There are a variety of ways for students, staff and visitors to get involved with sustainability at the University. We host regular events, workshops and information sessions and also collaborate with colleagues across the University to incorporate sustainability into their teaching and research. Find out more about what we’ve been up to, and how you can get involved below.
Find out how sustainability is embedded into teaching and learning at the Universitry of Huddersfield
There are a lot of ways to get involved with sustainability at the University, take a look here.
The University regularly collaborates with the local community organisation Environment Projects in Kirklees (EPIKS), collaborating on E-bike events and hire shcemes, hosting litter picks along the River Colne, and working to map new Greenstreams campus walk around the University and wider River Colne basin. Walking routes have been mapped which will be installed on campus in the new academic year, these will encourage staff and students to stay healthy by taking active breaks from their work or learning.
Further collaborative projects include The Canalside Project, a practical skills programme supporting 15 students from Kirklees College who attended weekly sessions with the Grounds Maintenance Team between October 2019 and March 2020. The University also offers a Supported Internship programme for students with the grounds maintenance team; and provides short placements to students within a variety of roles in Estates and Facilities, giving individuals practical experience of the workplace environment.
The Mini-Allotment Project located on campus gained great momentum as an educational and social space for staff throughout the summer and autumn of 2019, resulting in an increased demand for similar projects. The mini-allotments were unable to be tended by the group during the Coronavirus pandemic so the University organised to have these replanted with herbs and other edibles for the enjoyment of the whole University community as they return to campus. Thias project is currently under development to allow its’ expansion to include more staff and students at locations across the University Estate. These planters are adopted by small groups or departments, get in touch to register your interest!
Green Week: A Carbon Neutral University was held virtually between 22nd-26th February 2021 and consisted of a variety of events attended and hosted by students and staff from across the University. Events included seminars from research groups in Applied Sciences and People and Organisational Development, with further contributions from the Students Union’s Disney Society and HudMovies as well as Textile students who ran seminars and workshops on sustainable textiles and Macrame. Hosting these sessions virtually allowed us to engage with students, staff and visitors to the University in a way that we haven’t done before, with individuals joining session from all around the globe!
The week was headlined by The University of Huddersfield’s Journey to Net Zero: a panel event, where attendees were able to engage directly with senior management and the Climate Emergency Steering Group on the Sustainability agenda and newly released Net Zero Strategy: A Ten Point Plan for the Planet. Delivered by the Sustainability Team in collaboration with third-year Events Management Students, this event was a huge success and you can watch it in full here.
We’re already planning next year’s Green Week and can’t wait to share the full timetable with you soon. In the meantime, you can check out the Green Week 2021 timetable, or get in touch if you would like to get involved and host your own event.
The Sustainability Champion network was established in 2019 and allows staff to join regular meetings with the Sustainability to share their thoughts and ideas on sustainability and to work on specific projects through working groups. We are now looking to further develop this engagement programme to involve students and expand the current working groups to include more areas and projects. The working group will cover the following:
If you’d like to join the developing Sustainability Champion programme, or have ideas about specific projects or working groups get in touch via email.
The University continues to develop opportunities and partnerships to embed sustainability within the student curriculum.
Events Management students engage with Fairtrade in their learning by organising the annual Fairtrade Fortnight headline event on behalf of the University and Kirklees Fairtrade Forum as part of their final year project. This has contributed to the University successfully achieving the new 1* University and Colleges Fairtrade Award, promoting and engaging with Fairtrade at the University and in the wider community as an active member of the Kirklees Fairtrade Forum.
Computing and Engineering students have frequently engaged with sustainability as part of their degree courses. In both 2019 and 2020 the Sustainability Team were invited to set a challenge as part of the Computing and Engineering undergraduate Design Week event, with the cross-disciplinary design of an innovative solution to a real-world problem.
Students are also able to engage with us through extra-curricular activities to help build their CV’s and portfolios. Students have previously attended training via SOS UK to become Fairtrade auditors, attended sustainability conferences free of charge and contributed to social media content through blog posts, videos and photographs.
Future opportunities are being explored to establish research opportunities on campus where undergraduate students are able to participate in longitudinal research projects as part of their studies.
There are many ways for you to get involved with sustainability at the University. Check out some of our ideas below, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @HudSustainability:
For students
For staff
