This conference brought together educationalists, NGOs, Estate Directors and employers to promote and share good subject based and interdisciplinary practice across a wide range of areas, from both the natural sciences and the social sciences. It also showcased ideas and projects from leading NGOs and businesses which are working towards sustainability goals.

1. Education For Sustainable
Development London
Supporting Employability, Society
And The Environment: A Curriculum
For Sustainability

2. Welcome to London South Bank University
Professor David Phoenix, OBE, Vice-Chancellor,
London South Bank University

3. Introduction to the day
Professor Ros Wade, Chair, RCE London and
Director of the Masters programme at London
South Bank University

4. ‘London RCE Conference
Supporting Employability, Society and the
Environment: a curriculum for
sustainability’
ESD Conference - Southbank University
10th June 2014
Jane Davidson, APVC Engagement and Sustainability
and Director of INSPIRE (Institute for Sustainable
Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness)

5. Think global, act local

6. 1999 – a new paradigm
Government of Wales Act 1998 section 121
The Government has a duty to have a scheme
setting out how it will promote sustainable
development in the exercise of its functions. The duty
also requires Welsh Ministers to:
• publish an annual report of how the proposals set out
in the Sustainable Development Scheme have been
implemented in that financial year; and
• following an election to the National Assembly,
publish a report containing an assessment of how
effective the proposals set out in the scheme have
been in promoting sustainable development.

7. “ Within the lifetime of a generation we
want to see Wales using only its fair share
of the earth’s resources” One Wales One
Planet, 2009

8. SD: the definition
• Welsh Government uses the Brundtland definition of
'Sustainable Development' from 'Our Common Futures' 1987
World Commission on the Environment and Development
• "..development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs”
• - the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the
world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
• - the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and
social organization on the environment's ability to meet present
and future needs."

9. ESDGC Action Plan themes 2006
• Links between society, economy, environment and
between our lives and those of people throughout
the world;
• Needs and rights of both present and future
generations;
• Relationship between power, resources & human
rights;
• Local and global implications of everything we do;
and
• The actions that individuals and organisations can
take in responding to local and global issues.

10. Outcome of SD: economic, social
& environmental wellbeing

11. Ecological Footprint
Measure it at
http://www.bestfootforward.com/resources/ecologic
al-footprint/
or http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/
Your living habits make up your footprint In Wales
we currently use about 3 planets instead of 1
• Housing inc energy 25%
• Food 20%
• Transport 18%
• Stuff 37%

12. A systemic approach:

13. INSPIRE drivers…
• Government policy
• Demand for sustainability skills
• Students’ expectations
• Resource efficiencies
• Staff expectations
• Professional/accrediting bodies’
expectations
• Research funding

14. INSPIRE – the opportunity…..
 To influence the development of a university during
the process of major change.
 For sustainable development to be a core value with
which to frame the development of the institution.
 To be an exemplar of sustainability in practice.
 To benefit the local region through partnerships
focused on sustainable outcomes.
 To create commercial opportunities through expertise

15. INSPIRE – the challenges….
Staff buy-in
Management buy-in
Governors buy-in
Student buy-in
The campus……

16. A new university vision –
‘transforming education,
transforming lives’
,• Collaboration
• Inclusivity,
• Sustainable development,
• Employability and creativity,
• Wales and its distinctiveness,
• The concept of global citizenship,
• Research and its impact on policy.
• nd creativity, Wales and its

17. An ‘inspired’ education
• Sustainability and sustainable
development concern ideas,
understanding, values and skills that are
highly relevant to today’s society,
economy and our environment – and to
our individual and collective futures..
• An educational vision that ‘seeks to
balance human and economic wellbeing
with cultural traditions and respect for the
earth’s natural resources’ (UNESCO)

18. Embedding sustainability as a core principle
across all aspects of the University
Improve our classification in the People and Planet
Green League.
Embed Faculty sustainability plans throughout the
academic and support structures
Complete curriculum audits and develop the
curriculum with due regard to the emerging
sustainability agenda
Maximise research, project and consultancy income
related to sustainability (to be quantified in line with
ongoing curriculum/research review)

19. UWTSD graduate attributes
• Active Citizenship: able to appreciate the importance of
environmental, social and political contexts to their
studies;
• Creative Problem Solving: able to think creatively,
holistically, and systemically and make critical judgements
on issues;
• Teamwork: able to work collaboratively and work in
interdisciplinary teams;
• Learning and Personal Development: able to develop a
high level of self-reflection at a personal and professional
level;
• Communication: able to understand, critically evaluate,
adopt thoughtfully and communicate sustainability values;

20. Mazlo’s Hierarchy of Need

21. Future Generations’ Bill
(expected in July 2014)
The Bill will
• legislate to make sustainable
development the central organising
principle of the Welsh Government
and public bodies in Wales.
• Create an independent sustainable
development body for Wales (a
Commissioner for Sustainable
Futures)

22. Future Generations’ Bill Goals
• Wales is prosperous and innovative
• Wales is a more equal nation
• Wales uses a fair share of natural resources
• People in Wales are healthier
• Communities across Wales are safer,
cohesive and resilient
• People in Wales participate in our shared
culture, with a thriving Welsh language

