Partnership and Engagement

ESD / Learning for Sustainability and Enterprise

Student-led projects at Bristol & Edinburgh

ESD in Bristol• Environmental operations since the 1990’s• Academics part of operational Steering Group

on environmental issues• Greening the machine, but what about output?• Open Unit of Sustainable Development• Informal work with student societies

Partnership & Engagement

Partnership & Engagement

ESD in Bristol• Limited progress• Green Academy via HEA• Space to think• What emerged was the Five Ring Model• Strong Academic / Estates / Student approach• It took a year before we got going.• Capacity - Student interns were the key…

Partnership & Engagement

Activities at Bristol• Mapping tools• Baseline review• Strategy• Staff and student

training• Individual support• Network

• Guides and online tutorials

• Monitoring process• Academic Network• Social media• Subject specific online

resources

Partnership & Engagement

Partnership & Engagement

Benefits• Open doors• Student led• Low cost• Bottom up• Existing systems and

processes

Challenges• Limited self reflection• Gate keepers• Continuation• Language• Monitoring

Partnership & Engagement

The ESD story continues…

• National engagement• Student support and development• Internal innovation

Partnership & Engagement

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facebook.com/BristolESD

twitter.com/BristolESD

youtube.com/user/BristolESD

wiki esd bristol

Student-led initiatives at Edinburgh

"... all undergraduates ... should be exposed to teaching about the wider and more fundamental issues of society's relationship to the environment, including complex social, economic and ethical questions ..." Educational Policy Committee, 1990

www.alastairmcintosh.com/articles/1991-Edinburgh-Uni-Env-Edn-for-Adaptation.pdf

Autonomous University Edinburgh1 … formed in 2011 and led to the … Learning for Change Manifesto2

“We wish Education for Sustainable Development to be at the very core of Learning and Teaching at the University, of the University’s relations with and responsibilities towards the community, both locally and globally, and of the running of the University itself.” March 2012

1 https://www.facebook.com/groups/edinburghfreeschool 2 www.oured.ed.ac.uk/2012/03/students-vision-edinburgh-manifesto/

The Edinburgh Manifesto

In summer 2012 UG student Olga Bloemen internship with the Institute for Academic Development (IAD) analysed SRS curriculum elements meeting criteria outlined in the Edinburgh Manifesto

• Over 500 courses met the criteria – 24% of total UoE courses offered 

• 72% of programmes offered aspects of Social Responsibility and Sustainability.

www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/institute-academic-development/learning-teaching/staff/advice/courses/topics/sustainability

Learning for Change internship

This led to Graduate Attributes that support character development, social and emotional intelligence and commitment to sustainability:

• Systems thinking• Future orientation • Creativity • Ethical thinking • Self-reflection

www.docs.hss.ed.ac.uk/iad/Learning_teaching/Academic_teaching/Resources/Sustainability/Graduate_Attributes_for_Global_Citizenship.pdf

Edgy Attributes

• Empathy • Academic responsibility • Bridge-building • Change-making• Risk benefit analysis & risk-taking

Current UoE Attributes:

• Ethical Investment Policy – 2003www.seag.estates.ed.ac.uk/docs/open/Paper10-ReviewofSRIPolicy-Appendix

• Fairtrade University – 2004www.ed.ac.uk/about/sustainability/fairtrade/fair-trade-university

• Transition Edinburgh University – 2009www.ed.ac.uk/about/sustainability/what-we-do/community/transition-edinburgh-uni

• EUSA’s Teaching Awards – 2009 www.ed.ac.uk/news/staff/teaching-awards-180310

• Edinburgh Sustainability Awards – 2010www.ed.ac.uk/about/sustainability/what-we-do/awards

• First registered UK Student Co-operative – 2013 www.shrubcoop.org/what-we-do/ + https://www.facebook.com/EdinburghCoops

Student-led initiatives at Edinburgh

The University in the City 37%

24%

27%

12%

20,068

12,780

Student body in 2013 bydomicile region on entry

Scotland

Other UK

International

Other EU+Cyprus

61% UK students / 39% overseas students

Edinburgh’s 20,068 + 12,780 students

Case study: Collaboration sorts problem

Ben Miller + lots more from People & Planet Society & Transition Edinburgh Uni

Sandra KinnearSustainability CoordinatorAccommodation Services

Student MoveOut each summer

• Student-led co-op cuts waste, shares skills & promotes sustainability

• Swap or buy second-hand place to learn how to give things a new life

• Space for activities promoting student & community well-being

• Reduce waste: students, alumni and local community re-use & repair

http://prezi.com/en_xvzr_zk0r/copy-of-swap-reuse-hub-shrub/

A shop premises on two floors

• Redistribute discarded items and challenge “consumption & disposal”

• Support EdExchange used text book sales vs buying new ones

• Wee Spoke bike repair workshop each week

• Work experience: a co-operative business, run by and for members

• Roles like volunteer coordinator, accountant, director, admin, website.

• Edinburgh Sustainability Award in 2012

• Young Scot Environment Award in 2014 www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLKuswRh30c

• Listed in Co-operative Education Trust Scotland’s Student’s Guide to starting a co-operative

• Member, Students For CooperationA federal body supporting UK’s emerging student co-operative movement in the UKwww.theguardian.com/social-enterprise-network/2014/mar/26/co-ops-uk-growth

Recognition: Awards and plaudits

Cooperative ethos

‘Aha’ moments from ESD / Learning for Sustainability & Enterprise:

Student-led projects at Bristol & Edinburgh• Interns can map / explore ESD curriculum offerings• Promoting inter-disciplinary & collaborative learning• Action Learning complements the taught curriculum• Enterprise is for co-operation not just for profit• Students are a major force for change in HE• Go seek out & support your student innovators

Partnership & Engagement