engage constructively with sustainable development and to contribute to the well-being of planet and people? Here, we share insights from a recent study of one of Asia’s foremost garden destinations to illustrate how embedding sustainability into induction training can support organisation-wide change.In our case study,&nbsp;Enhancing the Sustainability DNA of Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay through Induction Training, we highlight sustainability-related challenges and develop induction-training solutions that can be applied by human resource teams in support of the overall mission and vision of the organisation.&nbsp;This endeavour has broader significance: developing a positive sustainability mindset among participants of an induction training programme is one thing, but to make it stick so that staff initiate greener actions towards a more sustainable future once they have completed the training is another.THE podcast: universities aren’t too small to lead the climate crisis fightCharting a shared path to net zero universitiesSetting scenarios for a university adapted to climate changeWhile higher education institutions (HEIs) are facing specific challenges in this regard, such as resistance to change, unsustainable travel patterns, the lack of a whole-institution implementation approach or the emphasis on mono-disciplinary research, they also have opportunities to address sustainability-related issues. Examples include improving the environmental performance of campus buildings, establishing effective governance structures such as transdisciplinary task forces, setting up a regional HEI sustainability network so that latecomers can catch up, and supporting new forms of research and teaching such as citizen science or living energy labs.Linking induction training to the organisation’s sustainability action plan can help to motivate employees to implement achievable change initiatives, which in our Gardens by the Bay case study included responsible printing, meeting sustainability reporting requirements, participating in the organisation’s tree-planting scheme, reducing water and energy use, and composting.One key takeaway from this learning journey was that sustainability cannot be an afterthought; we need to be conscious of how we operate and manage institutions and businesses and how these will impact the environment, society, community and stakeholders.&nbsp;Sustainability-based induction training programmes have a role to play in creating meaningful change, and how businesses, including HEIs, can inject sustainability into their organisational DNA.Starting on the right footSo, the question now is, why are sustainability-based induction training programmes important? Induction training programmes, conducted when an employee joins the organisation, establish a shared language and platform for organisations to efficiently manage and communicate the importance of balancing economic growth, social well-being and environmental care.&nbsp;All too often, organisations start and end with the environment in pursuing their sustainability efforts. They should, instead, approach sustainability from the inside out, starting with organisational culture change and their employees.&nbsp;Singapore Management University (SMU) also engages with stakeholders and partners to further the discourse on sustainability through initiatives such as its sustainability blueprint, professional training that links career advice to sustainability, and postgraduate courses to equip students with key competencies for future green jobs across industries and sectors.Aligning students, faculty and staff on the same page and ingraining sustainability into the organisational culture is never easy. Taking small, well-planned steps such as sharing best practices – such as environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks – internally, rolling out needs-based courses on sustainability topics for employees or appointing champions to execute and monitor strategic actions can help to achieve sustainability goals and strengthen accountability. &nbsp;If we look at sustainability from the perspective of being thoughtful and mindful about how organisational activities (whether doing business or creating new research knowledge) affect and impact our stakeholders, then we will start to think more deeply about our decisions, actions and omissions in a responsible manner.By incorporating sustainability principles into policies, plans and programmes and engaging new hires in experiential activities (such as carbon-offset quantification, hands-on waste segregation and treatment, or tree-planting), organisations emphasise to their employees the priority, importance and significance of sustainability. This approach ensures that new hires not only understand but also embrace the organisation’s commitment to sustainability, setting the stage for a workforce equipped with the skills to support green transition efforts.Three tips for organisationsHere are three tips for organisations that want to integrate sustainability DNA into their operations and create meaningful change:&nbsp;1. Increase understanding of the crisis of sustainability&nbsp;Be aware of&nbsp;sustainability issues and their effects on planet and peopleShare “good”&nbsp;and “best”&nbsp;sustainability practicesAppoint sustainability champions and run pilot programmes in order to lead by example and celebrate small wins.&nbsp;2. Ensure that induction training programmes:&nbsp;&nbsp;Enable staff to understand the organisation’s strategic approach to sustainability, and how they can contribute to the achievement of relevant sustainable development goals (SDGs)Cover trends around emerging skills in the green economyIncorporate ESG&nbsp;initiatives and commitmentsEmpower new hires to support aspirational sustainability goals of the organisation by engaging them in experiential activities (such as tree planting).&nbsp;3. Explore&nbsp;programmes as starting points&nbsp;Know the 17 SDGs of the United Nations and the resources provided by the UN&nbsp;Global CompactMake use of government resources and grants to support your sustainability journey (in Singapore, examples include&nbsp;the Enterprise Sustainability Programme&nbsp;and SkillsFuture Singapore)&nbsp;&nbsp;Check out the&nbsp;sustainability-related courses offered by Institutes of Higher Learning (both online and in person)Learn from educational institutions that offer professional training programmes, such as online course providers, sustainable finance academies and umbrella bodies.Thomas Menkhoff is a professor of organisational behaviour and human resources (education) and Kevin Cheong is an adjunct teaching mentor, both at Singapore Management University.This is an edited version of “Cracking the code: An introduction to incorporating sustainability into organisational DNA through induction training”, which was first published on City Perspectives on 26 June 2023.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Meaningful change comes from embedding green practices into every aspect, and every member, of the institution, starting from induction training  

Making sustainability part of university DNA

It’s easy to feel hopeless in the face of climate change, but, in this episode, two experts offer ways universities – and individuals – can make a difference to their local area and the planet

THE podcast: universities aren’t too small to lead the climate crisis fight

The role of accountants is changing rapidly, putting them in leading positions where they can help to save the world from accelerating environmental crises. The accounting students in classrooms today are the business leaders of the future. They need to be prepared for accounting as a “technical, social and moral practice concerned with the sustainable utilisation of resources and proper accountability to stakeholders to enable the flourishing of organisations, people and nature,” write Gary Carnegie, Lee Parker and Eva Tsahuridu in their paper, It’s 2020: What is Accounting Today.But how can this practice be taught if the sustainability standards are not yet set? Financial reporting standards took decades to develop and reach general agreement on an international scale. Once consensus was reached, stakeholders could rely on the principles of relevance and reliability to compare financial reports throughout the world. Sustainability standards are now following that route with the first few ISSB (International Sustainability Standards Board) pointers being issued, but as not all standards have been issued how can we possibly teach our students?The answer is Freirean dialogic teaching.In this form of teaching the teacher must put their ego aside and learn alongside students. It was suggested by Ian Thompson and Jan Bebbington back in 2004 but has a particular relevance today when considering how to teach the rapidly evolving subject of sustainability. Freirean teaching means focusing on discussion with students, finding out their views, challenging them on their assumptions, explaining the possible wider-reaching implications of the solutions they create. In his 1970 book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire states that: “Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.”Resource collection:&nbsp;How universities can work towards the SDGsTransformative not transmissive education for sustainabilityStudying sustainability by applying systems thinking to news storiesTo be able to engage in invention and reinvention, students need three elements: knowledge, intellect and support. First, they need to know the terminology and basic principles of financial and sustainability reporting to form questions for meaningful enquiry. Second, they need the intellectual maturity to consider multiple viewpoints and synthesise evidence. Underlying this they need the security, support and encouragement from teachers and peers to have the confidence to voice their thoughts.This can be done in an accounting classroom by:1. Using texts such as The Routledge Handbook of Environmental Accounting which have conflicting views in them.2. Explaining the conflicts, challenges and trade-offs that lecturers see in the world of sustainability and financial reporting.3. Presenting with another lecturer and arguing different intellectual viewpoints.4. Encouraging students to talk to one another to diversify their viewpoints and learn to challenge respectfully.5. Exploring and explaining the relationship between established financial reporting principles and emerging sustainability ideas.6. Discussing the latest developments of sustainability standards, questioning if they are achieving their aims to show how authority can be challenged.7. Analysing the extent to which different well-known companies are responding to sustainability standards.8. Immersing students in simulations like Accounting BISSM where they get to make business decisions, especially when weighing up profit and environmental impact.9. Considering red flags for modern day slavery in case studies and what happens when these are ignored.10. Discussing the wider role of accountants and attractiveness of the profession – for example, using this article entitled “How should we redefine accounting?” from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).11. Empowering students to develop intellectually by reflecting on their work using active feedback.12. Welcoming questions and coaching students rather than having the teacher as the only source of knowledge.By creating Freirean dialogue in accounting teaching, future generations can be empowered to truly make a difference when they enter the workplace. They can understand the roots of sustainability standards through financial reporting and use this to interpret the standards as they emerge. They will have the intellectual development to synthesise information to make decisions that allow people and nature to flourish. They will have had the support in developing confidence to become professionally sceptical and critically challenge authority. In this way they will be able to hold organisations accountable for their environmental and social damage and show how accountants can better the world.Jennifer Rose is a senior lecturer in the Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) at the University of Manchester.If you’re interested in finding out more about the issues discussed in this resource and talking about embedding sustainability in accounting, please register your interest for an upcoming forum at AMBS, University of Manchester on 1 November here: Embedding Sustainability in Audit and Accounting Education – a forum for professional accountancy bodies, academics &amp; training providers.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the&nbsp;THE Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Accountants of the future will need to respond to as yet unknown sustainability reporting standards. Freirean dialogic teaching where lecturers learn alongside students through discussion helps build the skills to respond to such change