23. Make the Change!
• If you always do what you've always done,
you'll always get what you've always had”
Mark Twain
• It is not the strongest of the species that
survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one
most responsive to change” Charles Darwin

24. Learning to learn for sustainability in higher
education: making a difference
Prof Stephen Sterling
Centre for Sustainable Futures
Plymouth University
‘Supporting employability, society and the
environment: a curriculum for sustainability’
Annual Conference, June 10th 2014

25. CSF – overall aim at Plymouth University
‘To lead and support transformative learning for
sustainability across Plymouth University and
beyond, working towards the sustainable
university with staff, students and partners.’
- Centre for Sustainable Futures (CSF), Plymouth University

27. Sustainability at Plymouth
• Sustainability one of four corporate strategic aims ‘Plymouth 2020’
• New Sustainability Strategy 2014
• Sustainability Executive; and Sustainability Advisory Group
• Sustainability Research Institute (ISSR) links over 300 academics
• Finance and Sustainability coordinates key policies
• Pedagogic Research Institute (PedRIO) has ESD specialism
• Sustainability education(ESD) in Teaching and Learning Strategy
• ISO 140001 and Fair Trade Status
• Commitment to Carbon Neutrality 2030
• Campus Information Control System (CICS) (RGF project) – a sector first
• New Green Travel Plan and Sustainable Food Policy
• Green Gowns Award winner in 2011 for whole institutional change
• Second in Green League 2011 and 2012 ; overall sector leader since 2007
• Ranked fifth place for overall sustainability performance by international Green Metric
World University Ranking
• First university worldwide to win a Social Enterprise Mark.
• 49% of courses have an embedded or major sustainability element
• 50% of research funding is sustainability related and 25% of all publications
• Pool of committed and enthusiastic staff across academics, professionals, administrators
and service providers in relation to sustainability
• Centre for Sustainable Futures (CSF) supporting the sustainability curriculum across all
faculties
• UPSU wins Green Impact Gold Award in 2012 and 2013

28. What makes it ‘green’!?

29. 1. The challenge
2. Sustainability education
3. Whole institutional change and Plymouth's experience
4. Embedding sustainability – approaches and examples
5. What next?

30. 1 The challenge

31. Will universities offer the intellectual leadership
needed to shift our civilisation off its self-
destructive course and on track for a sustainable
future? Obviously they can, if they so choose.
• Sara Parkin, OBE (2013, xviii)

32. Facing the future

33. A different kind of education?
‘That which is known is no longer stable. The shelf‐life
of knowledge can be very short.
In many disciplines what is taught and how it is taught
are both stalked by the threat of obsolescence.
In a changing world, Europe’s graduates need the kind
of education that enables them to engage articulately
as committed, active, thinking, global citizens as well as
economic actors in the ethical, sustainable
development of our societies.’
- European Commission (June 2013) Modernisation of Higher Education Improving the
quality of Teaching and Learning in Europe’s Higher Education Institutes.
http://tinyurl.com/nr8dltv

34. Tensions: add-on or transformation?
• Defined issue relating
mainly to estates and
resource use
• Principally an
environmental issue
• Requires add-on, or
reformative approach
• Involves a few key
disciplines
• Is an additional agenda,
easily accommodated
• Has clear goals,
measurable
• Broad relevance to all aspects
of HE operation and provision
• Also encompasses social
relations, justice, ethics,
economic viability etc
• Requires holistic and
transformative approach
• Implications for most
disciplinary areas and
requires interdisciplinarity
• Is an overarching agenda and
challenges existing policy and
practice, involving
organisational change
• Emerging and contested
arearea

35. Education for unsustainable
development?
‘at present most of our universities are
still leading the way in advancing the
kind of thinking, teaching and research
that…accelerates un-sustainability’
(Arjen Wals 2008, 31).
Wals, A (2008) (ed.) From cosmetic reform to meaningful integration:
implementing education for sustainable development in higher education
institutes - the state of affairs in six European countries, DHO, Amsterdam.

36. Educational culture: levels of
manifestation
Practice
Provision
Policy
Purpose
Paradigm

37. Double learning challenge
• Structured learning:
- intentioned learning
amongst students in
formal education which
arises from
educational policies
and practices
• Organisational
learning:
- the social learning
response to
sustainability in
organisations,
institutions and
their actors

38. Drivers and opportunities
Wider context
o Socio-economic and ecolgical conditions characterised by fluidity,
complexity and unsustainability
o Rising public interest/concern
Economic and employment context
o Low carbon economy
o Students want to work for ethical employers
Policy and mandate
o Professional requirements
o National mandate from HE funding councils
Institutional advantage
o Student demand
o Corporate social responsibility and + SD links
o Financial savings
o Marketing and recruitment advantage
Education and quality
o Rising interest in quality education and sustainability
•

39. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2010
(n=5654)
2011
(n=1514)
2012
(n=4009)
2013
(n=3019)
2010
(n=5622)
2011
(n=1518)
2012
(n=3991)
2013
(n=2998)
2010
(n=5620)
2011
(n=1516)
2012
(n=3963)
2013
(n=2987)
Sustainable development is something
which universities should actively
incorporate and promote
Sustainable development is something
which university courses should actively
incorporate and promote
Sustainable development is something
which I would like to learn more about
Agree
Strongly
agree
NUS HEA surveys:
A latent student interest in sustainability

40. 2 Sustainability education

41. 20% DISCOUNT:
Type EARTHCAST into
the voucher code box
when ordering at
www.earthscan.co.uk
..about developing the kinds of education,
teaching and learning that appear to be
required IF…
…we are concerned about ensuring social,
economic and ecological wellbeing, now and into
the future.
It is relevant to four domains: the personal; the professional; the
organisational (HEI); and the social or community levelvel
Sustainability Education is…

42. Sustainability education is not…
• a separate subject or discipline (ideally)
• only relevant to a few subject areas
• separate from and unrelated to other HE agendas such as
employability, enterprise and internationalisation
• just about ‘the environment’
• a passing fad

43. ESD can ‘colour’ all areas....
• Curriculum
• Hidden curriculum and
learning environments
• Most (all) disciplines
• Interdisciplinarity
• Pedagogy
• Research-teaching
linkages
• Student engagement
• Campus operation and
management
• Procurement
• Community links
• Institutional governance
• Corporate policy and
plans

44. Benefits to students and Faculty
• Student interest and motivation
• Student recruitment
• Relevance
• Community links
• Quality agenda
• Sustainability performance
• Employability
• Employers’ views
http://www.usinfogroup.org/EDUCATION01.jpg

45. A different way of looking at education?
Possible characteristics
• Importance of context
• Holistic approaches to knowledge
• Interdisciplinarity across most subjects
• Critical thinking and systemic thinking valued
• Value explicitness and ethical concerns
• Real world issues
• Futures oriented
• Participatory learning approaches
• Place based learning and experiential learning
• Reflexive learning
• Action research
• Local and global citizenship
• Collective (social) learning as well as individual
• Transformative learning valued

46. Shifts with regard to curriculum and
pedagogy
FROM:
• Curriculum as top-down
‘product’
• Fixed knowledge
• Disciplinarity
• Abstract knowledge
• Teaching/instruction
• Few learning styles
• Passive learning
TOWARDS:
• Curriculum as
experience/situated learning
• Provisional knowledge
• Inter- and transdisciplinarity
• Real world knowledge
• Participative learning
• Multiple learning styles
• Reflective/active learning

47. • Role plays and simulations
• Group discussions
• Stimulus activities
• Debates
• Learning journals
• Critical incidents
• Case Studies
• Reflexive accounts
• Personal Development Planning (PDP)
• Critical reading and writing
• Problem based learning
• Fieldwork
• Futures visioning
• Worldview and values research
• Action research and cooperative inquiry
)
Sustainability and pedagogy

48. 3 Whole institutional change and Plymouth's
experience

49. Towards holistic change - the 4C model

50. Plymouth University Strategy 2012-2020
‘We aim to:
- differentiate our academic offer by ensuring issues and principles of
sustainability permeate and inform our teaching and learning
programmes, enabling students to engage positively with
sustainability issues affecting their personal and professional lives in a
rapidly changing world.’
- Ambition 4: Achieving Resilience,
Sustainability and Effectiveness

51. Towards sustainable institutions
FROM: TOWARDS:
Incoherence and
fragmentation
Large scale
Little connectivity (silos)
Closed community
Teaching organisation
Microcosm of
unsustainable society
Human scale
High connectivity
Open community
Learning organisation
Systemic coherence
and synergy
Microcosm of
sustainable society?

52. CSF’s nine project areas supporting change
• Curriculum innovation, support and advice
• Student engagement
• Learning spaces and campus
• Resource development
• Communication and marketing
• Research
• Networking and facilitation
• Whole institutional change (including monitoring and
evaluation)
• External impact, profile and observation

53. Possible curriculum responses
• Minor modifications
• ESD in PDP
• New “podules”
• New modules
• New programmes
• Generic or common modules
• Cross-disciplinary and
extra-curricular events
• Dissertations, projects and
work place learning placements
• SD infusion in assessment

54. 4 Embedding sustainability – approaches and
examples

56. Plymouth Business School aims
• To ensure students are given every opportunity to explore issues of
sustainability throughout the curricula in the PBS.
• To support and drive the visible presence of the PBS as a centre of
excellence in study and research for sustainability in the business world.
• To become an authoritative voice on the impact of sustainable strategies
on the business community in the UK and through contacts with other
universities on a wider international stage.
• To consider the need for a flagship programme relating to sustainability in
business.
• To work closely with other partners throughout the university to enhance
the position of the university as a sustainable organisation

