Dr Pooja Basnett and Dr Ro Spankie will represent the University of Westminster and its commitment to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the THE Global Sustainable Development Congress 2024. Dr Basnett and Dr Spankie have also been invited to lead or contribute to discussions at the event.
The 2024 Congress will take place in Bangkok, Thailand between 10-13 June with about 3,000 thought leaders and innovators from 700 organisations attending from all over the globe to discuss urgent solutions to the sustainability emergency. The Congress is co-hosted by the Times Higher Education and Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.
Strategically integrating the United Nations 17 SDGs into its operations, teaching, research and knowledge exchange, the University of Westminster has been recognised as one of the top fifth out of over 1500 universities globally for progress against the SDGs.
Dr Ro Spankie, Convenor of the University’s School of Architecture+Cities Climate Action Task Force, has been asked to be a panellist at two sessions of the Congress. The first panel, focusing on the theme of cities, will explore the interdisciplinary strategic actions to accelerate sustainable urban development. The panel will discuss how integrating innovative approaches can achieve a more liveable and environmentally sustainable city environment and support economic growth. Dr Spankie’s second panel will revolve around the theme of health and how effective policies can encourage collaboration and achieve a bigger impact. This conversation will explore the demands of our current demographic trends, rebuilding the public’s trust in healthcare systems, and how a community-based approach can tackle sustainability and inequality through robust policies.
Photo: Dr Ro Spankie
Dr Spankie is a Principal Lecturer in Interior Architecture, Assistant Head of the School of Architecture + Cities and founder of the University’s Interior Architecture BA Honours course. As convenor of the University’s School of Architecture+Cities Climate Action Task Force (ArCCAT), she has worked to build collaborative relationships between colleagues and students and promote climate conscious practice and behaviours. Initiatives include developing a School Climate Action Strategy to encourage discipline specific curriculum change, introducing ArCCAT student prizes and a School Travel Policy as well as working with the University’s Estates Team on greening the campus.
She also leads on the Mental Health, Design and Wellbeing: Co-design Workshop which is an award-winning collaborative design project involving 650 students from across Architecture courses at the University and medical students from Imperial College London. This innovative workshop involves students working in teams with patients, clinicians, architects and other key stake holders on existing NHS sites. The project was shortlisted for a Green Gown Award in the 2023 Tomorrow’s Employee’s category as well as a University of Westminster Learning and Teaching Excellence Award for Collaboration.
Dr Pooja Basnett has been invited to chair the panel discussion titled A Collective Effort on Research and Innovation Towards Global Restoration of Biodiversity. This panel will delve into the collaborative efforts driving research and innovation towards the global restoration of biodiversity. They will explore the effectiveness of existing international frameworks for research coordination and cooperation, identify innovative resources and strategies accelerating biodiversity conservation, discuss the pivotal transition from laboratory discoveries to real-life restoration initiatives, and examine the role of research and innovation in engaging broader society in conservation efforts.
Photo: Dr Pooja Basnett
Dr Basnett is a Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences and the Co-course Leader for the Biological Sciences BSc Honours course, and leads the final-year undergraduate module called Designing a Sustainable World. She has been awarded the Westminster Learning and Teaching Excellence award in the category of embedding sustainability in the curriculum in 2022. Dr Basnett’s research interest is to build a sustainable, competitive and cost-effective route to produce biodegradable, compostable and recyclable bioplastics using renewable, biobased feedstock. Her vision is to foster an understanding of sustainability through teaching, research and communication.
Dr Basnett is a Co-lead for the Cavendish Living Lab, a vertically and a horizontally integrated, multidisciplinary project which holds authentic learning, sustainability and employability at its core. The Cavendish Living Lab is open to all Westminster students and uses the University campus and community as its very own laboratory. It gives students a chance to partner with various stakeholders to address real world issues and co-create innovative and sustainable solutions. There are three strands to the project comprising of Urban Food Growing, Bioplastics Production and Wastewater Management. Recently the Cavendish Living Lab has seen Westminster students and academics cultivate greens hydroponically on their Central London campus, using food waste from the onsite catering facilities and donating their produce to Euston Foodbank. Cavendish Living Lab was also a finalists for prestigious 2023 Green Gown Awards.
Learn more about Sustainable Development at the University of Westminster, including the University’s latest Sustainable Development Goals report.
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