Environmental Sustainability at York (ESAY)’s Post

ISCN Best Practices Report Project Spotlight: University of Toronto’s Campus as a Living Lab (CLL) approach engages students in co-developing sustainability solutions, making sustainability a core part of the university’s identity. Explore this case study on page 85, and more in the ISCN Best Practices Report: https://lnkd.in/ezZYg-iq

We hope June is a better month for us all who work, live, breathe and experience the world of Australian #highereducation.   👉 This week, QS Quacquarelli Symonds launches its 2025 World University Rankings, which includes several Australian universities among the world’s best. This will be the second edition using QS’ expanded methodology, which includes a measure of #sustainability impact, graduate outcomes, and international research collaboration.   👉 Then, Times Higher Education launches its sixth edition of its Impact Rankings the week after. This year’s edition will be THE’s biggest edition with 2,150 ranked institutions.   👉 Rankings and ratings are highly contested. These present a view of what universities do and are judged by a limited range of measures which do not entirely represent the purpose of universities.   👉 To put rankings in perspective, last year I published an article in which I discussed the various sustainability rankings, framed the methodological nuances of these, and highlighted the disparity in performance of HEIs across world regions. I also explored whether sustainability rankings are truly helping move higher education towards a more sustainable future.   The article can be retrieved from: https://lnkd.in/gwxCzSGq  

Sustainable communication model for aggregating the various skills and resources within and without academia to o respond to social needs. Generating a new idea of public mission for universities was a research project developed at Univ of Florence. Research, education and communication are to be realigned to bring together good practices of job placements, community building strategies, and dialogues between all stakeholders. The communication model of top-down knowledge and technology transfer is avoided by creating networks and d relationships between the stakeholders and a new public mission for the university is created. Communication is not just for promoting products and services but to ensure sustained and effective exchanges between stakeholders made up of heterogeneous populations. The participatory model led by the universities brings together skills and competencies to manage the system through analyses, dialogues, experimentations, and reflections, in working groups. Co-developing solutions ensure the quality of products and their acceptance. A new mission for the universities in sustainable communication. #sustainability #sustainabilityeducation #climatechange #campus #climate #climatechange #decarbonization #communication #resilience #netzero https://lnkd.in/dcgFVGSb

This is the end of this book on Sustainability on University campuses. What are the issues in making progress? The International Sustainable Campus Network supports campus sustainability efforts in education m, research and implementation. There are other such organisations or networks such as the Nordic Sustainable Campus Network, the Campus Greening programme in the US, and so on. The Sustainability Campus Network under UNESCO brings together 15 universities in this effort. The problems in campus sustainability range from disparate efforts between university operations (energy efficiency but food waste) and curricular activities to lack of coherent programs and training, funding limitations, lack of monitoring and evaluation, lack of documentation and codifying good initiatives and best practices for posterity, etc. Much progress has been achieved but many more actions such as dedicated sustainability or green offices, integration of efforts instead of ad hoc and disconnected efforts, long-term monitoring, reporting, strategising, and such. Integration of all synergised activities into classroom and experiential teaching and learning are critical. Academia can get away from theoretical preaching and lead by example. #sustainability #highereducation #campuses #climatechange #livinglabs #decarbonise #climatesolutions #sustainabilityeducation #climateaction https://lnkd.in/dxs-9Myj

LiFE - Learning in Future Environment index is defined by James Cook university to measure progress in Supporting and Embedding Sustainability. There are other indices such as STARS - Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System which emphasizes external reporting too much. AISHE - Assessment Instrument for Sustainability in Higher Education Is qualitative. Main aim is to avoid potential for greenwashing. Other broad and comprehensive indices exist that also include graphical assessments covering research, environment, social and economic domains. LiFE doesn’t require such reporting but is designed for Higher Education Institutions or HEIs based in various indices. STARS is most widely used. LiFE was developed in the UK but also used in Australia and New Zealand. Priority areas are leadership and governance, partnership and engagement, facilities and operations, and learning, teaching and research. A total of 16 trackers are defined ranging from leadership, human capital, biodiversity, energy, transport, water, engagement of staff, community and public, procurement and such. A number of Acrion areas from policy and strategy, to training and support, implementation, links to curriculum and such are tracked. Monitoring and evaluation are the most important step of Sustainability in HEIs to ensure progress and quantify benchmark scores to avoid greenwashing. JCU did find that 2015 was lagging in the scores compared to 2013 but recovered in 2017. Restructuring, tuition income and cuts showed that universities must integrate sustainability into their core activities and mainstream them. #sustainability #campus #monitoringandevaluation #highereducation #sustianabilityeducation #climatechange #decarbonisation #netzero https://lnkd.in/dPUffMdg

We are excited to release the 2024 ISCN Best Practices Report, showcasing 45 case studies from member institutions committed to advancing whole institution sustainability. The report explores seven themes, including climate action, biodiversity, and campus management, and aims to inspire and guide higher education institutions in their sustainability efforts.    A huge thank you goes to the 36 ISCN members (listed below in alphabetical order) that contributed the report case studies. We are encouraged by their efforts and trust that their leadership will serve to advance progress on the shared sustainability goals of universities.   Carnegie Mellon University  Chulalongkorn University  Concordia University  EHL Hospitality Business School  EPFL  ETH Zürich   Freie Universität Berlin  IE University  KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi Massachusetts Institute of Technology  McGill University  National Taiwan University  National University of Singapore Simon Fraser University DTU - Technical University of Denmark Tecnológico de Monterrey  The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The University of British Columbia   The University of Edinburgh  Technische Universität Braunschweig Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC) Universidade Estadual de Campinas  Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)   University of Cape Town  University of Genoa  University of Gothenburg  University of Lausanne - UNIL  University of Pennsylvania  Syddansk Universitet - University of Southern Denmark  University of Tasmania  University of Toronto  University of Twente  University of Vaasa  University of Zurich Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) https://lnkd.in/ezZYg-iq

At ECER 2023 in Glasgow, researchers from Network 30 explored the future of environmental and sustainability education, highlighting the importance of crossing boundaries in academia and society. https://lnkd.in/e-9jr88u #EdSci #EERA_NW30

ISCN Best Practices Report Project Spotlight: Through active involvement in local school sustainability education, University of Genoa conceived the “Sustainability Mural” project as part of a school-to-work program with the main goal of making sustainability part of young students’ learning. Explore this case study on page 10, and more in the ISCN Best Practices Report: https://lnkd.in/ezZYg-iq

Hello everyone! Here is my second blog titled "With great reputation, comes great responsibility", that follows up on how the Imperial College London - one of the highly renowned universities adopts sustainability in its activities and aims to become a net zero carbon institution. Give this a read and let me know what you think of it! #QBSMScBloggers #Sustainability #ImperialCollegeLondon #UNSDGs

FINAL CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS: Student Sustainability Research Conference 2025 The Student Sustainability Research Conference (SSRC), happening on the 5th of March 2025 at the University of Leeds, offers students across all levels the opportunity to be inspired, share their sustainability-related research and learn from their student peers from across the region in a professional conference setting. How can PGT / PGR / PhD students contribute? Students can apply to present their research, projects and assignments using this link: https://shorturl.at/Y2kXV The conference addresses all aspects of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we particularly welcome research that addresses any of these six themes: • Rapid Emissions Reduction • Climate Adaptation and Resilience • Nature Restoration • A Just Transition • Educational for Sustainable Development • Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Deadline to apply: 08/12/2024