57. Universities 2013-14
Anglia Ruskin University - Connecting up experiences of sustainability
University of Chichester - Embedding Sustainability in the Curriculum
De Montfort University - Green citizens for the real world
University of East Anglia - Greening Tomorrow’s Leaders across disciplines
University of South Wales - Embedding Sustainable Development
University of Kent - ‘4C’ing the Future: an inclusive approach to sustainability
University College London - Unlocking the Potential
Nottingham Trent University - Food for Thought
University College Plymouth, St Mark and St John - Sustainability and Identity
University of the Arts, London - 'Lightening the Load':
sustainability through Fashion Education

58. Support mechanisms and positive steps
•University sustainability strategy
•ESD explicit in teaching and
learning strategy
•Overall ESD curriculum lead
•Academic guidance or
framework for ESD
•ESD curriculum audit
•ESD champions in departments
and faculties
•Student engagement
• Inclusion of ESD in faculty
policies and plans
• Senior management support
• Funding and staff rewards
• Induction courses for staff
and students
• Continuing professional
development
• Resource provision
• Cross-university fora and
communication
• Research change processes

59. The Future Fit Framework
An introductory guide
to teaching and
learning for
sustainability in HE
- Higher Education Academy, 2012

60. Other CSF outputs

61. 5 What next?

62. Reorienting policies and programmes
Context – do its boundaries of concern embrace the wider context of sustainability
and futures?
Congruence – is it sufficiently grounded in real world issues and concerns?
Culture – is it sufficiently attuned to the culture in which it is located, and to the
existing values, understanding and needs of the learners?
Criticality – does it examine and weigh assumptions and values in relation to
building a more sustainable future?
Commitment – does it engage with the ethical dimensions of issues, towards an
ethos of critical commitment and care?
Contribution – will the learning outcomes and outputs make a positive (or
negative) difference to sustainable development?

63. csf@plymouth.ac.uk
http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/sustainability

64. Learning to learn for sustainability in higher
education: making a difference
Professor Daniella Tilbury, University Director
(Sustainability), University of Gloucestershire
and Chair, UNESCO Expert Group on UN
Decade in Education for Sustainable
Development

65. Panel Q&A
Ros Wade
Jane Davidson
Professor Stephen Sterling
Professor Daniella Tilbury

66. Providing an efficient, flexible, healthy and
environmentally friendly solution to travel for
the future
Harry Scrope, Managing Director, Brompton
Dock

67. Refreshments, networking, exhibition and
poster gallery
Mezzanine floor

68. Welcome Back
Conrad Benefield, Founder, Benefield
Consulting

69. Making a Green Impact through
ESD
Jo Kemp
National Union of Students

70. • What our students want
• Student-led ESD initiatives from across the UK
• Supporting our students through an ESD-rich
education?

71. Describe your students in 3 words…

72. What our students want
Attitudes and skills for sustainable development

73. Why does NUS care about ESD?
“It is worth noting that the destruction of the
planet is not the work of ignorant people. Rather it
is largely the results of work by people with BAs,
BScs, LLBs, MBAs, and PhDs…Education can equip
people to be more effective vandals of the earth.
If one listens carefully, it may even be possible to hear the
Creation groan every year in late May when another batch of
smart, degree-holding, but ecologically illiterate, Homo
sapiens who are eager to succeed are launched into the
biosphere”
David Orr

74. The student voice matters…and they’re
saying sustainability is important…
+ =

75. Employable
conformist
graduates
OR Challenging
activist
graduates
{
{
Part of the Problem Part of the Solution
The student voice matters…and they’re
saying sustainability is important…

76. Background to the research
This research has been carried out over three years
(2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13) against a backdrop of…
• Over 1m unemployed young people (November 2011, 16-24
year olds)
• Graduate full-time (FT) employment has fallen continuously
between 2002 and 2010, from 57% of graduates in 2002 to
51%of graduates in 2010
• Education for Sustainable Development is of increasing policy
relevance through climate change and the ‘green economy’
• An increasing focus on the idea of ‘graduate attributes’ upon
leaving higher education
• Changing funding landscape within higher education including
increase in maximum fees to £9000 in 2012

77. Methodology
Methodology Desk review Online survey
2010/11
Existing research
on attitudes,
skills and
relevant policy
5763 1st year students
2011/12
Update since
2010 review
1552 1st year students
1641 2nd year students
2012/13
Update since
2011 review
4099 1st year students
2657 3rd year students

78. Skills for sustainability
Adapt to new
situations
Analyse using
many subjects
Plan for the long
term as well as
the short term
Understand
people’s
relationship to
nature
Act as a
responsible
citizen locally &
globally
Use resources
efficiently
Consider the
ethical issues of
your subject
Think of the whole
system and the links
when considering
new ideas

79. ESD is in demand and continues to be seen
as a core agenda for universities
First years tracker
Q.46: To what extent, if at all, would you say that you personally
agree with the following statements?

80. Willingness to sacrifice £1000 from salary for an employer
with a strong SD record increases throughout university
career
2010 cohort tracker
Q.40: We are interested in your prioritisation of social and environmental
aspects into the future. For the following pairings, please select which
option you think that you would choose in the future.

