Wednesday 05-04-2017 - 11:17

Green Impact Programme Manager Jo Kemp went to a conference dedicated to sustianability in universities and colleges - here's what she thought.

This year’s EAUC (Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges) conference took place at the end of March on a not-so-sunny Lancaster University campus. For two and a half days, delegates from across and beyond the sector gathered to share ideas, experiences and find new approaches together.

Starting with a great insight into Lancaster’s own carbon planning journey, a small delegation had the opportunity to get up close to their wind turbine and understand the trials and tribulations that led to them installing it. It was great to see so many people so excited about a grey turning tower on top of a blustery hill on a Tuesday afternoon!

The conference then continued to question our understanding of where the Sustainable Development Goals could fit into our current work, and how we can challenge ourselves and the sector to find new ways to tackle them head on. From sessions sharing mass engagement tactics for staff and students, to discussing innovations in integrating sustainability into the curriculum, and even trying our hands at acting as a business in the Global South facing tough sustainability challenges, notes were taken and ideas will no doubt now be shared back in our places of work. It is clear the global challenge has been set, and we are all responsible for innovating our way to finding the solutions.

Coming back to our offices this week, we at NUS know that the conference has given us the chance to catch up with so many colleagues across the sector and gain feedback on current and new initiatives. This can only help us to grow and challenge how we work to deliver the best possible solutions for staff and students across the UK and beyond.

Here’s to the next 12 months of implementing what we have learned in the lead up to the next one!