The Sustainability Implementation Group (SIG), which leads on the University’s Sustainability Strategy and its implementation, under the oversight of the University’s Sustainability Strategy Board (SSB), has recently provided an update on the Strategy.
The Monday 8 July 2024 event was chaired by Professor Phillip Wright, (Chair of SSB) and Professor AbuBakr Bahaj (Chair of the SIG) and covered the annual update on the University’s Sustainability Strategic Plan. The event took place in a hybrid format in the Centenary Building (B100) from 13:00-14:00 with over 80 attendees joining from across the University.
The agenda included an update on the overall University Strategy from the President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Smith, followed by an overview of the Sustainability Strategic Plan from Professor Phillip Wright and a summary of key achievements and engagement activities by Professor AbuBakr Bahaj. This was followed by presentations by the 6 Goal Champions of the Sustainability Strategic Plan. Goal Champions then took questions from the audience followed by a networking period providing an opportunity to discuss the Strategic Plan and Goals with the Goal Champions/Leads and core SIG team.
The meeting highlighted the University’s overall goal to achieve net zero emissions for Scopes 1 and 2 by 2030 and for Scope 3 by 2045 and the pathway to deliver these targets (Goals 1-3). The University’s emissions for 2022-23 under Scope 1, 2 and 3 were estimated to be around 135.6 kTCO2e, which is around 5 kTCO2e less than the 2021-22 reporting period – see the latest SIG emissions report.
The Plan’s other 3 Goals were covered by Goal Champions’ updates on how the University is embedding sustainability in our teaching, research, implementing a sustainable investment policy and developing its Biodiversity Policy. Updates on all the 6 Goals of the University Sustainability Strategy can be found in the SIG annual report (under final review).
The Q&A session covered a range of themes including: incorporating economic, social and environmental factors in decisions reporting, reducing our footprint through better space utilisation, deployment of appropriate technologies across the University’s estates and the tension between growth and University sustainability targets.
The recording of the event can be viewed here and you can look though the slides from the event here. Staff and students can keep up to date with news, updates and events via the SIG Yammer group and SIG Intranet Site.