81. Existing understanding – definitions of sustainable
development are linked to Brundtland definition but with an
environmental focus
First years
2010
Second years
2011
Third
years
2012

82. Importance of skills for sustainable
development
• Core skills for sustainability are both relevant to their
course and important for graduates in their field.
• The skills surrounding nature and ethics are
consistently ranked lower than the more ‘generic’ skills
throughout the research.
• Respondents report practising skills all of the time or
most of time in general, however these is room for
improvement particularly surrounding the overtly SD
skills.

83. Preference for a reframing of curriculum
content rather than additional material
2010 cohort tracker
Q.43 Thinking of your course only, if a policy were passed to include
social and environmental skills within all university / college courses,
what do you think the most relevant way of including social and
environmental skills within your own course would be?

84. Skills around adaptability, planning and problem solving ranked as
more important for graduates than explicitly environmental or
social skills when looking across the suite of sustainability skills
2010 cohort tracker
Q.27: How important do you think the following skills are to
your future employers?

85. Communication and ‘people skills’ seen as
most highly valued by employers
2010 cohort tracker – not asked in 2010
Q.28: How important do you think the following skills
are to your future employers when compared against
each other? Where 1 is most important.

86. Overarching findings
• ESD stakeholders need to work in partnership, and holistically to
embed and institutionalise sustainability at all levels within their
organisations, and beyond;
• Use these partnerships to develop both formal and informal
curriculum opportunities for engagement with sustainability;
• Take advantage of research opportunities, for example the
National Student Survey, to develop further understanding of
changes and developments in student needs and desires around
sustainability;
• Develop and share resources on teaching and learning to inform
best practice across the curriculum and disciplines.

87. Describe your students in 3 words…

88. And what are the barriers to engaging your
students in sustainability?
Social pressures?
Lack of knowledge?
It’s not my problem?
Finance?
Senior Management?
Lack of support?
Lack of confidence?

89. And what are the barriers to engaging your
institution in ESD?
Research pressures and silo working?
Lack of knowledge or skills?
It’s not my problem?
Finance?
Senior Management?
Lack of support?
Lack of confidence and understanding?

90. NUS’ practical work on ESD

91. Three key areas of work
Community
Institutions
Students’
Unions
Students
leave tertiary
education as
part of the
solution,
rather than
part of the
problem

92. In each of these areas we aim to
include…
Curriculum
StaffStudents

93. What is already being done?
Learning for
Sustainability
Scotland
Greener Jobs
Alliance
HEA ESD
advisory group
Green Impact
Students
Unions
Excellence
Course reps
training on
ESD
Student Led
Teaching
Awards
Student
Switch Off
Live Greener -
Wales
Student Eats
Students’
Green
Fund

94. What does this look like in practice?
Enable
Exemplify
Engage
Encourage
Change

95. Engaging through fun and collaboration

96. Enabling action and instant results

97. Working within and across institutions
and communities…

98. • It encourages action through positive communications
• It enables students to create change through giving them
simple and easy to follow actions and roles
• It engages through competition and rewards and giving
autonomy of actions and plans
• It exemplifies what can be achieved through peer to peer
support and national networks
Green Impact embedding ESD

99. • Manchester Metropolitan University
• Academic Tab
• Anglia Ruskin University
• Green Impact Enterprise
• ESD Business School analysis workbook
• Green Impact Excellence
• Top-level buy in possibilities
Green Impact embedding ESD

100. New Green Impact Opportunities…
• Off Campus work
• Student Homes
• USA and Australasia
• Partnership working across
the sector
• Mentoring programme
• FE and HE partnerships
• Transforming Green Impact
students into ‘political’
students

101. The new ESD Kite Mark
• Developing a plan based on…
• Unfavourable political landscape
• ESD is in pockets not widely thriving
• A badge of honour for institutions to enable whole
organisation buy-in and legitimacy
• 50 practical ideas around ESD
• From graduate attributes to course reps training
• FE and HE - sustainability and mission groups
• From behaviours to systematic approaches - to
mainstream ESD

102. The one stakeholder group who can
demand work on ESD?
Students - the new co-creators of the curriculum

103. How are you tackling ESD on
campus?

104. Jo Kemp
Jo.kemp@nus.org.uk

105. Making a Green Impact
through ESD
105
13 June 2014
Ash Tierney, PhD student, ESD intern/ officer
Chris Willmore, University Academic Director of Undergraduate Studies
BristolESDGoogle: ESD+at+Bristol

106. Language
106
13 June 2014
UBU KEY APPROACHES
• Student led
• Partnership focussed
• Utilising existing
systems and processes
• Open access resources

107. Anew kind of student learning journey: discovering your voice
Bristol Student Green Fund Skills Mapping:
What can YOU say?
Enablers not prescribers:
personal reconciliations
• Self efficacy
• Adaptive capacity
 evidence based thinking
 Ability to handle risk, uncertainty
• Holistic /integrative thinking
• Personal ethical code
• Vision, motivation and resourcefulness
• Future thinking
• Interdisciplinarity
• Critical thinking
• Social / collaborative thinkers
• Making a difference
• Creative solutions
• Innovation
• Empowerment
• Self belief
• Partnership
• Empathy

