The University of Southampton is one of only eight Green Academies across the UK, making it a pioneer in the field of sustainability. The Green Academy Programme aims to embed sustainability at the CORE of University: Curriculum; Operations; Research; and student Experience.
The Green Academy programme is a pilot scheme run by the Higher Education Academy, in association with the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges and the National Union of Students, to support sustainability activities across universities. Whilst the University has a history of strong engagement with sustainability, these activities have been fragmented across the different areas. The Green Academy programme aims to provide a coherent strategy for sustainability practice across the University.
Sustainability is now a commonly used term, often pigeonholed to environmentally-friendly activities. The Green Academy programme, however, incorporates sustainability in all its guises, including human health and well-being, justice and equality, social relationships, as well as how we manage our natural and financial resources.
This broad goal has produced very tangible results already. The programme was involved in organising the first ever Southampton Blackout, which involved 250 staff and students switching off unnecessary electrical equipment across the Highfield campus one Friday evening. The programme is also supporting the development of a popular Curriculum Innovation module, ‘Sustainability in the Global and Local Environment’, which will look at the multidisciplinary nature of sustainability issues both globally and in our local environs.
Through connecting the existing sustainability practice and expertise across the University and by supporting innovative practices, the Green Academy programme is contributing to our goal of becoming a leader in the field of sustainability and a globally responsible university.
If you have any thoughts about how to embed sustainability in the CORE of the University or if you want to find out more about the Green Academy Programme, please get in touch with Simon Kemp (Green Academy Programme Leader) ([email protected]) or Julia Heaton (Green Academy Programme Assistant) ([email protected]).