INSPIRE The Institute for Sustainable Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness
1st in Wales in the People & Planet Awards UWTSD ranked 8th out of 151 universities across the UK
Green Gown Glory University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is celebrating its success following the prestigious Green Gown Awards.
www.uwtsd.ac.uk
Introduction Jane Davidson December 2015
Contents 4 Green Gown Glory 'Since 2012, a quiet revolution has been going on at the University - and that revolution has been explicitly endorsed by the Vice Chancellor, the University Council and the senior management team. The revolution is about futures thinking; of integrating sustainability principles throughout the university's culture, curriculum, campuses and its communities. The challenge is to offer the most relevant education to all our students to make them more resilient, better problem solvers and critical thinkers with a strong value set in relation to social and environmental responsibility. Not only will these skills enhance their understanding of future challenges, but they are what employers want too.
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“The revolution is about futures thinking; of integrating sustainability principles throughout the University’s culture, curriculum, campuses and its communities.”
Hopefully, you have already come across the work of INSPIRE - the University's virtual institute encouraging sustainable practice, innovation and resource effectiveness. If not, when you've read of the inspiring activities that staff and students are undertaking under the INSPIRE banner to deliver futures thinking, please get in touch if you have ideas you'd like to take forward. Through this newsletter, you will have gained some understanding of the range of sustainability focused projects and initiatives across UWTSD. Through INSPIRE, we aim to embed sustainability thinking in everything we do and to position the university as a leader. And it appears to be working: in 2013, UWTSD won the first Guardian HE award for sustainability; in 2014, the Soil Association Gold Catering Mark for its commitment to local producers through its conference and events catering and in 2015, we achieved a First Class People and Planet University League award,
and are now 1st in Wales and 8th in the UK having climbed up from 113th the previous year. UWTSD won three awards and one commendation in the prestigious Green Gown Awards 2015, where sustainability excellence within education is recognised.
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We are on a journey though, rather than having reached a destination. Understandably, staff and students also want to see physical changes in our buildings and on our campuses as well as in their curriculum to demonstrate that real change is happening. Our new waste to resources contract has just been agreed and our staff and students, old and new, will see big changes in Carmarthen and Lampeter in relation to recycling in the new academic year.
‘WHOLE EARTH?’ Exhibition
I'd like to thank all those who have submitted to this newsletter and the many others who have seized this agenda with gusto and are doing some really exciting activities across the university. We have an active Sustainability Committee and Sustainability Link Contacts in every School and department; we have a new ESDGC Research Group convened by Dr Carolyn Hayles, Academic Lead for INSPIRE, which you can read about in this issue; we have an active paid student INSPIRE internship programme for which we will be recruiting shortly and excellent support with lots of ideas from Anna Patterson in Corporate Services. For more information, have a look at the INSPIRE pages on the University website or get in touch.
Jane Davidson jane.davidson@uwtsd.ac.uk
Literature and Sustainability Public Lecture Competition
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10 People and Planet Awards
14 Green Impact
16 International Summer School
18 Inspiring Profile: Luci Attala
20 ESDGC Conference
22 Gold Standard Banqueting
23 Green Transport
University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
UWTSD scooped three awards and one commendation in the Green Gown Awards:
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Green Gown Glory University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is celebrating its success following the prestigious Green Gown Awards.