108. 108
Holistic Experience
Skills for
Lived lives

109. 109
WHY STUDENT
LED?
Changing
students:
students being
the change
Voice and power
• Student voice around
sustainability getting louder
• Creators of demand
• Impact of mobilising large
numbers
Creativity
• Don’t know what’s impossible
• Get through doors others can’t
• New perspectives
• Direct action
• Don’t suffer our silos and
blinkers (yet)
Better outcomes
• Improves learning
• Creates community
• Co-creation of learning
• Holistic opportunities
• Door to new
pedagogies

110. 110
13 June 2014
• Equipping students to make a
difference
• Allowing students to be creative
• Finding the links: between
disciplines and between
students and community
• De-centring us – putting the
community and students at the
centre: what do they want to
change?
Changing students:
students being the change
MY
Norms
Cultural Norms
Habits
Practices

111. Project Overview
UBU Get Green
Learn
•Empowering
students to
become change
makers in their
curriculum.
Act
•Developing
positive
environmental
behaviours for
waste, energy,
and water.
Engage
•Giving
opportunities
for students to
volunteer, gain
employability
skills, and
contribute to
the community.
Create
•Supporting
students with
funding,
resources, and
staff assistance
in making their
own green
ideas a reality.
Twitter: @UBUbristol | www.ubu.org.uk

112. Formal curriculum
task: design and
deliver a health
project
Taken up by
Student
activism
Used by
students staff
and
community
Embedded in
estates
provision – at
student
request
Learning
outcomes of
designing
health impacts
achieved
• Students identified and delivered
opportunities for change on the
ground
• Linked formal, informal and
subliminal curriculum to achieve
direct community impact.
112
Farmers Market: theory to practice

113. 113
Driven by user
need / demand
Rapid reaction to
ideas
Flexible
Culture of
experimentation
Open – share
everything
Don’t write - ACT
Getting new
people to map
into the zeitgeist
External
stakeholder
demand for
visibility
Needs culture
change to ensure
whole institution
not pockets
Network leadership
 Network Team not
Committees
 Governance not
government
 Derived from institutional
& city zeitgeist
 Organic
 Uses countercultural
nature of Sustainability
 Shared ethos
 Light touch reporting
direct to leadership
Students
Estates
Networked
Community

114. Formal curriculum:
• Created open resources wiki
• Baseline Monitoring
• Student created materials for
staff and students - posters,
videos and materials
• Consultancy support to schools
Curriculum development support
• Surveys staff and students
• CPD events for staff
• Student judged Green Apple
Award funding staff and student
curriculum projects
• Embedded in Quality Assurance
Process – with student analysis
114
Informal Curriculum:
• Embedded in Bristol Plus Award –
student designed materials
• Student run Staff Sustainability Network
• Project and intern brokerage –
Dissertations for Good
• UBU Get Green - 800 Students involved
• Student activism – Food cycle, Bristol Big
Give, Food co-op, allotments, Earth Hour,
Upcycling, Volunteering etc etc
• BUST – 1/3 of all students
• Annual Bristol Futures Forum conference
bringing city leaders and experts together
• City- wide Green Impact plan
So what have students done?

115. Act
• Encouraging positive behaviour change for energy, waste, and
water through programmes including:
• Student Switch Off
• Intensive waste and energy pilot programme
• 20 Steps Campaign
• Bristol Big Give
Twitter: @UBUbristol | www.ubu.org.uk

116. Celebrate
Fun
116
13 June 2014
Give Ownership

117. • Work together
• Create joint opportunities
• Share resources
• Celebrate good practice
• Explain win:win
• ‘Unteach” ourselves
• Walk the talk
• Value radical creativity
• Create sustainability that will work
• Trust students rather than creating silos
• ….. Help students see they CAN create
the world they want
Challenge:
We arrive
creative – are
we more or
less creative by
the end of year
1?
Year 2 social science student
How can we create the future?
Google ESD+at+Bristol with ideas
suggestions or simply to take materials!
BristolESD

118. Education for Sustainable
Development in FE
Esin Esat
AOC Sustainability Portfolio Group Vice Chair
Director of Sustainability Bedford College

119. Presentation Outline
 Sustainability in FE
 Examples from Bedford College
 The future of ESD in FE

120. Sustainable Development
Environment
Economy
Society

121. Global Concerns
Diminishing fossil fuel
supplies
Rising fuel costs
Environmental impact
of fossil fuels
Potential impact on
economy & society
Limited Natural Resources
(materials, food, water)
Growing Population
Inappropriate use of resources
(land, materials, water, food
crops, human capacity)
Food & water shortages
Deteriorating soil quality
Flooding, rising sea-levels
Climate change
Wars!