Accounting for sustainability: we need to change how we teach

It was an immensely proud moment in Western Sydney University’s (WSU) history to be named number one in the world, for the second year in a row, in the 2023 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. While other rankings may inspire competition and comparison, we feel the Impact Rankings are an opportunity to share, learn and collaborate and to help create a more just and equitable world. So in the spirit of collaboration, here are some of our takeaways on how curriculum, operations, research and engagement can be aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).If sharing these tips makes for greater competition to remain number one in the world, well, we couldn’t be happier.Use the SDG goals as a framework for strategy and planningOur first tip is to set ambitious targets to address sustainability issues such as climate change and social inequality, plan actions, and track your institution’s progress against the SDGs.Since 2015, Western has produced annual institutional sustainability reports that track our commitments to the UN-led Race to Zero for Universities and Colleges. Last year, Western also produced a sustainability decadal ambition, Sustainability and Resilience 2030, which sets out a road map to address climate adaptation and mitigation, and social inequality. Our sustainable energy plan sets targets for campus operations to be carbon neutral by 2023 and climate positive by 2029.The university has fast-tracked these targets into action, with electricity supply across all its campuses now 100&nbsp;per cent GreenPower accredited, four years ahead of target. Other operational initiatives that have come from these strategies include:the development of a five-year carbon transition plan and a carbon-farming portfolioroll-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, solar car parks and rooftop PVtransition to Green Star-accredited CBD campuses and buildings (an accreditation awarded by the Green Building Council Australia).Produce sustainability-literate graduatesTargeted education offerings allow students to better understand the global purpose of the SDGs and provide opportunities for students to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to the goals and promote sustainable development. Embed sustainability across the curriculum ­– from undergraduate courses to microcredentials – for students locally and globally.Setting scenarios for a university adapted to climate changeEase students’ climate anxiety by encouraging climate actionCharting a shared path to net zero universitiesOur collaborations with international partners in India, which deliver dual higher degree research programmes in agriculture, are equipping our students to tackle some of our greatest global threats, including climate change and food security.Our 21C curriculum renewal initiative is committed to developing resilient and sustainability-literate graduates across almost all our degree programmes. New offerings for all undergraduate students include specialisations in climate justice, equitable technologies, eco-social design and manufacturing, water for life and urban evolutions for smart green cities. We have also developed a microcredential, Sustainability: Think, Care, Do, to provide the building blocks for sustainability thinking, values and action.Our goal is that by 2030, all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.Lift research metricsSupport innovative and world-leading research that provides solutions to the grand challenges of sustainable development, climate change, social injustice, integrity and good governance. Ways to lift SDG-focused research include:Badge your publications portal with SDGsDistribute SDG-related keywords to researchers (Elsevier has published the criteria used to identify and categorise publications for each SDG based on publication title, abstract or keywords. Western’s Research Services team publish links to these lists on the internal research portal website. Authors can refer to these lists to see if their publication will be assigned to their intended SDG, and revise their draft title, abstract or keywords if required.)Celebrate SDG research (for example, WSU’s research magazine, Future Makers, publishes SDG-specific issues)Track alignment with SDG goals. WSU tracks the number of publications, field-weighted citation index of papers, proportion of papers in the top 10&nbsp;per cent of journals as defined by Citescore; for SDG 5 (gender equality), we track what proportion of our publications have female co-authors.Capitalise on partnerships and thought leadershipWorking closely with a wide range of local and global partners can create impact and deliver on the SDGs, as WSU has shown. Research that breaks new ground and offers solutions to the challenges faced by the modern world often starts as a hyper-local project. Globally, the power of research empowers communities.An example of this is WSU’s work leading the Australia India Water Centre (AIWC), which aims to address the critical challenge of water security, sanitation, water management and distribution in a warming climate. Among other things, projects led by the centre engage village communities to monitor and manage groundwater at the village level and have had profound impacts on regional communities in India.WSU is also committed to using our rankings success to mentor several universities in Australia and across the globe – through intensive workshops, analytics and presentations – on how they can better align their curriculum, operations, research and engagement with the SDGs.Our thought leadership extends to the community, where we make visible the work being undertaken across the university as part of its Sustainability and Resilience Decadal Strategy 2030. This is done through activities such as our Thought Leadership Event Series, involving free public events that engage both the Western and wider community.The achievement in the Impact Rankings recognises our sector-leading efforts in driving important social transformation. We have used this accolade with distinction and conviction to urge the sector to take responsibility for these goals. The dot points above are only a few of the measures contributing to our success. Please feel free to reach out to Western, via e:odvcrei@westernsydney.edu.au for more information. We would be happy to work with you to better equip the next generation of thought leaders and civic-minded citizens solve the complex challenges of our times.Deborah Sweeney is deputy vice-chancellor and vice-president (research, enterprise and international) and Kevin Dunn is pro vice-chancellor (research), both at Western Sydney University, Australia.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Top-ranked Western Sydney University combines immediate action with long-term planning to drive progress in achieving impact aligned with the SDGs. Here, Deborah Sweeney and Kevin Dunn share insights learned from their institution-wide approach

A whole-university road map to sustainability impact  

What would a well-adapted university look like? Perhaps there are fewer weather-related disruptions to power supplies and transport routes. Maybe offices, laboratories, and student accommodation are comfortable during heatwaves. Or flood damage to buildings and critical infrastructure is less costly than present. Supply chains remain intact and biodiversity is thriving across campus.All these assume adaptations to universities as we would recognise them today. But higher education institutions could look very different in the future&nbsp;as a result of&nbsp;megatrends in education shaped by demographics, technology, policy and evolving labour markets.Scenarios can help us envision how adaptation, plus net zero plans, might perform under plausible yet contrasting futures. Here are four scenarios for universities in 2050 imagined by ChatGPT and the authors:Sustainable and community-engaged education: Universities take a central role in addressing global challenges and sustainable development. Community engagement and experiential learning are core features as students work on real-world projects with local partners. Campuses prioritise environmental sustainability and serve as hubs for sustainable research and innovation.Skills-based and lifelong learning: Universities shift from degree-based education to greater focus on acquiring specific skills. Microcredentials, digital badges and continuous education programmes are prominent. Universities partner with industry and professional bodies to offer targeted skills development. Lifelong learning is needed to upskill and reskill to adapt to evolving job markets.Technologically integrated education: Advances in technology transform the learning process. Virtual and augmented reality, with artificial-intelligence-powered adaptive learning platforms integrate into educational practices. Students engage in immersive virtual environments, collaborate with peers globally, and receive personalised instruction from avatar professors. Campuses are hubs for practical experience and social interaction.Decentralised and globalised education: The rise of online learning and global partnerships leads to decentralised education. Universities collaborate across borders, offer joint degrees and share resources. Students access diverse courses taught by AI lecturers and study at multiple institutions simultaneously. Campuses focus on specialised programmes and research centres.
	Part one:&nbsp;Start your university on a path to resilient net zero
	Transformative not transmissive education for sustainability
	To offset or not to offset – that is the question
These potential scenarios – or more likely a fusion of them all – would reshape the roles of academics, support services, teaching spaces and campuses. Redundant buildings might be converted to new uses such as apartments; emptier campuses could be rewilded. Rather than physical climate risks to people, primary threats might be to critical IT systems and knowledge repositories. Timescales matter. Planning and procurement for the next academic year is challenging enough but what about for the coming 10, 20 or 50 years? Such horizons might sound fantastical but they are certainly within the expected lifetime of a new hall of residence or learning lab being built today. When Henry VIII founded Christ Church, Oxford in 1546 it is unlikely that 21st-century climate conditions were at the forefront of his mind (despite the severe 1540 heatwave and drought). Yet, heritage buildings are still integral to many universities and present all sorts of weather-proofing headaches to estate managers.Hence, we need foresight of the intended outcomes and benefits of adaptation actions plus visions of the socio-techno-economic context and time frame over which plans may materialise. These are covered by the first two steps of the UK Universities Climate Network (UUCN) framework on strengthening the climate resilience of institutions. As elaborated below, the first step is about setting adaptation objectives. Step two is then focused on gathering essential information for the later phases of planning:Step 1. Set adaptation goalsStart with stakeholder mapping, strategy and policy reviews – including scope for alignment of institutional, national and sector-wide adaptation plans. This gives a sense of who and what is already active in the space. For example, nationally, any vulnerable buildings must comply with climate change allowances set out by the Environment Agency for flood risk management. At regional and city levels, universities may be engaged in community actions such as the Leeds Climate Commission and the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Action Plan. The Cities &amp; Regions Working Group of UUCN is also convening a community of practice for university staff and academics.Next, consider the following guiding questions:
	What are the strategic goals and desired outcomes of my university? 
	What community, industry and government support has been secured? 
	What other policies and strategies align with the adaptation plan, such as for carbon management and sustainability? 
	What is an acceptable level of risk?
Such queries are best addressed by early engagement with stakeholders. This could be via outreach and focus groups that build trust and mutual understanding; forums can also catalyse local interest and save time when collating data.These activities would help to shape a statement of intent for the plans such as:To identify potential risks caused by existing and expected climate change; to understand how these interact with university operations; to account for climate resilience in net zero delivery; and to identify key actions to reduce the negative impacts of climate change on people, critical assets and operations in 2050.Such ambitions can then be viewed through the prism of the most relevant or likely mix of scenarios. For instance, who or what might be most vulnerable under a “Sustainable and community-engaged education” or “Technologically integrated education” scenario?Step 2. Gather essential informationDiverse sources of information are required to build a robust adaptation plan. Again, a few guiding questions can really focus efforts:
	Are there previous climate risk analyses and adaptation plans for the university?
	What weatherproofing or risk-reducing actions have already been taken? 
	What technical and financial resources are available? 
	What baseline socio-economic and climate data exist? 
	What (if any) data have been compiled on historic weather impacts, losses and damages? 
	What local climate change scenarios are available for evaluating future risks?
Typical building blocks for an adaptation plan include: high-resolution elevation data; detailed maps of land use and critical infrastructure; inventories of building type, fabric and performance; local weather, river flow and biodiversity records; information about any historic impacts by, for example, floods and heatwaves on people, facilities, and operations; model projections of future climate conditions, such as rainfall and temperature extremes; strategic development plans for student numbers, research, teaching and supporting estates. Much information will be held within the institution but requires integration. Student and staff research and expertise can support this and add new information on, for example, biodiversity and habitats around the campus. Data on past and future climate can be accessed through portals such as the UK Climate Projections. Other environmental data sets and key literature may be signposted by compendiums of information sources. Once the available resources are collated, you will be better placed to spot any gaps and judge the technical sophistication that can follow.Next stepsIn our next resources, three and four in the series, we will describe respectively how to use the above data and scenarios to evaluate future risks, then prioritise actions that build resilience to climate change. Throughout, we should be envisioning not only future climate conditions but also the likely reshaping of education by other major drivers. These include disruptive and assistive technologies such as the AI used to enhance this article. This is the second in a series of articles offering advice on how universities can build climate change resilience while also working towards net zero. Read the first article here:&nbsp;Start your university on a path to resilient net zero.Rob Wilby is professor of hydroclimatic modelling at Loughborough University, and Shona Smith is research and innovation development manager for the Priestley International Centre for Climate at the University of Leeds.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