The Best Newcomer category was awarded to UWTSD for its Institute for Sustainable Practice, Innovation and Resources Effectiveness (INSPIRE). INSIPRE is the University’s institutional approach to delivering sustainability through its culture, curriculum campuses and community. Through INSPIRE, the whole university’s operations are now subject to Key Performance Indicators to test this approach across all the University’s activities. The judges’ described INSPIRE as delivering “strong institution-wide strands for sustainability, embedded at all levels of the University. It demonstrates a topdown structured approach with clear goals and good results.” The Leadership Award was presented to Dr Jane Davidson, Director of INSPIRE at UWTSD. Dr Davidson established INSPIRE in 2012 before which UWTSD had no history of involvement in sustainability. The judges’ said “Jane’s exemplary leadership demonstrates powerfully
the role of a university as a catalyst for change and an ‘anchor’ institution impacting city/region and beyond. Jane has championed the embedding of sustainability throughout the university strategy. This is particularly powerful as the university is a dual sector institution, and this agenda connected the community during a time of change. Jane is an inspirational leader, charismatic and enabling of others - she is authentic and her passion has created a unique space for creativity and change led by others.” The Sustainability Champion Award for Staff was presented to Luci Attala, Anthropology Programme Director at UWTSD. Luci believes that to stimulate genuine and lasting change people need to experience how their actions make a difference. Recognising that future leadership demands confident individuals who make clear, bold decisions, Luci works stridently to empower undergraduates in diverse ways. The judges were impressed with the breadth, quality and scale of the work undertaken by Luci, “she has embedded sustainability into the anthropology curriculum, influenced other academics to adapt their teaching and learning techniques and provided a significant amount of support to students to help them raise money for developing countries. Her passion for
sustainability was described by the judges as ‘truly inspirational.” Highly commended in The Sustainability Champion Award for Staff was Gwenllian Beynon, Art and Design Senior Lecturer and Programme Director at UWTSD. Sustainable Pedagogy incorporating ‘social, economic, environmental and cultural’ values, is central to Gwenllian’s role in Higher Education. She has enabled students to study in their own language, to look at their own and global cultures, and to embrace sustainability in creative practice. The judges were “impressed by the way in which she had embedded sustainability into her art and design course, developed the new Welsh language degrees and the international project with St Michael’s School to share sustainability expertise and learning across borders. The judges were also delighted to see the way that Gwenllian had involved the local community in her work – providing practical, sustainability experience for a student from the local school.” The Green Gown Awards provide universities and colleges with benchmarks for excellence and are well respected by governments, funding councils, senior managers, academics and students alike. With sustainable Continued on next page...
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University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
development moving up the global agenda, the Awards are now established as the most prestigious recognition of sustainability excellence within the tertiary education sector, as well as the environmental sector. The UWTSD Group, which includes Coleg Sir Gâr and Coleg Ceredigion, was shortlisted in six categories representing cross-campus initiatives as well as individual staff contributions to the sustainability agenda. Dr Jane Davidson said “This is excellent news that demonstrates clearly the University’s commitment to sustainability. Colleagues and students across the UWTSD Group have worked diligently to ensure that this important agenda is embedded throughout our core operations and culture. “UWTSD has placed sustainable development as a core value and aims to ensure that our students and graduates develop the skills and attributes that are required by employers and society across the world.” Professor Medwin Hughes, UWTSD ViceChancellor, said: “These are prestigious accolades and they acknowledge our commitment to sustainability as one of our core values. Most importantly they celebrate the excellent and inspiring work of colleagues and students across the University’s campuses.” Iain Patton, Chief Executive of the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), said: “Every year the Green Gown Awards rewrite what business-as-usual looks like for UK universities and colleges. Sustainability makes business sense and this year’s inspiring initiatives prove that sustainability benefits staff, students, the wider community and of course the bottom line. Congratulations to all the finalists for their hard work.”