122. Soil
Erosion
Food
Miles
Food
Production
Biodiversity
Pollution
Draught
Water
Supplies
Carbon
Footprint
Water
Quality
Air
Quality
Resource
Depletion
Fuel
Poverty
Food
Supplies
Health &
Well-being
Education
Housing
Population
Growth
Mobility
Fuel
Security
Energy
CostsSkills Jobs
Transport
Costs

123. Framework for Sustainable Development
Organisational
CapacityLeadership Learning Partnerships
Overarching Vision
A learning and skills sector which maximises and
mainstreams environmental, economic and social
sustainability

126. Media
Construction
Building
Services
Engineering
Research
Estates a Learning Resource

127. Year 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
Usage
(kWh)
Usage
(kWh)
Usage
(kWh)
Usage
(kWh)
Aug 137,288 147,613 160,582 146,631
Sep 187,839 211,598 200,252 183,125
Oct 216,738 239,792 225,222 204,979
Nov 232,476 256,569 277,107 241,701
Dec 194,408 248,622 258,035 220,216
Jan 237,568 298,525 259,626 255,282
Feb 218,519 263,016 225,917 248,645
Mar 252,506 289,367 258,283 248,966
Apr 204,347 208,056 168,235 194,222
May 202,661 221,566 204,290 229,149
Jun 201,996 201,732 180,936 180,177
Jul 174,870 185,545 148,376 0
0 0 0 0
Total 2,461,216 2,772,002 2,566,860 2,353,093
Year 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
Cost (£) Cost (£) Cost (£) Cost (£)
Aug 15,122 12,974 10,647 10,698
Sep 21,270 18,914 13,427 13,495
Oct 24,486 21,359 17,130 18,820
Nov 26,421 27,124 21,368 22,475
Dec 22,645 21,202 19,720 20,202
Jan 26,353 25,387 19,962 23,575
Feb 24,460 22,247 17,339 22,892
Mar 28,813 24,827 20,228 23,071
Apr 22,717 17,667 12,846 15,794
May 22,886 18,896 15,634 18,712
Jun 22,922 16,901 13,845 13,999
Jul 19,438 12,174 11,309 0
0 0 0 0
Total 277,533 239,671 193,455 203,733
Year 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
Usage (kWh) 2,461,216 2,772,002 2,566,860 2,353,093
Cost (£) 277,533 239,671 193,455 203,733
2,100,000
2,200,000
2,300,000
2,400,000
2,500,000
2,600,000
2,700,000
2,800,000
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
EnergyConsumption (kWh)
Shuttleworth College, Main Site & Cauldwell House
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
EnergyCosts (£) Shuttleworth College, Main Site &
Cauldwell House
Maths
Computing
Business
Studies
Accountancy
Estates a Learning Resource

128. Community a Learning Resource
Working on a large cedar damaged
by heavy snow in the grounds of
Flitwick Manor (Arboriculture)
Restoration of a local historic
building (Bricklaying) Creating a play area/sensory garden for
Peter Pan Children’s Centre
(L2 & L3 Horticulture)
Designing and building a children’s garden for
Edward Peake Middle School
(L2 & L3 Horticulture)
Low Carbon Retro-fit of social housing stock
(FdSc Building Services & Construction)
Research into the quality of Bedford’s
environment
(L3 Business Finance)
Making a difference
(Level 3 Holistic Therapy)
Conservation of the Rainforest
(L2 Carpentry and Joinery)
Reducing our carbon footprint
(Business & Administration)

129. Work Experience with the Sustainability Team

131. Annual Sustainability Days

132. Annual Sustainability Days

140. The future of ESD in FE
 Staff & student engagement
 Sustainability in the curriculum
 External collaboration
 Industry - Curriculum - Community links
driving sustainable developments
 Innovative curricula, e.g.
 Eco-innovation awards
 Circular economy enterprises

141. Eco-Innovation Awards

142. Bedford College Eco Innovation Awards
Theme: Circular Economy
GLH
Presentation to Curriculum Managers May 2014
Planning with curriculum teams (Curriculum mapping) June 2014
Project & competition briefings for student groups October 2014 0.5
On-line sustainability primer 1.5
Projects in progress (planning, research, material sourcing,
development, construction, testing)
Oct ‘14-Jan ‘15 20
Ongoing dialogue with, and support for, curriculum teams
Entries submitted to the Sustainability Team 31-Jan-15
Demonstrations, shortlisting, judging 28-Feb-15 2
Showcasing of entries. Awards ceremony
Sustainability Day
04-Mar-15
6
TOTAL GLH 30

143. http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/
http://www.wrap.org.uk/

144. SEMLEP Circular Economy Project
Skills
Developments
Rural
Economy
Developments
SME
Developments

145. Any questions?
Esin Esat
eesat@bedford.ac.uk
07891 640 097
01234 291 384

146. Panel Q&A
Ann Finlayson
Jo Kemp
Aisling Tierney
Chris Wilmore
Esin Esat

147. United Nations Global Compact and
Principles for Responsible Management
Education, PRME
What it is, why it’s valuable, how
to register, and how to stay
registered.
www.gseresearch.com

148. www.gseresearch.com
A public commitment
Signing up to the UN Global Compact and/or PRME is the
clearest way to demonstrate support for sustainable
behaviour, responsible leadership and good business
practice.
That is increasingly expected by customers, students,
regulators and staff, and is increasingly a part of
reporting, audit and disclosure.
GSE Research and Greenleaf Publishing and the online
Sustainable Organization Library and Greenleaf Online
Library collections are the world’s leading specialist resource
in sustainability and CSR. GSE/Greenleaf work closely with
the UN Global Compact, PRME and related bodies.