In the second part of their series, Rob Wilby and Shona Smith explain how running institutional plans through different scenarios can help improve a university’s resilience to future challenges relating to climate change

Setting scenarios for a university adapted to climate change

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as a global framework to address pressing social, economic and environmental challenges. As an institution we have used the SDGs to gauge our sustainability progress, both internally through our Strategy 2030 and externally through the THE Impact rankings – in which the University of Exeter came 18th globally for progress.However, there can be challenges in implementing the SDGs. The SDGs call for universal sustainable development, but this is difficult to achieve when operated within systems that privilege few and oppress many. Decolonisation, as a transformative process, breaks down these systems by empowering grassroots change to work towards creating an equitable world – a shared vision of the SDGs. Decolonial efforts focus on uncoupling from colonial legacies that perpetuate power imbalances and are therefore essential in creating meaningful and lasting change that prioritises sustainable development for all. Below are four examples that demonstrate where decolonial action foregrounds progress on the SDGs.&nbsp;Charting a shared path to net zero universitiesSupporting student action on sustainabilityEngaging students in applied research to tackle Sustainable Development GoalsSDG 4: Quality education&nbsp;SDG 4 emphasises improving infrastructure to enable all young people to have access to education. However, within education institutions we need to consider what quality education means beyond access. Quality education should enable students to have both a depth and breadth of knowledge in their chosen fields. For students to experience this breadth, we need to expose them to many ways of thinking so that they can independently form their own views of the world.Decolonial, postcolonial and Indigenous scholarship contributes towards this through unsettling the perceived objectivity and centrality of Western thought. From this, students quickly learn the essential threshold concept: history is not fact but an interweaving of different stories and versions of events. Decoloniality therefore encourages students to question what they assume as “fact”. Ultimately, criticality is key to embracing a breadth of knowledge and supports students to become agents in developing their own opinions as part of their quality education.A recommended initial step for this process involves studying the historical and colonial origins of climate change, including the effects of imperialism and economic expansion. This can support a critical assessment of prevailing Western narratives and strategies regarding the mitigation and adaptation of climate change. Throughout this process, it is important to encourage students to delve into alternative frameworks and knowledge systems, such as ecofeminism, Indigenous philosophies and postcolonial perspectives.&nbsp;SDG 10: Reduced inequalities&nbsp;The legacies of imperialism, colonialism and slavery have deeply affected our society, leaving power imbalances, the erasure of cultural identities and economic disparities. To reduce inequalities it is necessary to critically examine the histories and systems that have shaped how and what we learn, how we treat each other and how we “help” – including the formation and delivery of the SDGs.Decolonisation involves examining and dismantling systems that bias the white, male, upper-class heteronormative, Anglocentric perspective. Decolonial work rebuilds these systems, not to exclude these voices, but to situate them in a framework that appreciates all. A crucial aspect of this process is promoting a sense of belonging. This means ensuring that students and staff feel safe, welcomed and represented in their learning communities.We can encourage students and colleagues alike to explore their own privilege and to question the structures around them.&nbsp;A practical approach to this would be to bridge theoretical concepts with real-world examples of discrimination and power dynamics within the university setting. By examining instances of unequal treatment, biases or exclusion that occur in classrooms, student organisations or administrative decisions, we can foster critical awareness and facilitate meaningful discussions on these issues. Making things personal, questioning our experiences and positioning, and understanding the power we do and do not have foregrounds action. Without this action, we cannot hope to make meaningful progress towards SDG 10.SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities&nbsp;Sustainable cities and communities need to work with, not against nature. Underpinning this is the need to connect with our natural world to appreciate what the Earth provides. Educating through Indigenous frameworks can contribute to this greater sense of interconnectedness and help to alleviate alienation, ecological grief and anxiety. This is because Indigenous knowledge systems emphasise the interconnectedness of all living beings, fostering a deep sense of belonging and responsibility towards the environment, because we are a part of it. Integrating this holistic worldview can help to develop a stronger connection to nature, nurturing an empathetic approach to environmental stewardship and sustainable cities and communities.Embracing experiential learning is a great way to begin this process, moving beyond passive knowledge consumption to active engagement with the environment. Through hands-on experiences such as field trips to local ecosystems, students develop a profound understanding of sustainability. By immersing learners in sensory interactions, we forge a deep connection to the natural world.SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions&nbsp;SDG 16 offers an overarching approach of using inclusivity as a tether to peace, justice and sustainable development and institutions. Inclusivity, however, cannot be taken as a given. Inclusivity must be actively engaged with to empower our communities.Educators should play a crucial role in fostering meaningful engagement by involving students in community-based and participatory projects that address sustainability through a grassroots approach. Educators can encourage students to conduct research and inquiry on climate change impacts and adaptation strategies specific to their local regions as equal partners and active participants rather than mere facilitators or recipients of knowledge transfer. In this participatory process, community voices are prioritised and solutions are developed in a democratic and contextually relevant manner. Here educators are drawing on the same foundations as decolonial work that advocates for empowering communities, using local knowledge and fostering collaboration. This shift away from top-down approaches and encouragement of co-creation and contextually relevant, culturally sensitive solutions will ultimately lead to strong and just institutions.These four examples show that fulfilling the SDGs requires us to engage with decolonial and Indigenous practices. Educators in higher education institutions play a crucial role in integrating decolonisation into the SDGs, using their authority to teach where it is appropriate and, more often than not, to ask questions and seek the guidance and expertise of others – both within and outside academia.Sean Porter is an academic developer (transformative education) and Eleanor Cook is transformative education assistant, both at the University of Exeter.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How decolonial approaches can underpin and drive work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals across higher education

Decolonisation as a driver for the Sustainable Development Goals

When it comes to climate change, hope seems to be in short supply these days. It’s not hard to understand why, with regular “doom and gloom” front-page reports and post-apocalyptic films. Indeed, it’s hardly surprising that a 2021 global survey found that nearly 60&nbsp;per cent of young people were either “worried” or “extremely worried” about climate change. Students consistently tell me about their climate anxiety – and even climate despair – which is characterised by researchers in The&nbsp;Lancet Planetary Health as a “severe and debilitating worry about climate and environmental risks”, which can cause “loss of appetite, sleeplessness, and panic attacks”.There are two main reasons for universities to address this pervasive issue: first, our students’ ability to take action against climate change (or any positive action at all) is hampered by anxiety – in this case, climate anxiety – which can make them feel paralysed and overwhelmed. Second, climate anxiety is a student mental health and well-being issue in its own right.
	Fostering student co-creation to give back to the community
	Bring the SDGs into the classroom through role play and gamification
	A practical approach to tackling eco-anxiety
In an attempt to deal with the issue, we in the office of sustainability at New York University (NYU) spoke to more than 10,000 students throughout the spring 2023 semester, engaging them in conversations about the university’s sustainability efforts, in which many students expressed their fears and concerns about the future.To begin with, we wanted them to know that at NYU, a collective effort to become more sustainable is well under way. In 2012, NYU reached its first landmark goal in confronting climate change when we achieved an emissions intensity reduction of 30&nbsp;per cent, relative to a 2006 baseline. This was five years ahead of schedule, thanks to energy-efficiency projects as well as upgrades to our co-generation plant. NYU is working hard to meet its net 50&nbsp;per cent reduction goal in the next two years by employing many of the same strategies, including low-emissions construction and retrofits, efficiency projects and behaviour change, such as turning off equipment when not in use.We are also moving towards our Coolfood Pledge goal of 25&nbsp;per cent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from food purchases by 2030. Building- and food-related GHG emissions account for more than half humanity’s contribution to climate change. By 2040, NYU has pledged to be completely climate neutral. This knowledge will hopefully build our students’ confidence and motivation for individual change.

