This October, the University celebrated and highlighted our commitments to Sustainable Development, and especially our progress on Climate Action. We organized a programme of activities for the month of October leading up to the UN’s COP 26 Climate Change Conference being held in Glasgow this year.
The activities and events ranged from design competitions, a visit to our waste management facility, exhibitions, academic talks, carbon literacy training for students, a book launch, to finally a one-day conference focusing on sustainable development. We even had our new Sustainable Development flag flying outside our Regent St campus to send the message of our strong commitments to EDI, Well-being, and Sustainability.
A month-long programme focusing on sustainability has never been delivered before at the University. However, we are starting to see a positive shift in our students and colleagues’ attitude and interest in various sustainability issues, whether they are on environmental, social, or economic sustainability issues.
Stephanie Lasalle, Collaboration Development Manager, who played a pivotal role in the organisation of Sustainability Month said: “Sustainability Month is ending today, but our efforts to be better, do better, and incorporate principles of the Circular Economy and the Sustainable Development Goals in our everyday life and practices is only beginning in-person or virtual. The messages remains the same: ‘we must do better to last longer’.
"Sustainability is one of the four themes and pillars of our Institution, and from our teaching to public engagement activities, it is all about Knowledge Exchange, sharing best practices and trying to influence others to choose the more sustainable options. Organising Sustainability month enabled us to rally across campus, facilitating work and communication between our three colleges and the 10 groups working passionately on the matter. The Research and Knowledge Exchange Office worked hand in hand with our Campus Management and Sustainability teams to drive these internal collaborations and are only looking forward to continuing all the way through this new academic year and beyond.”
And finally, Lindsay Bremner, Director of Research in the School of Architecture + Cities and
Convener of the Architecture and Cities Climate Action Taskforce (ArCCAT) added: "We are at the end of an intense week-long programme of action in the School of Architecture and Cities in the lead up to COP26 to highlight the role of the built environment in climate change and present possibilities for addressing it.
"These included a discussion on UN Sustainable Development Goals, a design competition for a materials reuse station in the studios, a talk on Kings Cross as sustainable place making, an exhibition of staff and student work, a talk on how to transition sustainable ideas from portfolio to practice, a book launch and a walk around our building to identify sites for future work. All quite modest stuff to embed the urgency of climate change consciousness in the immediacy of our everyday practices."
Anyone wishing to join ArCCAT should contact:
- [email protected] (Events, Campaigns, Communications Working Group)
- [email protected] (Curriculum Change Working Group) or
- [email protected] (Climate Conscious Practice Working Group).