Green Gown Awards Gallery Links to YouTube Videos
UWTSD Food and Drink
UWTSD Best Newcomer
UWTSD Learning and Skills – Luci Attala
UWTSD Sustainability Champion – Staff – Luci Attala
UWTSD Leadership – Dr. Jane Davidson
UWTSD Facilities and Services
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UWTSD Sustainability Champion – Staff – Gwenllian Beynon
UWTSD Learning & Skills – Dr. Carolyn Hayles
Playlist of all videos
Literature and Sustainability Public Lecture Competition The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) and the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment, UK & Ireland (ASLE-UK) are sponsoring an annual public lecture competition: The 2016 INSPIRE Lecture on Literature and Sustainability: Green Knowledge. The competition aims to showcase research which explores the relationship between literature and the sustainability debate. The winner of the competition will be invited to deliver her/his submission at The 2016 INSPIRE Lecture on Literature and Sustainability at The 2016 Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts, which will take place in Hay-onWye, 26 May – 5 June. The lecture will be followed by a public discussion between the competition winner, and Dr Jane Davidson, Director of INSPIRE and former Welsh Government Minister for Sustainability, and Professor Brycchan Carey, Chair of ASLE-UKI. Once again, this annual competition invites submissions that explore how literature, in any of its forms, responds to, and is shaped by, our contact with other creatures in the context of debates around sustainability. Sustainability is a matter of
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literature as much as it is about politics or environmental science. The stories we tell, the poems we compose, the dramas we enact – all provide spaces for inspiration, imagination, and debate on the questions of what it means to live sustainably. The judging panel will consist of representatives from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and ASLE UKI. Speaking of the competition, Dr Jane Davidson, director of INSPIRE, said: “In the three years since the competition was launched, our winners have addressed how re-reading Shakespeare through a sustainability lens can unearth fascinating insights into the way we used to live and inform our ideas for the future; they have explored how Nature Writing has adapted to our new environmental concerns and ecological perspectives in our post-colonial globalized economy and looked at the importance of inter-related ecosystems remaining in balance. The competition has demonstrated unequivocally that stories for change can play a crucially important in re-interpreting our world for the benefit of future generations. As the Director of a University-wide institute looking at introducing a sustainability
University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
lens into all our students’ experiences, I’m looking forward hugely to this years’ entries. on how literature, in any of its forms, responds to and is shaped by our capacity to know the natural world in the context of debates around sustainability.” Professor Brycchan Carey, Chair of ASLE-UKI, said: “We are excited to continue supporting this important competition. Poets, playwrights, and novelists have for many centuries inspired people both to describe and to delight in the natural world. For many in today’s highly urbanised society, literature is a direct and tangible link to nature, encouraging them to create and nurture a more sustainable world. Literary scholars— in the essays encouraged by this competition—play a key role in understanding and promoting this literature of sustainability.” Last year’s winner Hayden Gabriel was invited to deliver her submission at “The 2015 INSPIRE Lecture on Literature and Sustainability” at the 2015 Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts.
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University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
Landmark Sustainability Exhibition Gets Welsh Premier at UWTSD University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) has become the first institution in Wales to host the globally significant and celebrated outdoor photography exhibition, ‘WHOLE EARTH?’, aimed at bringing younger generations into the sustainability debate.
The choice of the Sail Bridge is symbolic, referencing UWTSD’s future Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter in the city’s SA1 development.
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‘WHOLE EARTH?’, created by journalist Lloyd Timberlake and photographer Mark Edwards, is the follow-up to the internationally acclaimed ‘Hard Rain’ exhibition which launched at Eden Project in 2006. In ‘Hard Rain’ the lyrics of Bob Dylan are illustrated with photographs that bring alive the challenges of the 21st century. Moved by images of disharmony, many of the exhibition’s viewers demanded solutions to the issues that were documented.
The result is the ‘WHOLE EARTH?’ exhibition, a partnership with the UK National Union of Students. It offers solutions in the areas of climate, energy, fresh water, oceans and agriculture, but also in areas such as human rights and economic rule-making. In addition, it is a response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals initiative (SDG). SDGs will shape government policies and UN programmes up to 2030 and those policies will determine the future for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. ‘WHOLE EARTH?’ brings the younger generation more firmly into the sustainability debate, helping them understand the solutions and opportunities that these challenges open up. The exhibition has so far travelled to educational institutions in the UK, Europe, North America, India, Africa, and Australia. This was it’s first, and possibly only, showing in Wales. It will be open to the public, free of charge.
Dr Jane Davidson, who is also Director of UWTSD’s Institute of Sustainable Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness (INSPIRE), said: “I am delighted that UWTSD has been able to bring this important exhibition to Wales and to make it available not just to the University but to other education partners and the wider public across south west Wales between now and Christmas.
Photo by Mark Edwards
‘WHOLE EARTH?’ was officially opened on Thursday 1 October in The River House Lounge and Restaurant in Swansea’s SA1, close to the exhibition’s first location at the city’s Sail Bridge. Speaking at the opening were Dr Jane Davidson, UWTSD Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor and former Welsh Government Environment Minister, and Peter Davies, Wales Commissioner for Sustainable Futures.