Then, this past April, we launched 2040&nbsp;Now, a week-long experiment to draw students – and the entire university community – into working together towards this collective effort. We held more than 70 events over five days, including interactive panels with faculty, training sessions, giveaways with sustainable menstruation products and eco make-up options, as well as hands-on, experiential events where students could try plant-forward cuisine, learn to ride a bike, grow shiitake mushrooms at home, and send feedback to their elected officials. However, the ultimate goal of 2040&nbsp;Now was to show the university community that they are not alone, and to guide students in transforming their climate anxiety into climate action.In fact, taking action to address climate change is one of the best ways to address the stress it causes. A study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology states that engaging in “pro-environmental behaviors […] has been shown to attenuate climate anxiety”, and the Anxiety &amp;&nbsp;Depression Association of America lists getting involved as one of the main ways to address anxiety in general. Having the president, provost and many deans attend, alongside students and faculty, also helped us show our students that climate change is an issue that the whole university community must work on together to address.In many ways, 2040&nbsp;Now was a successful pilot initiative. Not surprisingly, events that gave away food or swag had great attendance (a climate-focused concert featuring the bandleader from Saturday Night Live also attracted hundreds). But attendance isn’t the only measure of engagement. Our Ask the Expert tabling sessions attracted a few dozen students, but those conversations were long and rich. I&nbsp;heard one student begin a session in an anxious and divisive tone, questioning why NYU wasn’t doing more composting. After nearly an hour of conversation with the head of the university’s composting programme, the student switched from critic to collaborator, proposing solutions they could help execute in a hopeful and motivated manner. Other students reported feeling inspired to volunteer with local environmental groups or surprised by how delicious plant-based meals tasted. Participating in these individual actions, and being part of a community, proved key to begin addressing their own eco-anxiety.Universities are a leading source of research on climate change and how to mitigate its effects, and have acted boldly with steep greenhouse gas emission reductions. To educate, engage and encourage our students to take action is one of the most important roles we have as university leaders. In fact, multiplying our impact by positively influencing the actions of thousands of students may be the biggest contribution we can make when it comes to addressing climate change – the great global challenge of our time. And by doing that, we are helping students navigate their own climate anxiety and sense of hopelessness, too. We have no other choice. Our planet – and our students’ mental health and well-being – depends on it.Cecil Scheib is chief sustainability officer at New York University, a licensed professional engineer, a certified energy manager and a LEED&nbsp;AP.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Ease students’ climate anxiety by encouraging climate action

Climate anxiety is a mental health issue and universities can help students overcome it through climate action, multiplying their own impact along the way, writes Cecil Scheib

Universities’ vast campus infrastructures and large populations of students, staff and commercial tenants can make them seem like miniature cities. And, like cities, these campuses contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.However, universities are well positioned to demonstrate crucial leadership in the global race towards net zero. They generally have control of their campus environment (unlike most city precincts, where assets are owned and operated by different parties), which gives them the ability to transform into net zero precincts at speed.
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They can demonstrate community leadership, innovate scalable solutions and address long-term financial and environmental risks. And they can form partnerships across research, industry and public institutions that amplify climate action. Universities also have engaged staff and students who are dedicated to combating climate change.Reducing emissions on campusUniversities can act as living labs, testing solutions at scale within campus precincts. These solutions can then be deployed more widely, by amplifying success stories, driving knowledge and translating research to successfully replicate initiatives within our cities.Initiatives that universities can undertake on campus to reduce emissions include microgrids, circular-economy principles and acting as change agents.&nbsp;Develop campus microgrids and adopt renewable energy sources A microgrid is an option if renewable sources are not already available in the local energy grid. This energy system serves a specific geographical footprint, such as a university or college campus. Typically, a microgrid consists of renewable energy generation (such as solar, wind or geothermal), energy storage and a smart grid. Often, it is paired with load management, ensuring that energy-intensive appliances and equipment are only used when the grid is generating electricity.Universities can also: partner with other universities or local governments to establish a power purchase agreement (PPA), providing more substantial opportunities for investment; buy a green electricity plan (or similar) through an energy retailer; or install renewable energy infrastructure on campus (such as rooftop solar panels or biomass units). Institutions can look at innovative financing methods, which will help provide funding for such projects.Other energy-wise actions include: promoting sustainable commuting, switching to zero-emission vehicles; encouraging eco-friendly business travel; and retrofitting campus buildings to be more energy-efficient by upgrading HVAC, lighting and other energy-consuming appliances.Embrace circular-economy principles and implement material recovery initiativesCircular-economy initiatives on campus can include material recovery, responsible procurement or diverting waste material from landfill through extensive recycling and composting schemes.Circular business models initiated by staff, students or the local community (such as swap shops, selling campus furniture at discounted rates, donating books and clothes, renting machinery and tools) can be incubated on campus.Universities can adopt sustainable procurement practices and influence emission reduction from their suppliers.Serve as change agentsUniversities can serve as change agents, engage with student bodies and foster net zero-aligned education, research and innovation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Universities can also use their partnerships and reputation to encourage emissions reduction across the broader community and amplify change. Initiatives discussed in the Net Zero on Campus guide can be tested on campus before being projected to the surrounding community.Students play a key role in developing bottom-up initiatives and bring their passion, energy and innovation to strengthen emissions reduction projects. Students are also able to take their learned behaviours and expertise in decarbonisation through to the workforce and their communities.Universities play a key role in fostering the innovation needed to address decarbonisation via contributions to fundamental research, combining existing knowledge, education and training of engaged citizens and the next generation of leaders, creating space for open exploration of ideas and community involvement.Other ways to build on research and innovation 
	Build accredited teaching programmes at all levels of study&nbsp;and research activities; prioritise developing advanced curricula on decarbonisation solutions
	Develop training events focused on staff and/or students
	Lead public initiatives to communicate climate change&nbsp;mitigation and adaptation with the wider community
	Work with state and private sectors to build evidence-based policy and innovation centres.
Collaboration is criticalTo overcome common barriers to implementation (such as difficulty in financing or resourcing initiatives or complicated institutional structure and management), net zero initiatives can be advanced through industry collaboration.Universities can leverage their research capabilities to develop and deploy cutting-edge technologies and solutions.By sharing lessons from their implementation of on-campus decarbonisation initiatives, universities can equip students, community and industry partners with the skills and knowledge necessary for replicating these successes.Sharing best practices, resources and tools allows universities at the forefront of climate action to support those who are just beginning to decarbonise their campuses and cities.Supporting net zero universitiesMore than 1,000 universities worldwide have joined the&nbsp;United Nations Race to Zero&nbsp;campaign to decarbonise their campuses. However, each institution will embark on a unique path to net zero. What’s been lacking until recently is the ability to bring universities together to share best practices, resources&nbsp;and tools, so that pioneers in the area can assist those beginning their decarbonisation journey.To this end, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), in collaboration with Monash University’s Climateworks Centre and Monash Energy Institute, has published a&nbsp;Net Zero on Campus guide&nbsp;and&nbsp;online toolkit&nbsp;comprising case studies and resources. These resources detail campus initiatives to reduce emissions across energy, transport and mobility, buildings and facilities, waste management, and value chains through specific actions such as those outlined above.Additionally, SDSN is fostering a&nbsp;vibrant community of practice, supporting its own network of more than 1,000 universities worldwide in aligning their campuses with net zero principles and technologies.The guide, online toolkit and global community of practice through this initiative will provide invaluable support to universities and colleges worldwide. These resources empower educational institutions to accelerate decarbonising their operations and leverage their strengths as global change agents during this critical decade of action.Shreejan Pandey is general manager of the Monash Energy Institute, and Bec Powell is a project manager in the Cities team at the Climateworks Centre, both at Monash University.This is an edited version of the article “How universities can spearhead the net zero revolution”, which was published on Lens by Monash University on 20 April 2023.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

What’s been lacking in the decarbonisation journey is the ability to bring universities together to share best practices, resources and tools, so that pioneers in the area can assist those just starting out. Now there’s a toolkit

