Objective 1: Demonstrating sustainable leadership
We aim to demonstrate sustainable leadership both internally and within the local community. This means embedding the responsibility for climate action within all relevant policies and committees and ensuring that our procedures and rewards processes recognise this priority. We also hope to be a regional leader, supporting the local community and sector to act collaboratively, innovatively and effectively to address the climate and ecological crisis. It is our objective that staff across the business will align our governance structures with addressing the crisis and then commit to their implementation, even when facing challenges. Working together
Creating a Climate Assembly
This year our new Sustainability Manager, Lois Betts, has taken a position on the University Hospitals Dorset Sustainability Committee to share best practice and help students, particularly in our Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, to see the connections between the CECAP and the NHS Green Plan. We worked closely with BCP Council on their travel strategies and are members of the new Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) programme working group for local active travel works and also collaborate with other universities through the EAUC.
The bi-annual Climate Assembly aims to ensure that student and staff feedback is embedded in our net-zero approach and to hold us to account. In March 2020, we held our first CECAP Climate Assembly, covering three topics: non-air travel, student opportunities and offsetting. The ideas generated included providing carbon footprint information for courses and bus travel, creating more climate education opportunities and choosing local offsetting options. Ideas were then presented to the Sustainability Committee who are using these to shape our net-zero approach.
Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Awards The annual Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Awards provide an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the achievements and outstanding work of our staff. There are nine award categories and from this year five of them, the Awards for Responsibility; Creativity; Excellence; Inspiring Learning; and Enriching Society, now highlight environmental sustainability as a key criterion for eligibility, to ensure that staff across BU can be recognised and rewarded for contributing to our CECAP action.
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