“The exhibition offers opportunities to consider some of the key challenges of the 21st century and seek the most appropriate solutions. It encourages young people to ask questions and challenges viewers to commit to their own actions to make society more sustainable. I look forward to a lot of debate, particularly in the run up to the next major Climate Change global conference in Paris in December.”
The exhibition has been traveling around the University’s campuses since September and will continue to do so until December the 20th. The dates for the remaining locations are as follows:
30 November – 6 December UWTSD Swansea College of Art (Dynevor) 7 – 13 December UWTSD Swansea Business Campus 14 – 20 December UWTSD Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter - Sail Bridge
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University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
The University’s success is a huge improvement in terms of rankings for UWTSD, with the University seeing a dramatic rise from its 113th position in the 2013 League to 8th in 2015. UWTSD has also been ranked the top green University in Wales, moving from a 3rd class degree to a 1st class award. The People & Planet University League, an annual ranking by the national student campaign group, assesses the environmental and ethical performance of all universities, awarding First Class 'degrees' to the greenest and Fail to those doing the least to address their environmental and social impacts. UWTSD is one of 30 universities to achieve a ‘First’ in the 2015 league. But how has UWTSD managed to dramatically increase its ranking to be named the 8th most effective University in the UK in terms of environment and ethics?
People and Planet 12
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David won a First Class Award and have been ranked 8th out of 151 universities across the UK and 1st in Wales in the People & Planet University League 2015 – the UK's only comprehensive and independent green ranking of universities.
“The answer is simple,” says Dr Jane Davidson, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Sustainability and Engagement at UWTSD. “We care about sustainability; although delivering it has meant a fundamental review of what we do and how we do it across the university – its culture, campuses, curricula and communities. We believe that universities should actively ensure their graduates become responsible citizens and creative problem solvers that the uncertain world we live in demands, so we reflected this in our strategic plan. “We joined the HEA Green Academy for inspiration and created our own virtual institute INSPIRE – Institute for Sustainable Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness in 2012 to lead our systemic approach. We identified staff capabilities and interests through a staff skills audit and have redefined our academic offer with every module going through the INSPIRE gateway. We carried out a curriculum audit this summer and found that all our faculties and schools are delivering sustainability throughout their curriculum – and have an appetite for more.
“We are still at an early stage of the journey, but have now developed systems in all areas of the university’s activity, so we know where we’re going and we have a pretty good idea how long it will take us to get there,” adds Dr Davidson. “With the active support of the Vice-Chancellor, the governors, senior managers, students and the inspirational Sustainability Committee members, we are approaching 2015 re-invigorated by this award which demonstrates that embedding sustainability within the university is everybody’s business and to everybody’s benefit.” Rosie Scannell, an INSPIRE intern studying at UWTSD Lampeter is equally proud of the University’s achievement. “This amazing leap in the league table is testament to the hard work and determination of UWTSD to improve its own sustainability levels,” she says.
Hannah Smith, who compiled the People & Planet University League, said: "University of Wales Trinity Saint David is proving to be one of the UK's leading universities for environmental and ethical standards. People & Planet celebrate their commitment to meeting the expectations of their students with skills and understanding for sustainable development; for working with their students, staff and community to bring about a culture of change in social and environmental practice; for working on sustainability across the board from curriculum to catering - and for its leadership for sustainable development.” Continued on next page...
“After doing environmental work within the university and Students’ Union for the past three years, I am both delighted and proud that the hard work and persistence of staff and students has started to show,” adds Rosie. “The work we have done is crucial to the development of the university, both for existing students as well as any future students. Furthermore, it is important for students across the university because it is the first step in ensuring that staff and students take what they have learnt through the UWTSD's sustainability work and hopefully apply it to their own future careers and lives.”
What this means for UWTSD... 1.
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UWTSD is proving to be one of the UK’s leading university’s for environmental and ethical standards. This is just the beginning, the systems developed across all university activities mean we know the next step of our sustainability journey. 2013-2015 saw UWTSD rise from 113th to 8th in the UK, demonstrating huge potential for future achievements.