149. www.gseresearch.com
UNGC and PRME
The UNGC was proposed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at
the World Economic Forum in Davos in 1999. With more than
12,000 corporate participants and other stakeholders globally, it is
the world’s largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative.
PRME was developed in 2007 by an international task force of
deans and university presidents of leading business schools and
academic institutions, following from a recommendation by
academic stakeholders of the UN Global Compact. PRME currently
has more than 540 signatories worldwide, including most of the
world’s top-rated business schools.

150. www.gseresearch.com
UNGC – 10 principles in 4 areas
• human rights (not be complicit in human rights
abuses, support and respect human rights)
• labour (not be complicit in forced labour or child
labour, don’t discriminate at work, uphold the right to
collective bargaining)
• environment (promote environmental responsibility,
encourage environmentally-friendly technologies,
take precautions against environmental damage)
• anti-corruption (don’t support corruption, extortion
or bribery)

151. www.gseresearch.com
PRME – 6 principles
• Purpose: to develop the capabilities of students to be future
generators of sustainable value for business and society at large
• Values: to incorporate into academic activities the values of global
social responsibility
• Method: to create educational frameworks that enable effective
learning experiences for responsible leadership.
• Research: to engage in research about the role, dynamics, and
impact of corporations in the creation of sustainable social value.
• Partnership: to work with business corporations to explore jointly
effective approaches to meeting social and environmental
challenges.
• Dialogue: to facilitate debate among educators, students, business,
government, and other stakeholders on issues related to social
responsibility and sustainability.

152. www.gseresearch.com
How to sign up
Signed letter from the company CEO/highest b-school executive (or equivalent),
pledging to:
• Integrate the principles into strategy; decision/policy-making; operations,
curriculum and research
• Communicate publically on how the principles have been addressed and
implemented; the Communication on Progress, (COP; UNGC); the Sharing
Information on Progress (SIP; PRME)
• Advance the case for responsible business to peers, partners, suppliers,
customers and other stakeholders
Pay a (relatively small) annual subscription fee –
UNGC $250 a year up to $50m turnover; $15,000 a year more than $5bn turnover.
PRME $380 a year for an organization with less than $10m operating budget, to
$1500 a year for one with more than $25m.

153. www.gseresearch.com
Benefits of being a signatory
• enhanced brand value – people like to deal with responsible
organizations
• improved stakeholder relations
• competitive differentiation; particularly not being ‘left behind’
• ease of supplier relationships with other UNGC/PRME organizations –
like ISO 9000, it removes the need to audit and verify supply chains
• a recognized and globally agreed policy framework to implement CSR
• sharing and learning from best and emergent practice
• access to networks and resources, national and global
• connection with local and international NGOs, pressure groups and
civil society members
• staff motivation, and positioning for talent recruitment and retention

154. www.gseresearch.com
How to stay registered
At the basic level, submit an annual COP or SIP report,
consisting of:
• Statement by the CEO/senior executive expressing
continuing support
• Description of practical actions taken or intended
• Measures of outcome; how performance targets were
set and met, qualitative or quantitative
• The COP/SIP should be shared with stakeholders, via
website, annual report, etc.
• The COP/SIP, and an organization’s CSR position
more generally, can be used for marketing and
positioning.

155. You can get de-listed!
• About 3000 UNGC members have been placed on
‘warning’ or had registration withdrawn, for not
participating (not submitting a COP on time)
• PRME members are red-flagged if they are ‘non-
communicating’
• In 2012, global investors from 12 countries managing
over $3tn of assets, asked 29 large UNGC members to
start producing progress reports
• CSR reporting and compliance is increasingly expected
by national reporting regulations
• Take it seriously, and don’t do greenwash/bluewash!
• De-listing clearly negates all the business and
reputational benefits above.
www.gseresearch.com

156. Not nice to do – must-do
• With further regulatory and compliance pressure on
sustainability reporting, this is not an issue which is going to go
away.
• Both EFMD EQUIS and AACSB accreditation demand a
commitment to sustainability and responsibility
• The GSE/Greenleaf Sustainable Organization Library (SOL)
and Greenleaf Online Library (GOL) collections are designed
to support UNGC and PRME registration and maintenance
• We are proud to be members of the UNGC, and to work in
partnership with PRME and UNGC:
– Inspirational Guide to the Implementation of PRME I, II and
UK/Ireland (Forthcoming)
– Raising the Bar and Learning to Talk were the first dedicated
books on the aims of the UNGC
www.gseresearch.com

157. Some of our customers
www.gseresearch.com

158. Contacts
Sales and enquiries email: sales@gseresearch.com
SOL Landing page: www.gseresearch.com/sol
UNGC: globalcompact@un.org
PRME: PRMESecretariat@unprme.org
GSE homepage: www.gseresearch.com
Greenleaf homepage: www.greenleaf-publishing.com
John Peters john.peters@gseresearch.com
www.gseresearch.com