Charting a shared path to net zero universities

Between exams, papers, labs and extracurriculars, the last thing on students’ minds is garbage. It’s not that we don’t care. We know that mountains of trash are clogging oceans, hurting wildlife, endangering human health and more. It’s that taking action to cut waste can be an uphill battle. During my undergraduate degree in immunology, I would ask the University of Alberta (U of A) restaurants to serve me food in glass containers that I brought from home. They often obliged, but carrying clunky containers everywhere I went was not convenient.
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I knew there must be an easier way to reduce waste on our campus – something that was built into the university restaurant system and took the onus off individuals on campus. That’s why I and a group of like-minded students created DishZero. DishZero is a by-student-for-student reusable takeout container and mug-share programme that our team piloted for three months in early 2023 in two U of A restaurants. It will launch again in September with the support of at least three more vendors. The way it works is simple: campus food vendors sign up to receive our mugs and clamshell-style polypropylene takeout containers. Restaurants serve their food and drinks in our dishes, and customers sign the dishes out using a QR-code system. They return them to bins labelled with the DishZero logo in campus cafeterias. It’s not flashy, like some waste-reduction technologies can be; it’s not the first nor the only programme of its kind; and it’s not (yet) in every restaurant on our campus. But it is an effective way to keep university garbage bins from overflowing with disposable takeout containers. During our pilot, we diverted more than 480 containers from landfill. We believe programmes such as ours have the potential to eliminate waste from takeout containers if applied on a large scale. Although we are still refining DishZero, we learned much in the three years we spent researching and preparing to launch the programme, during our three-month pilot and in the time since the pilot ended. We believe the following tips will be useful to you, whether you’re a student group looking to do something similar or decision-makers in charge of cutting waste at your institution.&nbsp; Tips for starting a reusable dish service
	Incorporate sustainable practices into your service. Consider how your programme can embody environmental, social and financial sustainability. Choose dishes that are robust enough for repeated use without breaking and are sourced as locally as possible. Don’t insist on an ecologically perfect system or one that requires an expensive buy-in or deposit – these will make it unsustainable from an economic standpoint.
	The container matters. We spent a long time choosing the right containers. The key things to look for are: a container that is made from a sustainable material and is safe to eat from. We also wanted them to withstand multiple washes, tolerate rough handling, clean easily and be fully recyclable. And we wanted the dishes to become carbon-neutral after only a few uses. Not a single container was damaged during our pilot period, even though some users treated the containers like footballs. After reviewing many lifecycle analyses, we went with North American supplier Huber, although you could&nbsp;find success with other companies. We chose locally produced dishes in polypropylene plastic that are BPA free and microwave/dishwasher safe.
	Know your student body. Students will be using this service more than any other campus demographic. That means you should understand what your student body wants before you launch your reusable-dish programme. We ran surveys and determined that students wanted to be able to check dishes out using their phones. We used a QR code, but other universities have been successful using token systems or manual sign-out sheets, or even forgoing dish-tracking entirely. The programme should be adapted to your school and what your student body desires. 
	Use the programme to support student learning and provide students with work experience. The entirety of DishZero was prepared and implemented by current students or recent grads. We had so much to learn to start the programme: drafting bylaws, logistics, marketing, web development, negotiating with building managers and outreach to vendors, to name a few elements. Students across faculties and departments pitched in to help us in areas where we lacked expertise. In turn, we offered work on a real non-profit project where students could apply the skills they had&nbsp;learned in their degrees and which they could&nbsp;list on their résumés. 
	Market the service to students who might be neutral or uninterested in sustainability. Students who are highly motivated to act sustainably will not need much convincing to use your reusable-dish service. But those who are neutral might ask themselves: “Will taking this reusable dish add an extra layer of complexity to my day?” So&nbsp;it’s vital to ensure your dishes mimic the single-use alternative and are as simple, or nearly as simple, to use as containers that go in the trash. Highlight this simplicity in your marketing. 
	Be flexible. During our pilot we lost about 10 per cent of our circulating inventory. Our drop-off bins were too similar to the U of A’s Zero Waste stations (despite our research into branding and design); students would accidentally recycle DishZero dishes and place trash in DishZero drop-off bins. Regardless of the amount of pre-pilot preparation you have done, you will&nbsp;face a high attrition rate as the campus adjusts to your programme. In response to this, we plan to use more distinct drop-off bins in the fall.&nbsp;Similarly, in preparation for our pilot, we spent nearly a year creating our tracking system, which allows users to sign in by scanning a QR code and confirming a cached university login. However, many users still struggled with the system, finding it slower and more tedious than web standards. To address these concerns and promote new and sustained usership of the programme, we have teamed up with the U of A chapter of Blueprint to create a seamless web app. Users will be able to create an account, will only need to log in once, and will receive personalised waste-diversion reports and dish-return push notifications if desired. 
	It’s OK that this work isn’t glamorous. Exciting waste-reduction technologies might captivate imaginations more than a reusable takeout service – but are many university campuses ready to set up bioplastic composting facilities or cultivate labs of garbage-eating bacteria? Operational sustainability initiatives are easy to start, simple to operate and, most importantly, they work. 
Rojine McVea is a co-founder of DishZero and a graduate of the University of Alberta, Canada. If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Want to reduce single-use waste at your university? In this guide for students and administrators, Rojine McVea offers tips for how to set up a reusable dish service based on her own experience

Creating a reusable takeout dish programme on campus

The case for decarbonising universities has been made, and many have begun their journey towards net zero emissions by 2050. The same cannot be said for progress on adapting to a changing climate even though costs are already accruing from extreme weather events. Many of our institutions have been damaged by storms, floods and heatwaves, or been disrupted by associated power outages, failure of IT systems, loss of water supplies or broken transport links. Such impacts are expected to grow unless significant steps are taken now, according to the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2022.So far, decarbonising and adapting have been largely viewed as separate tasks by universities. Sustainability planning may be regarded as a third work stream. Yet, these should be approached as closely aligned activities in order to maximise co-benefits and minimise trade-offs. For example, restoring and expanding green space reduces impacts from floods and heatwaves by providing drainage and shading while also enhancing biodiversity and capturing carbon. Conversely, installing more air conditioning to control heat in offices, halls of residences, and teaching spaces, will add to carbon footprints.
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How then can institutions start to shape integrated plans for decarbonisation, adaptation and sustainability? To answer this question we are providing a series of resources drawing on a briefing paper published by the UK&nbsp;Universities Climate Network (UUCN). The paper was co-authored by us and 17 colleagues from across 13 institutions. Here, in part one of our series, we outline five steps to help universities get started with their journey towards resilient net zero:1. Take collective ownership for climate and sustainability actionA senior colleague should report directly to the vice-chancellor and the university senate, with a cross-function remit, clear responsibilities and targets. Immediate tasks would be to consult with stakeholders across the university and with neighbouring communities about their views on climate risks and opportunities. All groups within a university should be engaged – professional staff, academics and researchers, students or business partners – when raising awareness of the need to act, forming an initial vision and identifying priorities. Then, a&nbsp;team can be assembled that understands the institutional governance, processes, core activities and services. Delivering a resilient net zero transition will require ownership and participation by the whole community, not just the senior leadership team.2. Seek opportunities for climate action within institutional processesStart with an audit of university procedures and regulations to identify entry points and “hooks” for climate action. Possibilities might include the institutional risk register, business continuity plan, crisis management plan, estates strategy, procurement policies, performance monitoring and reporting of weather impacts. By embedding resilience within corporate processes and structures rather than making it the remit of individuals, progress can be made regardless of staff turnover or changes in leadership. This approach also recognises that climate change is just one among many complex risks that must be managed by universities.3. Pick a framework for evaluating climate risks and planning adaptations There are many climate risk frameworks to choose from. They are all designed to help managers set goals, evaluate physical climate risks and prioritise actions in systematic ways. As far as we are aware, a bespoke framework has yet to be developed for the higher or further education sector. The UUCN briefing paper refers to a six-step framework (shown below). We will unpack how to use it in the articles that follow this one. Meanwhile, a key point to note now is that climate risk assessment is proactive and an ongoing process. We are seeking to anticipate and prepare, rather than react to extreme weather events and climate change. We must also reassess risks as the institutional context and climate impacts evolve.

  
      
  
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The UUCN briefing paper’s six-step framework

4. Recognise and engage institutional expertise and knowledgeClimate risk frameworks are not straightforward to apply. Some universities might decide to outsource this technical work to consultants. But to be effective, inputs will still be needed from teams and specialists across the institution, including: teaching and learning, research centres, finance, facilities management, IT services and other perspectives. Project management teams should draw on colleagues with specialist knowledge in climate policy, information and science. Postdoctoral researchers, interns and undergraduates could be involved in data collection, too. Where there are substantial demands on staff time, this should be acknowledged by formal workloads and incentive structures.5. Connect with other communities of practiceYou can take heart from the fact that you are not alone in navigating the unfamiliar territory of climate risks and resilience building. Although climate action is highly context-specific, much can be gained by sharing and learning from the experiences of others. This “show and tell” approach is taken by the EAUC Managing Climate Risk Community of Practice. Members are invited to show how they have approached a climate-related task, such as undertaking their first high-level campus climate risk assessment. Case studies of actual projects can also showcase the diversity of adaptations in tangible ways. Other resources and examples of good practices have been developed by the Sustainability Exchange.Next stepsIn the next part of this series, we will explain how to define adaptation goals, source key information and involve stakeholders in a university-wide climate risk assessment. Parts three and four will describe, respectively, how to evaluate key risks, then identify and implement adaptation actions to build resilience to climate change. Even if our universities hire consultants to develop plans for resilient net zero, we must still be well-informed and engaged clients.Rob Wilby is professor of hydroclimatic modelling at Loughborough University, and Shona Smith is research and innovation development manager for the Priestley International Centre for Climate at the University of Leeds.If you found this interesting and want advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Practical tips on how institutions can improve their resilience to climate threats while on a path towards net zero emissions, by Rob Wilby and Shona Smith