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University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
“University of Wales Trinity Saint David has rocketed up the People & Planet University League, we're seriously impressed!” continues Hannah Smith. “We've witnessed a vision for sustainable development brought to fruition in a matter of years; Jane, the staff and the students at UWTSD are showing us what can be achieved when a university takes stock of their impact on our communities and the wider world. By resourcing their staff, listening to their students and understanding environmental issues right across the university, UWTSD are stepping up to a unique opportunity to meet student demand for the skills and understanding they need to tackle the biggest challenges of our time and we can't wait to see the results in years to come!”
UWTSD managed to dramatically increase its ranking to be named the 8th most effective University in the UK in terms of environment and ethics “It's the progressive universities ranking top 30 in the league that are setting an example of what can be achieved in higher education, responding with speed to the oncoming challenges of climate change and global inequality,” adds Ms Smith. “These are the universities equipping their graduates with the skills they need to tackle these threats.”
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University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
Green Impact is an environmental accreditation and awards scheme run by the National Union of Students who support teams and departments to make simple and powerful changes in behaviour and policy in order to work towards a more sustainable institution. Several team members of UWTSD staff attended the awards ceremony to celebrate their environmental achievements throughout the year. This year saw 2 Gold accreditation awards, 1 Silver and 15 Bronze. In addition, two teams were acknowledged to be working towards a Bronze award. Art and Design made an exceptional impact this year, completing all of the criteria within each level and also submitting 4 Special Awards which recognized the accomplishments from their commitment to sustainability through several projects. They, along with the Environmental Office gained Gold Awards. SHOE (School of Health and Outdoor Education) achieved the Silver Award, whilst Corporate Services, Corporate Communications & PR, Human Resources, Operations and Student Experience were among the many teams who achieved the Bronze Award.
Green Impact 16
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David achieved several awards in this year’s Green Impact Awards.
The Green Impact project was able to engage with over 200 staff members from across all three campuses this year. The dedication of those involved provided a potential savings of almost 23,000kg of CO2 and almost £6,000 in savings through waste reduction, energy conservation, and reductions in travel. Over the last year UWTSD saw an estimated 147 people reached by teams campaigning for staff to switch lights and equipment off when not in use, potentially saving 16,659kg of CO2 and £2,603 across the institution. An estimated 92 people were reached by teams raising awareness to print and photocopy double‐sided, potentially saving 4,968kg of CO2 and £1,840 on resource costs. An estimated 28 people were reached by teams encouraging
staff to use teleconferencing facilities rather than travelling to all meetings, potentially saving 1589kg of CO2 and £1,386 across the institution. Alana Smith, Sustainability Engagement Officer said: “It’s important to promote good environmental behaviour at UWTSD and Green Impact offers a way to incorporate small reminders into the workspace. It’s also a great way to encourage members of staff to work together towards a greater good. I was extremely pleased with the efforts of all the teams this year. The project was very successful and forms a solid foundation for sustainability to continue to grow throughout the University in the future. The project will be beginning again this September and we hope to further its success. We plan on engaging even more staff members and encouraging the 15 Bronze Award winners to work towards a Silver or Gold accreditation.”
What this means for UWTSD... 1.
Over 200 members of staff engaged with the Green Impact effort.
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The 2015 awards have formed a solid foundation for further awards in 2016.
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Simple yet powerful changes have contributed to UWTSD becoming a more sustainable institution.
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University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
International Summer School The University of Wales Trinity Saint David hosted a successful International Sustainability Summer School with students from Saint Michael’s College, Vermont.
Twelve students and two members of staff from Saint Michael’s College visited UWTSD during May for a twoweek study abroad course focused on how Wales has integrated ecological sustainability throughout its culture, institutions, art and policies. Saint Michael’s College approached UWTSD as they were aware of INSPIRE and its commitment to sustainability. The course included cultural and environmental field studies, on-site guest lectures and collaboration and exchange of research and artistic projects. The aim of the International Sustainability Summer School is to inform visiting students on the different perspectives of sustainability in Wales through cultural, ecological, political, geographic, and artistic lenses. Gwen Beynon, Art and Design Programme Director who played a key role in organising the Summer School said:
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“The Summer School was tremendously successful for all involved. It was a really great way of communicating with an international institution and it provided students with an opportunity to learn and appreciate Wales’ and UWTSD’s approach to sustainability.
