Undeb Bangor
Sustainability Policy 2024-2027
Undeb Bangor has 6,916 active members and 31 staff and recognises its impact on the environment and community, locally, nationally, and globally. Additionally, the role it plays within the sector and nationally to address sustainability issues and the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
The Union is driven to embed environmental, economic, and social sustainability ways of thinking and practices into its work and has identified 8 key themes through which sustainability shall be delivered:
Student-led Focus
We resolve to ensure our sustainability work is not only guided by broader sustainability, the SDGs, and Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, but by current issues that affect students and that they are passionate about. The Union gathers feedback on an annual basis from students to support this and continuously strives to involve students and student groups in relevant work, campaigns, and discussions.
We work closely with our Sustainability Network and Leader to guide our work and help them achieve their own goals.
Education & Behavior Change
As an organisation supporting and working with students, Undeb Bangor feels a duty to educate staff and students on sustainability issues, giving them the knowledge to make their own decisions and incorporate sustainable practices into their work and own lives.
Empowerment
We love to see our students and student groups carrying out their own sustainability work and champion this as much as possible. We facilitate this by giving our student leaders the training, tools and know-how to create and implement change.
Partnership Working & Cultivating Community
We work with the University to improve its sustainability work and lobby it to respond to students’ needs and ideas, taking our role in representing and advocating for students seriously.
Through forming mutually beneficial relationships with local organisations, schools, and businesses, we enhance our positive impact on the environment, economy, and community. We continuously seek new opportunities to connect students with our partners and encourage collaborative working to support their networking, experience, and skills development.
Sustainable Operations
We set by example, adopting sustainable purchasing practices where possible as staff team. We provide ethical purchasing guidance for our student groups, allowing them to make their own well-informed decisions that consider financial, environmental, and social sustainability. This includes guidance on Fairtrade and Amazon purchases.
We encourage use of sustainable transport options with our staff and students, including walking to local activities, car sharing, use of our Students’ Union minibuses and coach transport.
We are committed to improving our financial sustainability, ensuring that funding is invested in the right areas of the Union’s activities and an appropriate level of financial resource. This will be supported by effective financial management and an efficient and accessible online approach to our financial systems.
Research & Learning
We will continue to research and learn about the environment, social justice, and development, consistent with addressing the sustainable development goals and any developing or current issues. Where possible and appropriate, we will share findings with students and university staff.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity
We promise to listen to students in order to build a supportive and collaborative environment that champions inclusivity and belonging, finding new ways to actively engage and include all students in our sustainability and wider work.
Cultural Sustainability
We celebrate cultural diversity, facilitating the creation of student communities and the expression and sharing of different cultural identities through collaborations, events, and campaigns.
We are proud to share the cultural and historic importance, including our language, that helps make us so unapologetically Welsh.