Start your university on a path to resilient net zero

Why would a new food bank volunteer bring a stack of canned tuna to her first shift? It’s not a riddle – many of our volunteers at the University of Alberta Campus Food Bank are past or current food bank clients. One of our student volunteers had been collecting the canned tuna she received from her food hampers. She didn’t like tuna, but she was too shy to reject it at our pick-up counter. This incident told us two things: at least some of our donated food was going to waste, and our clients were receiving food they didn’t want. In 2023, when food banks around the world are struggling with shortages due to global supply chain issues and inflation-related spikes in demand, we can’t afford to waste anything.
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Our food bank has not been spared from these shockwaves. In March 2021, we supplied 200 food hampers to students in need. Last March, we supplied 470 hampers. This March it was 1,100. As early as 2021, we saw a spike in food bank usage, which indicated that if we did not make changes we would not be able to give the best support to our clients, the majority of whom are international students (70 per cent) and graduate students (60 per cent). That’s why we decided to adopt a grocery-store model. In the past we operated like a traditional food bank, offering standard hampers to our clients. We kept donated food and toiletries behind closed doors, created hampers made of North American food bank staples such as canned tuna and pasta, and gave visitors the choice to swap out only certain items for alternatives.The grocery model, which is becoming more popular in food banking, allows visitors to browse food banks’ shelves as though they were visiting a grocery store, pick which items they want to stock in their kitchen and interact more closely with food bank staff.Since we made the switch in November 2022, we have gone from serving an average of 10.4 kilograms per visit to an average of 6.8 kilograms per visit. Our maximum limits have not decreased, so we attribute this change to clients shopping only for what they and their families will eat. Tips for switching to the grocery-store modelThe switch to a client-choice model has allowed us to stock specific items in smaller quantities. It has also allowed clients and volunteers to develop stronger relationships that help us discover new ways to serve clients.But we have encountered challenges along the way and had learning experiences. Here are five tips for post-secondary food banks looking to make the switch.1.&nbsp;Plan logistics with a lot of visuals&nbsp;We thought about our hamper contents and how we might organise and display each food category so clients who were used to our hampers would find the transition simple. We created “shopping lists” – laminated lists with maximums for each food category – for clients to carry with them when they visited. The route clients take through our store is arranged in the order of the list and we have maps posted throughout. We also created signage that uses graphics to communicate maximums per household size, as English is a second language for many of our clients. 2.&nbsp;Take your timeWe recommend, if possible, closing down for a week to allow time to prepare for the transition. Because demand for our food hampers was starting to exceed supply, we knew we had to try something new, and fast. If we had felt less pressure from increasing demand, we would have closed rather than switching our office layout between opening hours. Your team could also use the extra time to work on adding suppliers before the switch; this is something we only had time to tackle afterwards.3.&nbsp;Experiment with stock and suppliers&nbsp;Closer interactions with clients, combined with the flexibility of a grocery store, has prompted us to explore new supply chains for both existing and new items. For example, we simply can’t keep halal meat in stock. This has led us to adjust our store layout so that halal meat is less likely to be taken by clients who do not need it, and we are also exploring partnerships directly with ranchers and other local food producers to increase our stock with lower per-unit cost. You also get a deeper understanding of what people want to take, which means you might have to adjust your ordering to reflect what is more in demand. Don’t be afraid to mix things up.&nbsp;4.&nbsp;Experiment with the aesthetic to make your food bank&nbsp;more welcoming for visitors&nbsp;Many of our clients find the experience of visiting our space stressful and embarrassing. With this in mind, we tried to mitigate the feeling of being inside a food bank when we designed our space. We created a bright, colourful lobby with a multilingual welcome sign, painted the new space in calming pastels with bright signage, created a resource posting board and set up a speaker to play music during shopping hours. We also adjusted on-shift volunteer duties to make sure we engage clients while also keeping the space clean and tidy. We have found through client feedback that all these things put visitors more at ease. 5. Use the extra time that volunteers and staff spend with visitors to gain a deeper understanding of visitors’ needs&nbsp;When we used the hamper model, volunteers, staff and visitors interacted briefly and only in the moments when visitors received their food hampers. In order to transition to the grocery model, we had to convert office and storage space into a welcoming shopping space. This change invited clients into parts of our office formerly reserved for staff and volunteers. Because we were interacting more closely with visitors, we learned that many international students using our service had anxiety about Canada’s tax system and wanted to know more about filing their taxes. Our student volunteers booked a tax expert to run a clinic for clients of the food bank, and 200 campus food bank clients attended this event. The main theme in our observations since switching to a grocery-store model is that we feel more like a community now. This adjustment has made our relationships with our clients more personal and allowed us to learn about the many other ways our clients need support. We are very proud of the work our staff and volunteers have done to make this grocery model work, and we are happy to share more lessons with any post-secondary food banks considering the change. Erin O’Neil is director of the Campus Food Bank at the University of Alberta. If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

A move from pre-packed hampers can make university food banks more efficient and the space more welcoming – and build a stronger community. Erin O’Neil offers tips for switching to a grocery-store model

A ‘grocery store’ model can help your campus food bank reduce waste

A new type of global academia is emerging, embodied by what we call the “fifth-generation” university. Such universities integrate research, teaching and knowledge exchange for widespread societal benefit, underpinned by cross-sector strategic alliances. These partnerships are vital for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) by 2030, while driving economic growth. The SDGs represent a $12 trillion (£8 trillion) global opportunity for sustainable business growth, according to a 2017 World Economic Forum and Accenture report. More recently, the US Federal Sustainability Plan has promised incentives to “green” companies focused on the net-zero carbon transition up to 2050.Time is running out to achieve the 17 SDGs. At the UN General Assembly’s 77th Science Summit in September 2022, we argued for a novel approach to cross-sector collaboration to boost progress towards tackling these global challenges by 2030. Although the pandemic and increasing geopolitical turbulence have hindered progress, universities can boost efforts towards meeting the SDGs by doing these two things:
	Improve capacity for building transformational cross-sector partnerships.
	Grow trans-disciplinary research and “team science”.
Here, we explain how this can be done through examples and tools that we have found useful.1. Improve capacity for enabling and building transformational cross-sector partnershipsCross-sector partnerships should seek to “bake in” transformation from the outset. We use an SDG canvas as a strategic planning tool to help all partners stay focused. This canvas enables universities and industry partners to consider what complementary assets they can leverage together to tackle complex challenges. 
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Our canvas tool (Figure 1 below) offers a planning matrix that uses the lens of the SDGs to map opportunities for building value against partner assets and the university’s strategic priorities. It enables universities to explore and envision potential trans-disciplinary research themes for an alliance, drawing on institutional strengths and industry domains. The canvas can also help to create vision-sharing documents to build internal support for the alliance. 

  
      
  
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Figure 1. UN SDG engagement canvas for university-industry alignment assessment

Universities must consider the following questions alongside those in Figure 1 to move partnerships beyond transactional and short-term:
	Do the other cross-sector organisations share our vision and values?
	What capacity do these cross-sector organisations have to co-innovate and find tangible, appropriate and workable solutions to challenges such as tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and creating a zero-carbon circular economy?
	What opportunities are there for a novel approach that combines trans-disciplinary programmatic activities, such as joint research or executive education, with philanthropy, to build a long-term, challenge-focused strategic alliance?
2. Grow trans-disciplinary research and team scienceFifth-generation universities are marked by the ability to leverage trans-disciplinary research and a “team science” approach. Team science brings together insight from academics, professionals and knowledge exchange practitioners across sectors to address scientific challenges. They integrate expertise from across university departments and disciplines to drive creative problem solving and design thinking that accelerates transformative and translational research. Forward-thinking universities should initiate Disrupt workshops to help identify opportunities across sector and disciplinary boundaries. The Disrupt tool is focused on achieving SDG 17, “partnerships for the goals”, which underpins all other SDGs. This tool should be used within a one-day multidisciplinary and multisector “sandpit” workshop. The session should start with an introduction from an institutional leader on the importance of the SDGs. There should be no more than 35 participants so that there are seven tables with up to five people per table, representing different academic disciplines, professional services teams and guests from industry, government and civil society. Each table is given a large letter representing each of the categories within the word “disrupt”: digital; infrastructure; society; region; unique; possibilities; trends.It is useful for each table to have a card with graphics summarising all 17 SDGs and a whiteboard. The groups discuss, explore and record their ideas about how the university can work across disciplines and sectors to achieve its mission. Discussions should relate to each table’s letter:
	Digital – consider how digital technologies are transforming the university internally and can bring transformation externally to wider society, through alliances that achieve the SDGs.
	Infrastructure – consider how your university infrastructure, campus facilities&nbsp;and built environment can provide opportunities for new alliances to address the SDGs.
	Society – consider how your university is seen in society and how it can form alliances to achieve gender equality and inclusive positive change for all.
	Region – consider how your university is currently contributing to achieving the SDGs in your region and how it can achieve more through alliances.
	Unique – consider what is unique about the university and how all the university’s assets can complement those from other sectors.
	Possibilities – set your mind free to explore the possibilities of new alliances between academic disciplines that have not worked together much before, as well as from across different sectors.
	Trends – consider the current political, economic, sociological, technological, legal&nbsp;and environmental trends that might enable new ways of working together. 
Every 10 minutes, people rotate to another table so they cover all seven throughout the workshop. The tool facilitates conversations and uncovers interesting insights and perspectives from cross-sector stakeholders. Training should be included, covering topics such as team science, human-centred design, systems thinking, the circular economy, storytelling, pitching, and inclusive, responsible and “frugal” innovation. Teaching-focused universities could use the tool to find real-world case studies and possible student projects. Research-focused universities could use the tool to find partners for collaborative funding bids for government funding.There are just seven years left to achieve the Global Goals by 2030. We need to work across governments, industry, civil society and academia through research and innovation ecosystems that span the whole planet to make the world a better place for our children and generations to come. This advice is drawn from Tim Bodley-Scott and Ersel Oymak’s recently published book&nbsp;‘University-Industry Partnerships for Positive Change: Transformational Strategic Alliances Towards UN SDGs’.Tim Bodley-Scott is strategic alliances director and Ersel Oymak is strategic alliances adviser and innovator in residence, both at University College London.If you found this interesting and want advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How universities can develop strategic cross-sector partnerships and trans-disciplinary research in order to boost progress towards the SDGs 