It gave me great pleasure to hear the students’ positive perceptions of our attitude towards sustainability; they were constantly impressed by the way we embrace sustainability on a variety of levels. It was great working and collaborating with Saint Michael’s staff, Jeffrey Ayres, Dean of the College and Professor in the Department of Political Science and Jonathan Silverman, Chair of the Education Department and Coordinator of the Arts in Education Program. “Students were impressed by the fact that we approach sustainability in terms of culture, industry and language, it’s not just a matter of recycling. Their positive reactions made me realise how well we are doing on the global scale of sustainability. “As part of their academic work the students were expected to give two presentations each. Their final presentations were given at the end of the trip, they were fantastic. It was clear that the students had learned a great deal and were passionate about our pro-active attitude towards sustainability. It was also lovely to see how in awe they were of the Welsh coastline and landscape.”
Kath Griffiths, International Office at UWTSD who worked closely with Gwen Beynon to develop the programme, said: “The itinerary for the Summer School was jam-packed and varied tremendously, ensuring that the students received a wide scope of information. A number of panel sessions took place, addressing issues such as Sustainability of Place which included an opening keynote speech on UWTSD’s and Wales’ approach to sustainability by Jane Davidson, Director of INSPIRE. A second panel session included 5 presentations from people who work directly with sustainability including Joanna Lane from Tidal Lagoon and Haf Leyshon from Wales National Resources.
“There were field trips to Big Pitt and the Senedd, a hike across the Brecon Beacons with Gruff Owen, UWTSD International Student Support Officer, and a weekend in Pembrokeshire which included an overnight stay on Skomer Island. There was a wonderfully positive and inspired reaction from the students. This will be the first of many Summer Schools from Saint Michael’s and the start of a rewarding collaboration that we at UWTSD are really looking forward to.” A student who attended the Summer School said: “My academic curiosities were sparked by something new every day during our time at UWTSD. Upon returning home, I have told every person who has asked about my trip, about sustainability in Wales. Jane Davidson was truly inspirational; her work motivated me to bring back some
of her ideas to my parents’ business to help them create a more sustainable company. Every day I was amazed with the passion of the lecturers and the beauty of the landscape.” The International Sustainability Summer School achieved a Green Impact Special Award, which recognises commitment to sustainability through extra-curricular projects.
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University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
Inspiring Profile Luci Attala Anthropology Lecturer
Luci Attala, Anthropology Lecturer and Programme Director at UWTSD Lampeter is actively working on a number of projects that promote sustainability and create globally aware citizens. Luci is not just a lecturer, she is an educator who listens, empowers, activates, challenges and promotes change on a daily basis. Luci’s many achievements include winning an award from NIACE for being an inspirational tutor, she plays a key role with the Community Carbon Link (CCL) a not-for-profit organisation that attempts to link communities through carbon absorption and has also been nominated for two Green Gown Awards. Luci originally trained as a nurse and uses her expertise in both anthropology and health/social care to teach in the school of Health and Social Care for the Open University. Luci has a passion for teaching and is dedicated to empower her students by making them feel that they as individuals can make a difference to the world.
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“What I love about teaching is watching people change and develop; I enjoy watching them cultivate thoughts and ideas and I love being there as they pick up new ideas and role with them. This is particular exciting roll when students start to question things and don’t simply accept what they are told. I see students grow as individuals and develop into different people from who they were when they arrived. This is especially inspiring to see in the younger students who have come straight from school and leaving home. When they arrive and are introduced to a whole range of different issues, ways of understanding the world and of approaching people, I see them start to blossom, start to question and start to become ‘somebody’. Teaching is a
nourishing occupation because you get to witness those moments of pure gloriousness from them.” Luci works closely with the CCL, a reforestation initiative who together with the UWTSD students won a UN Gold Star for Environmental Impact in 2014. She has helped link Lampeter with Giriama in Bore near Malindi, Kenya through negotiations with the tribal elders to create a tree-planting initiative. The sponsored trees support Giriama farmers’ subsistence and simultaneously absorb carbon from our shared atmosphere. The project is now being used as a pilot project for the Size of Wales – a scheme supported by the Welsh Government, that aims to protect and plant an area of rainforest the ‘size of Wales’. Luci is currently working to document this Wales/Africa Community Link and the resulting community engagements. Her work pays specific attention to the part water plays in supporting the communities’ diverse aims. The information emerging from this Community Link offers an alternative relational model to sustainable development schemes.
