Update from the Sustainability Advisory Group

The first meeting in November was well attended and covered a wide range of topics. The ideas were grouped around the themes of Campus, Curriculum and Community. Landscape and biodiversity across the campuses was discussed, as well as energy consumption and suppliers and initiatives to consider such as green roofs. The group said an audit of what the University currently does would be useful to measure future improvement.

Other issues included looking at systems, and how some paper-based systems could be in an electronic format. It was suggested that waste could be reduced by not moving staff members around and considering the amount of printed material created. Transport was discussed, with issues such as condensed timetables for students, staff working from home, suitable provision for cyclists and working with external organisations such as local travel companies and councils to look at more sustainable travel options also raised.

Considering curriculum, ideas such as a sustainable week was suggested, as well as sustainability continuing professional development (CPD) for staff alongside sharing ideas across departments/Faculties.

In terms of community, the University’s work with its family of schools was raised as an avenue to consider, as well as considering whether the voluntary sector could use unwanted furniture or equipment.

The ideas were fed back to the University Steering Group by Sustainability Champion, Vickie Warren. They will form part of the considerations for the Sustainability Strategic Plan.

If you are interested in joining this group, email: sustain@wlv.ac.uk

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