Building blocks of university-industry partnerships for positive change

While planning a recent reception, my colleagues in the organising committee scrutinised food catering options to ascertain whether packaging materials were biodegradable. Although seemingly minute in global impact, such procurement practices reflect our ethos as a university. These kinds of daily actions and decisions testify to how, in our efforts to cultivate a greener university, we seek to encourage and embed sustainability&nbsp;as&nbsp;a mindset.Sustainability is&nbsp;the&nbsp;buzzword of our times. More than a trending search term, it is lingua franca. Regardless of where we sit in the global order, protecting the world’s resources needs little justification.Transformative not transmissive education for sustainabilityFor the common good: why we need ecological universitiesTo offset or not to offset – that is the questionSo, how can universities connect their sustainability plans to the wider world?Integrating sustainability at an institutional levelUniversities can integrate sustainability targets into institutional plans. About 700 universities in the US and Canada, for example, participate in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (Stars). Aligned to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this system encourages universities to self-report their sustainability performance.&nbsp;Sustainability&nbsp;efforts can also focus on environmental protection and preservation, where&nbsp;targets are set to reduce carbon emissions from campus buildings, reduce water usage or waste and expand sustainable purchasing and investment.&nbsp;The University of Oxford’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy, for instance, aims for net zero carbon emissions&nbsp;by 2035, addressing biodiversity impact from its operations and supply chain. Princeton University’s framework highlights energy conservation with operational snapshots of reduced consumption and increased take-up of alternative energy sources.Beyond metrics: taking a holistic approachThese objectives demonstrate resolve to improve environmental outcomes. However, if&nbsp;sustainability plans are positioned using only metrics, they are at best reductive and limited.To move the needle, we must deep-dive into what sustainability really entails. Instead of compartmentalising decisions about infrastructure or resource allocation, we need a holistic approach that shifts attitude&nbsp;and&nbsp;behaviour. This requires sustainability plans to be aligned with the university’s broader strategic agendas, rather than left in silos.&nbsp;At Singapore Management University (SMU), our sustainability blueprint amalgamates behavioural and mindset change. Aligned to SMU Vision 2025, the blueprint outlines four strategies for sustainability: cultivate a greener university; develop change agents; drive impactful research; and foster resilient communities. Targets are mapped onto relevant SDGs, giving focus and tangibility to planned action.Integrative curriculum&nbsp;and change agentsTo generate creative solutions and build talent, universities can increase research and curricula – from undergraduate level up – in sustainability. We should ensure this is not merely token representation of the sustainability agenda.&nbsp;To develop change agents at SMU, we aim to embed sustainability across the curricula – from foundational digital resources that all freshmen are required to access to a sustainability management major in the School of Business, which offers courses such as Corporate Sustainability and Product Value Proposition Design, and Sustainable Operations.Universities can also encourage students to participate in community projects that are socially conscious and sustainable, and address specific SDGs.Such intentional programming will build the talent pipeline for green industries and engender solutions for complex environmental challenges. We believe they will also have transformational impact on knowledge, attitudes and behaviours.Resilience and social sustainabilityEducating students means preparing them for leadership in organisations that will inevitably encounter economic and technological disruption.&nbsp;Acknowledging this reality of more frequent economic, social or political upheavals,&nbsp;the World Economic Forum launched the Resilience Consortium in May 2022 to build global resilience&nbsp;and&nbsp;secure a sustainable future for all.In the same vein, universities should set targets for building resilience and social sustainability. To foster resilient communities, we must adopt a multi-pronged framework that considers the inter-related dimensions of wellness – physical, intellectual, social, emotional, career and financial. For students, we have developed a framework to guide programme development.&nbsp; This is premised on three dimensions: education, encouragement (via professional and peer support platforms) and experience (exposure of students to authentic learning environments).Alignment to country-level objectivesFinally, universities’ plans can gain traction when aligned to their city’s or country’s sustainability agendas. In many ways, SMU’s blueprint is underscored by the Singapore Green Plan 2030, which rests on five pillars: city in nature, energy reset, sustainable living, green economy and resilient future.By prioritising research in areas such as urban infrastructure and sustainable finance, universities can contribute to economic and social priorities. One example is the Singapore Green Finance Centre, a collaboration between Imperial College Business School and SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business. It conducts multidisciplinary research and talent development opportunities in the areas of sustainability, climate and green finance to support and transform businesses in Asia.It is imperative that universities join the sustainability cause because we impact economies and societies of the future. With an expanded perspective that establishes equilibrium between economic growth, environmental stewardship and social well-being, we can anchor belief systems and build competencies to maintain this delicate balance over time.Lily Kong is the president of Singapore Management University.If you found this interesting and want advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Instead of compartmentalising decisions about infrastructure or resource allocation, universities need a whole-system approach to sustainability that shifts attitudes and behaviour, writes Lily Kong

A holistic blueprint for sustainability

Since the 2015 Paris Agreement, thousands of net-zero pledges have been set by companies, investors, countries, states and cities. Now, representing 92 per cent of global GDP, these commitments can collectively bring a 1.5°C world back from life support, but only if they go from intent through integrity to implementation.There is a long way to go. The explosion of corporate climate pledges, combined with the fragmentation of approaches, has led to “a deficit of credibility and surplus of confusion over emissions reductions and net-zero targets”, according to UN secretary general António Guterres.
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Until recently, gauging the integrity of net-zero pledges has been a guessing game. Some include all emissions; some don’t. Some include short-term targets that will drive immediate action; others don’t. Some are embedded in clear plans and accountable institutions; most are not.Separating sincere climate plans from ‘blah, blah, blah’To address this deficit of credibility, the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit and Oxford Net Zero, an interdisciplinary group of researchers at the University of Oxford, teamed up to form the Tracker consortium with the aim of building a “home page of net zero” that anyone – from policymakers to campaigners, and investors to media – could visit to understand the sincerity of commitments.The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Data Driven EnviroLab and non-profit research organisation the NewClimate Institute joined us to build the Net Zero Tracker, a platform that uses citizen scientists to gather data and assess the robustness of climate commitments and their potential to drive real and timely decarbonisation.The engine of our core database is a cohort of around 250 volunteers, mainly made up of students at the University of Oxford. Volunteers come from every corner of the university, from first-year undergraduate to final-year doctoral students. Our stand at Freshers’ Fair is a forum for students to air their climate concerns and offers a route to personal action. Individuals are often diverted to us when their interest in climate action surfaces through their studies, or through involvement with Oxford Net Zero.Their academic backgrounds are varied – from physical climate science to English literature – but all students share a passion for holding the biggest emitters to account. There’s no criteria for involvement and we provide training on our tracking methodology, as well as the key indicators, and our review process ensures that every target that is reviewed is double-checked by at least one other person. Volunteers work together at in-person “code-a-thons”, or from home, to wade into an ocean of publicly available data, which includes scrutinising the robustness of targets of 200 countries and the world’s 2,000 largest publicly traded companies.Through our logical assessment framework, more than 50,000 individual data points have been created so far. Media outlets including Time and John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight have reported our findings. And decision-makers, from British prime minister Rishi Sunak to commissioner Caroline Crenshaw of the US Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, have relied on our data. A passion for personal climate actionWe support volunteers’ passion for climate action by helping them to specialise in the types of entities that interest them, such as African cities or Brazilian states. Showing volunteers the impact of their hard work is also key. For that, we host volunteer get-togethers as well as sending out a regular newsletter including updates on how the tracker data is being used across the world, key media coverage, job listings and events that might interest them.The most common feedback from volunteers is that their knowledge of net zero rises steeply, as do their research skills. They also get that sense of fulfilment that comes with personal action. Some volunteers have even considered changing the direction of their studies or careers after volunteering with us. In the near future, we will be introducing a certification scheme to recognise volunteers for their work. This should open doors for them in the future, given the increasing demand for net-zero literacy in the growing professional climate community and workplaces aiming to be “net zero-ready”.Over time we expect the standardisation of target-setting to improve comparability. And as regulatory frameworks for mandatory carbon disclosure improve, so too can the speed and accuracy of net-zero tracking. Supported by advancing AI techniques from the Data Driven EnviroLab, our vision is to track commitments as soon as they become available. Through this, we could equip stakeholders with near real-time assessments, helping them to acknowledge good practice and to marshal bad actors to improve target ambition.Scrutiny of net zero is rising on all fronts and we’re helping students improve their net zero literacy. In an era of increasing uncertainty, misinformation and polarisation, the tracker is evidence of a shift towards the democratisation of science that empowers our student volunteers by giving them a voice on humanity’s defining issue.Camilla Hyslop is the Net Zero Tracker data lead and a PhD student at the University of Oxford.If you found this interesting and want advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

We’ve engaged 250 students to track net-zero pledges

The Net Zero Tracker taps into students’ passion for climate action, teaches them net-zero literacy and builds their employability. Here’s how we work with them

We’ve engaged 250 student volunteers to hold climate emitters to account 

Since the term was first popularised in the 1987 Brundtland Report Our Common Future, “sustainable development” has become the dominant framework for reconciling the value systems and world view of modern societies with the constraints of living on a finite planet. In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a concrete action plan for making this global vision a reality. 

It is hard to quarrel with the ambitions expressed in the SDGs, which cover such basic human needs as food and water, health, education, housing and work, along with the protection of land, oceans and the atmosphere. Yet there is an assumption running all the way through Agenda 2030 (the UN’s action plan) that progress will necessarily be incremental: year-on-year improvements in various measures of human and planetary well-being.

Through my work in a Canadian faculty of education, I am familiar with this kind of thinking, which is pervasive in mainstream approaches to educational change. The self-preserving tendencies of the legacy institutions of the industrial age are exemplified in public schooling. So many of the latter’s basic parameters are locked in, from the design of school buildings and grounds to age grading, student-teacher ratios and the core subject divisions of the curriculum, that the system acquires an aura of inevitability. Whatever the improvements we want to make, the overall picture will remain pretty similar to what we have. 


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Now, this is not a problem if one believes that our existing institutions are basically doing the job we need. By pointing to successful cases of incremental change, we will always be able to convince ourselves that gradual improvement is both a realistic possibility and, extended over time, adequate to address the most pervasive and deep-seated problems. Something like this seems to be the default assumption in both the sustainable development paradigm and in mainstream thinking about education, including the thinking of many of my faculty colleagues. I suspect that underlying both is a metaphysics of continuous progress, embedded in both the “unfolding” metaphor of development and the “leading forth” metaphor of education.&nbsp; 

But what if the assumption of continuity is false?