“The scheme is rewarding on so many levels, students have been out to Kenya which is brilliant as it shows that they as individuals can make a difference. I strongly believe that students learn more whilst being active and engaging rather than simply sitting passively and hearing about what other people think and do. The concept that truly motivates me is that I want people to feel empowered to make a difference. Anthropology is a mechanism that allows that. I feel genuinely lucky to
see people emerging empowered through graduating with their degree and I think ‘these are the people that will make a difference.’ I also want the world to change; I think we’ve made a lot of mistakes particular us in the global North, the industrial dominant part of the globe. We need to change things and I hope I’m a part of that, in a way that is my motor and that is what drives me.” Luci has been nominated for two Green Gown Awards, a prestigious awards ceremony that provides universities and colleges with benchmarks for excellence and is well respected by governments, funding councils, senior managers, academics and students alike. The awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges across the UK. With the increasing awareness of sustainability, the awards have become established as the most prestigious recognition of best practice within the further and higher education sector. Luci’s nominated categories are New Teaching Methods and Sustainability Champion, her work ethic and unique approach supports her as a highly worthy of choice candidate. “I was totally thrilled when I received the news that I had been successful with the nominations. The Green Gown judges recognised that the way I teach allows students to engage with substances and the ideas around ‘greenness’ in a new way. Instead of just learning about what people are doing and the problems on the planet, they are actually trying to find solutions by engaging with the issues.” An example of Luci’s unique approach to teaching can be seen when she asked her students to collect and bring in their rubbish throughout the term to
the Anthropology Lab in Lampeter, the rubbish was then put into a ‘landfill’ they had created in the Lab. “By the end of term there was a considerable amount of rubbish in the Lab, and I asked the students to engage with their rubbish again. It was so interesting. Firstly the students didn’t want to touch it and it was as if the rubbish wasn’t theirs anymore. When I insisted that they engaged they were forced to look at the waste again and realized that in fact it still belonged to them. They decided to use the rubbish to make a sculpture of a detailed
human, as if to say the rubbish was human made. “From this exercise the students recognised how many un-recyclable coffee cups they had used over the term, this led to them creating an action to the catering team to have recyclable cups on campus. The action was successful and there are now recyclable coffee cups on each campus. This came directly out of that class of students. It was not something I asked them to do, it came from them being confronted with the level of their own rubbish.”
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University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
Dr Jane Davidson, Dr Carolyn Hayles, Professor Simon Haslett
ESDGC Conference 22
INSPIRE hosted its first ‘Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship’ (ESDGC) conference at Swansea Business School at the beginning of June this year.
The one-day conference was an opportunity for UWTSD staff to come together and share best practice and case studies in the delivery of ESDGC teaching and learning from across the whole University. The conference provided staff with the chance to produce a full conference paper for formal review. Accepted papers will be published in a peer reviewed in-house journal publication. An award for Best Paper will be made to the academic who produces the best piece of work, the winner will be decided over the summer months and will be provided with financial support to attend a conference and present their work.
Hoss, VocalEyes and Pembrokeshire College, on Digital Adventures: Setting out on the path to Active Citizenship and Sustainability, Stacey Coleman, Lecturer in Psychology, UWTSD Swansea on Recognising Sustainability in Psychology: Pitfalls and Promise and Dr Glenda Tinney, Senior Lecturer, School of Early Childhood, UWTSD Carmarthen, on Early Years Education and ESDGC- two sides of the same coin? The closing keynote speech came from Professor Simon Haslett, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor, on Promoting research and scholarship in education for sustainable development and global citizenship: from a personal journey to an institutional approach.
