Sustainability
Working towards a sustainable community
Sustainable roadmap
We are working closely with regional sustainability champion Sustainability West Midlands, joining a range of other educational institutions, the wider public sector and businesses to work in partnership towards the West Midlands Sustainability Roadmap to 2030.
Through this relationship, we commissioned a study, which has supported the development of our sustainability strategy, designed to highlight priority areas we can improve on moving forward, from reducing food waste to sustainable travel.
The EAUC is the sustainability champion for universities and colleges in the UK.
Sustainability West Midlands is the sustainability champion for the West Midlands.
Sustainability partnerships
We are proud of our partnerships for the goals, which ensure we are working with local businesses, communities and sector professionals building towards a more sustainable future.
We are a member of The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education (EAUC), which is passionate about creating a world where sustainability is at its heart for post-16 education providers. This gives our staff access to training and meetings for the most up-to-date community sustainability practices within the West Midlands.
We are establishing membership with the Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), which provides resources, tools and knowledge with high-quality qualifications to meet the real-world needs of its members - from the first steps to the very top. They believe that together, we can change perceptions and attitudes.
We are members of Sustainability West Midlands to ensure we are proactively involved in regional sustainable development.
We work closely with other city centre universities/ colleges to see how we can maximise positive impact on sustainability within the city centre through group collation of feedback and data.
As an ambassador, we can help to champion the efforts being made in support of a net zero carbon economy
By joining, we are committing to the Race to Zero criteria and have one year to develop our targets and plans
Goals
As a community, we are thrilled to embark on our sustainability journey and work together to create a greener environment for both the present and the future. We recognise that achieving the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a significant challenge, but we are dedicated to reaching Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2041. While we continue to work on our goals, our sustainability steering Group is working to develop a wider strategy to ensure we meet our vision of a holistic sustainable community.
Our goals are:
- Clear transparency of how we are tackling sustainability as a university and community.
- By becoming a Race to Zero signatory, we are committed to developing our targets and plans within a year to become a fully committed signatory.
- After analysing our carbon footprint to establish a benchmark, and over the coming year, we will be developing a Roadmap to Net Zero, which will feed into a wider sustainability strategy.
- To become a recognised Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) plastic-free community member within the next three years.
Community
We are approaching sustainability holistically, with each department collaborating as a community to implement sustainable initiatives. Our efforts include:
Our student-led restaurant:
- Supporting local suppliers: We use local beer and wine suppliers to reduce travel emissions and support local businesses
- Responsible sourcing: We purchase high-quality meats and cheeses from the British supplier, Aubrey Allen, which is known for its responsible sourcing
- Reducing plastic use: We strive to become a plastic-free community, with nearly 100% of our crockery being reusable
- Reducing food waste in restaurants: Our university restaurant does not accept walk-ins, allowing us to plan orders and preparation more accurately to reduce food waste
- Educating on sustainability: Our college of food educates students on minimising food waste during production nd are recognised for their efforts
Campus-wide initiatives:
- Encouraging reusables: We provide on-site water vending, where students can buy and refill reusable bottles, reducing the need for plastic bottles and cups
- Sustainable waste management: We have carefully selected new waste management suppliers to ensure sustainable disposal of the university's waste
- Campus cleaning supplier: We have chosen a cleaning contractor and product supplier that is more environmentally friendly
- Virtual tours: We offer 360-degree virtual tours to reduce travel
No effort is too small
Departments recycle coffee pods, turn off lights and computers to save energy, reduce printing by using online ticketing systems, eliminate posters by using digital screens, and move supporting guides online or print them on FSC-certified paper.
Solar panels on the roof of Moss House
Our award-winning Moss House campus
Our Centre for Sustainable Construction at the James Cond building
Campus
Our campus is home to award-winning new build and retrofit buildings with sustainable features such as:
- Photovoltaic solar panels
- Electric vehicle charging points
- Smart lighting and sensor timer taps
- Innovative solutions such as an air source heat pump, CHP unit and rainwater harvesting
Our campuses have won awards too. Our Moss House campus was one of just nine buildings in the West Midlands to win at the 2021 regional RIBA awards from the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects. Described as having “inventive and experimental” building features. McIntyre House also won a RIBA award and BREEAM for excellence. James Cond, our newest campus building, has been shortlisted for the 2024 Regeneration and Retrofit Award.
Construction students at our retrofitted skills centre
Curriculum
Then there’s curriculum, a crucial ‘C’ when you consider that 82% of students taking part in the Sustainability Skills Survey said they would like to see sustainable development actively incorporated and promoted through all courses and 67% want to learn more about sustainable development.
Through our internal curriculum working group, we are proactively undertaking institute-wide course mapping to identify sustainability and SDG-specific topics that have been embedded and identify opportunities to improve how environmental social governance (ESG) topics are taught and represented in an innovative way.
We already support sustainability-focused modules within courses, wherever possible, and will be building on these this year. These include Sustainable Aviation Practices through to Gastronomy and Sustainable Food Management.
Our engineering and construction courses are firmly centred around sustainable building practices and feature production line technology to renewable energy simulators, rigs and specialist software for training learners in skills that support employers and their supply chains.
Our students scooped first prize for producing virtually no food waste in their entries at the Zest Quest Challenge
Our events management students ran a flower arranging workshop led by Ashley Edwards, owner of Ash Tree and advocate for sustainable floristry
A group of tourism students are working on a project aimed at promoting Church Stretton that incorporates sustainabilty
Our students teamed up with arrangeMy to contribute research on how the travel industry can improve its sustainability outputs
Students and staff after a successful litter picking expedition
Student spotlight
Sustainability is crucial, and our students take it seriously. Many of our courses include sustainability, and our students are challenged to try to include it in their everyday practice.
- Our students recently won an award for producing the least amount of food waste in the Zest Quest Challenge
- An events management student incorporated sustainable floristry into their project work, the 'Petals of Hope event
- A group of tourism students are working on a project aimed at promoting a small rural town while incorporating sustainability (such as using public transport and respecting the environment)
- Our students have teamed up with arrangeMy to contribute essential research and recommendations on how the travel industry can improve its sustainability outputs
- We take pride in our community through running litter picking to support the environment and keep the area surrounding the campus tidy
Transport
We are well connected to the public transport network in Birmingham with close links to the rail, bus and tram network. There are lots of sustainable ways to travel around the city and UK to help reduce traffic congestion, cut harmful carbon dioxide emissions and improve air quality. These include:
- Hubs for e-scooter hire outside Summer Row that are easy to use, cost-effective and a sustainable alternative to the car
- Secure cycle parking for staff and students behind Summer Row and The Link. Speak to Finance about accessing the bike racks
- We are close to Birmingham New Street, Moor Street and Snow Hill train stations, allowing for quick and easy travel around the country
- Travelling around the city or suburbs? Catch one of the new eco-efficient buses or travel by tram, which has over 33 stops that run regularly through Wolverhampton, through West Bromwich and up to Edgebaston
- Hybrid fleet vehicles
If you are unsure which method to use, click here to start planning your next trip. Also, ensure you check to see if you are eligible for discounts by getting a Swift card or 16- 25 National Railcard.
Join our sustainability forum
If you would like to get involved or have any ideas and suggestions for tackling climate change, reducing environmental impacts and driving positive influence, why not join our sustainability forum? We would love to hear your ideas and feedback.
If you are a member of the community or a local business member who would like to support us, drop us an email to discuss this further.