A new plan from the University of Sheffield states ‘‘we will not force all students to become climate scientists” but hopes to invigorate sustainability across campus and beyond.
The strategy, which was released earlier in the month, sets forward action for our institution to become a leader in tackling the effects of climate change.
Vice Chancellor, Professor Koen Lamberts, said: “We don’t take this commitment on lightly and we don’t currently have all the answers”, but “we will never lose sight of the urgent need to cut emissions, restore habitats and secure our planet for the future.
“We must grasp the opportunity for a green recovery and take full responsibility for the changes to behaviours and practices that have become embedded in these unprecedented times.”
The University of Sheffield wants to build on its track record when it comes to sustainability. Between 2005 and 2019, the University cut its carbon emissions by 35%, and in May this year the institution switched to 100% renewable electricity.
As the climate crisis becomes ever more serious, this new plan intends to take action much further.
The strategy sets out a path created by student campaigners and senior researchers. It aims to place education for sustainable development on taught courses and use the facilities available at the University to help implement positive change locally.
Under the wide umbrella of sustainability, the plan covers several points: to reduce carbon emissions, to research, to educate and to make wholesale changes on campus.
One of the institution’s primary aims is to become carbon neutral on campus by 2030, and become carbon neutral in all of its activities by 2038.
In terms of research, the University claims it is “contributing to an evidence base that informs regional policy decisions and is building regional partnerships that will catalyse new innovation in sustainability that can be communicated globally, achieving both local and global impact.”
It is clear this is a policy which endeavours to make change locally and nationally.
The University also wants to embed education for sustainable development into all of its courses. It accepts this “can be a challenge for subjects that are not traditionally seen as sustainability related” but that there are skills and approaches that all subjects can link to these challenges.
The changes planned on campus are particularly promising. They include eradicating single-use plastics, removing carbon-intensive beef and lamb options, and transforming the University’s vehicle fleet into an all-electric one.
It is important to remember that students are at the centre of this work. The report states “we want our students to be involved in major decisions relating to sustainability on campus.”
SU Development Officer, Jordan Weir, said: “Our students have been at the forefront of this work for the last six years and have been the key to getting this strategy over the line. Students and young people up and down the country know the importance of climate change and how we must act now to instigate changes that will aid in the battles against it.”
As vaccines are being worked on and it looks as though a recovery from Covid-19 is on its way, we should be excited about the timing of the new measures.
Weir said: “The strategy being released now is so pertinent and gives the University and ourselves at the Students’ Union [the chance] to build back better and greener from Covid-19. The pandemic has highlighted that now more than ever we must ensure that all of our endeavours are strongly focused on forging a sustainable future.
“I am firmly convinced that any form of recovery from Covid-19 must be a green one and therefore my focus will be to ensure that the University is taken to task on this, as well as ensuring that our Students’ Union is doing the same.”