Academic Lead for INSPIRE, Dr Carolyn Hayles, who established the event said: “The conference was very successful in bringing academics together from across the university to share their ESDGC practice and present some fantastic examples of best practice in teaching and learning. Going forward, we hope the conference will encourage academics to disseminate their experiences of ESDGC more widely, through international conference contributions and journal publications. In the meantime we intend to make this in-house conference an annual event.”
Professor Simon Haslett has had a career in higher education spanning over 20 years, he has published a number of books, over 100 scientific articles, and is also a broadcaster and appears regularly on television, radio and writes articles in the popular press. He is Co-editor of the journal Atlantic Geology and Associate Editor of the Journal of Coastal Research.
A number of speakers presented short talks on key issues throughout the conference. These included Sarah
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David aims to place sustainability at the centre of its delivery and has been working alongside other universities across the UK through the Higher Education Academy’s Green Academy programme to embed sustainability within its core operations and culture.
INSPIRE, directed by Dr Jane Davidson, was launched in January 2012, and has developed cross institutional activity in 2013 and 2014. The University’s Strategic Plan commits to embedding sustainability as a core principal across all aspects of the University. Dr Jane Davidson, Director of INSPIRE said: “Sustainable development is about making better decisions using long term values. It is about thinking about the impacts of today’s actions on future generations and learning to live within our environmental limits - it is about balancing social, environmental and economic needs in a way that does not compromise future generations. Through INSPIRE we aim to develop curriculum-related delivery to ensure that our students are provided with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will equip them for their future contribution to the economy, community and environment. To develop our campuses to the highest standards of environmental performance, contribute to our communities by giving particular regard to issues of sustainable rural communities and the development of south west Wales as a low carbon region and develop a research and innovation capacity focused on the core strengths of the University.”
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Gold Standard Banqueting
Green Transport In line with the wider sustainability credentials that are currently in motion at UWTSD, Hywel Griffiths, Operations Director, who is responsible for day to day delivery of sustainability at the University, is actively working on the Green Transport plan to reduce the impact of its travel and transport activities. Graham Allen, Environmental Manager at UWTSD said: “The results of the university-wide travel survey that took place towards the end of last year will be used to inform planning and our carbon management whilst clearly demonstrating our commitment to continual improvement of environmental performance. We are actively formulating plans to ensure we take advantage of technological advances in electric and hybrid vehicles. We operate a corporate bus scheme for staff, and students are eligible for various discounts.”
UWTSD has won the UK’s First Gold Standard for University-wide Banqueting Service. The University of Wales Trinity Saint David is the first university in the UK to achieve a Food for Life Gold Catering Mark from the Soil Association for its banqueting and events services across all campuses.
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The Soil Association’s Catering Mark provides an independent endorsement that food providers are taking steps to improve the food that they serve, using fresh ingredients which are free from trans-fats, harmful additives and genetically modified products (GM), and are better for animal welfare. Catering Services are audited by the
Association annually to ensure they meet high standards of provenance and traceability, providing reassurance to customers that meals are freshly prepared using environmentallysustainable and seasonal ingredients. The University has been awarded the Gold Catering Mark for its banqueting and events catering and is the first University in the UK to achieve this accolade for a service provided across its campuses. UWTSD is also the first University in Wales to be awarded a Silver Award for its lunch services which include the popular Sunday carveries served at its restaurants in Carmarthen and Lampeter.
The list of the University’s suppliers include companies operating in the immediate environs of its campuses in Lampeter, Carmarthen, and Swansea as part of the University’s commitment to sustainable development across its campuses, curriculum, culture and community.
The Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter development provides the University with additional opportunities to develop solutions of transport for students and staff to travel to and between the geographically dispersed campuses.
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“We are determined that students will gain graduate attributes and skills that will make them better problem solvers and attractive to future employers in all sectors. In achieving these goals the University aims to deliver an inspired education to all its students.� Professor Medwin Hughes, DL Vice Chancellor, University Of Wales Trinity Saint David
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