The current UN secretary general, António Guterres, has emphasised more and more forcefully over his term of office that transformative change is needed in the global community’s response to the climate and ecological crises. “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator,”&nbsp;he told delegates at the COP27 conference in Egypt in November 2022. “It is either a climate solidarity pact or a collective suicide pact.” Weeks later, he told delegates at the COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal that “humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction”.

A career diplomat, Guterres surely does not use such language lightly. His advisers are telling him what scientists from a vast range of disciplines are saying: the current global social and economic system is unsustainable. That is, it will soon be over, one way or another. Which means that gradual improvement is no longer a realistic option, if it ever was.

The global reality we face – as humans generally and professionally as university faculty – is one of impending, catastrophic climate change and ecosystem collapse. Our established ways of thinking about education and development, however nuanced, evidence-based and socially relevant they may appear, are not designed for a time of planetary crisis. Does this seem overstated? Take a look at the structure and content of the UN’s SDG4, the goal focused on education. Of seven identified “targets” for education, six basically commit to preserving and improving formal, state-run education systems of the kind we are all familiar with. Tacked on at the end, we find target seven, “Education for sustainable development, peace, global citizenship” – a perfect encapsulation of the idea that our relationship to the Earth is subordinate to the demands of national economic, political and societal continuity.&nbsp; 

We need to reverse this assumption. The era of incrementalism has made it certain that the coming decades will be an era of unprecedented stress on our communities, societies and institutions. Massive change and upheaval are coming, whatever we do. This should prompt us – as both active citizens and responsible humans, and as academic professionals – to radically rethink the purposes and processes of education and development. Our legacy institutions are not just radically unsuited to the challenges of transformative change, they are at the heart of what needs to be changed. 

One way of framing this is as a problem of design. Imagine what education would look like if our relationship with the Earth – at levels ranging from individuals and families to communities, societies and humanity as a whole – became a central design principle. How would our goals for development shift if we saw it as a process of becoming more and more deeply attuned to and part of the diversity and flourishing of life on Earth, both human and more-than-human? And what are the implications for our universities, including the faculties and schools of education that must help prepare the current and coming generations for a lifetime of drastic social, economic and ecological change?

One key shift may be conveyed in a phrase often used in the context of Canadian debates on Indigenous issues: “Nothing about us without us.” If efforts to establish honourable, healthy relations between Canadian settler society and Indigenous peoples require the centring of Indigenous voices and perspectives, then Earth-centred education requires both learners and teachers to spend more time listening to the voices of the natural world. Requiring children and young people to spend thousands of hours in built environments swept clean of biodiversity is a fail-safe recipe for instilling anthropocentrism as our civilisation’s default setting. Education, including higher education, needs to be taken outside; it needs to get its knees and hands dirty, to be soaked by rain and tousled by wind. We must learn to know and love the world up close or risk losing it forever.

How to bring such changes about? How to adapt the vast and complex knowledge systems of industrial modernity to Earth-centred ways of knowing? These are questions that are difficult to grapple with, admittedly. But they are the kinds of challenges we need to take up, in countless ways and at a vast range of scales, in order for the comforting chimeras of “sustainability” to make way for daunting but finally more hopeful processes of transformation. 

Mark Fettes is associate professor in the faculty of education at Simon Fraser University, Canada. He is also scientific director of the Centre for Imaginative Education.

If you found this interesting and want advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the&nbsp;THE Campus&nbsp;newsletter. 

The time for incrementalism is over. As responsible humans and academic professionals we must radically rethink the purposes and processes of education and development

Transformative change is needed to deliver Earth-centred education

The service model for academic libraries has changed, but there is more work to do. This is not about the digital shift dominating the conversation in higher ed. It is about the important social&nbsp;shift happening in tandem, part of the larger turn towards participatory culture in the network society where, as the sociologist Manuel Castells defined&nbsp;it, “the key social structures and activities are organised around electronically processed information networks”.Libraries have supported institutional initiatives in widening access, public engagement, academic entrepreneurship, lifewide learning and student well-being. They have become campus champions for open research and decolonising the curriculum. But to secure their future on campus they must switch from a transactional to a relational model of librarianship.New ways of working need new tools for thinking. The new book I co-edited with Tim Schlak and Paul Bracke,&nbsp;The Social Future of Academic Libraries: New Perspectives on Communities, Networks, and Engagement, uses state-of-the-art surveys, conceptual introductions and real-world cases to show how intellectual capital concepts and social network theory can supply the strategic framework needed for organisational transformation in academic libraries. Here are seven thought starters gleaned from our research.1. Revisit your guiding principles and explain your commitment to values-based practiceMost library values have an enduring quality. Some, such as access and integrity, have acquired stronger resonance in the changing scholarly landscape. Others have ongoing relevance, but are being expressed differently to reflect current concerns: adding sustainability to stewardship; extending diversity, equity and inclusion to promote belonging; and complementing access with agency. A key move in recent statements is the shift towards agentic and communal values, such as community, participation, collaboration and partnership. Consider how to present your values. The University of Arizona Libraries website does this effectively with a nice graphic highlighting five core values, linked to a poster explaining what they mean. 2. Put partnership front and centre in your vision, mission and strategyOutward-facing university libraries (like those at the universities of Lancaster, Leeds and Manchester) have made a public commitment to partnership in multilayered strategic statements setting out their vision, mission, priorities and plans. Phrases such as “horizontal and vertical collaboration”, “collaborating across silos”, “cross-sectoral partnerships”, “deeper partnership”, “connected connectors”, “collaborative spirit” and “cultural shift” signal their intentions to forge partnerships and their commitment to community.3. Evaluate your service style and assess your progress towards democratic professionalismParticipative managers, transformational leaders, student-centred teachers, engaging liaisons and embedded librarians are shifting the style of academic librarianship towards a democratic relational model of task-sharing, knowledge-sharing and power-sharing. Crowdsourcing, data labs and decolonisation demonstrate that librarians can partner successfully with citizens, researchers and students. But for the social shift to become embedded, the whole library must accept collaboration as the norm for everything from strategy-making and service design to backroom activities and front-line services. Transactions are necessary for library use and self-service saves time, but people often want more than a brief encounter, especially first-timers feeling anxious or alienated in a large scholarly institution.4. Assign roles and responsibilities for developing and managing your library relationships Librarians have so many internal, external, local, regional, national and international alliances, associations, coalitions, consortia, federations and other networks that they are finding it hard to track all their resource-sharing, service-sharing and system-sharing partnerships. Understanding the breadth and depth of sharing relationships is crucial for managing sustainability. Partnership managers and teams in institutions typically provide central coordination of external linkages, but libraries also have multiple internal connections on campus with partnership potential. Social network theory tells us people acting as liaisons between different groups are vital for building bridges and brokering relationships by sharing and synthesising interests, problems, practices and ideas. Collaborative libraries are extending their liaison programmes beyond academic departments to campus units that provide academic skills, careers advice, disability support, international activities, residential life or student well-being in addition to teaching centres and research offices. 5. Organise your space, content and people with collaborative working in mindLibraries are repurposing physical and digital spaces to facilitate interdisciplinary and multiprofessional research and learning. Some librarians have co-designed community archives and content portals to support institutional partnerships, knowledge exchange and citizen scholarship. The big issue, however, is in positioning information professionals as essential partners in academic activities. The traditional model distributes subject-based teams focused on areas such as the arts, social sciences, health or engineering and physical sciences across campus to embed resources in courses and projects. Alternative arrangements consolidate technical expertise in groups of functional specialists covering areas such as data management, digital humanities, open access and research impact or instructional design and learning technology. While these functional structures have increased the visibility of library competence and strengthened connections with central services, the enduring relationships of subject liaisons can create shared value by connecting functional specialists with academic colleagues and mediating disciplinary practices in research projects. Structures and cultures that combine, blend and remix subject and technical know-how at points of need in the scholarly lifecycle can empower librarians to advance from legitimate peripheral participants to trusted project partners.6. Redesign your systems, processes and workflows to support a social futureWe found three critical areas where improved frameworks, tools or methods could assist the transition from transactional to relational working: library assessment, knowledge management and team collaboration. Reframing the whole library as a relational service makes assessing relationships the priority. Library leaders are debating how to evaluate and reward the invisible work of relationship building. Evaluation frameworks based on social capital concepts can offer a nuanced appraisal. For example, Virginia Tech Libraries used social network analysis to investigate the intensity, multiplexity and reciprocity of student relationships in different studio spaces. Others are using customer relationship management tools or library engagement platforms to document interactions with faculty, share knowledge within subject teams and uncover opportunities for deeper connections. Exchanging knowledge across library teams and with other professional services is necessary to join up and integrate interventions involving subject and functional specialists.7. Acknowledge relationship-building as a threshold competence for the whole libraryCollaborative relationships demand more than “soft” personal and social skills. A culture of collaboration requires shared understanding that working with others has evolved from service and consultancy to teamwork and partnership, within and beyond libraries. People need to know how connections and continuous interactions build the trust necessary for durable networks. The capacity to develop relationships is a prerequisite for turning academic libraries into network organisations with a social purpose. Motivating staff to invest in connections requires a shared vision of a relational service model.Academic libraries are relationship-based institutions, morphing into social organisations that are connected to networks and groups on and off campus as collective collectors and connected connectors. Collaboration is the go-to work mode&nbsp;for on-site and online activities, but the shift from service to partnership demands holistic change to align organisational culture and capability with strategy, structure and systems.Sheila Corrall is a former professor of library and information science at the University of Pittsburgh

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How can universities contribute to achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals? From research to mitigate the climate crisis to teaching through an SDG lens, academics share strategies

Sustainable Development Goals

How can universities contribute to achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals? From research to mitigate the climate crisis to teaching through an SDG lens, academics share strategies

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