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 WWF Earth Hour 2012 – Our World is Brilliant
It’s not just about an hour of darkness. It’s about a brighter future.
Switch off your lights at 8.30 pm on Saturday 31st March 2012.
Every year the University of Gloucestershire promotes voluntary participation in WWF’s Earth Hour event on the last Saturday in March. Earth Hour for 2012 is this Saturday 31st March from 8.30 – 9.30 pm. Please get involved and visit the web-site for more information at: www.wwf.org.uk/earthhour.
This year WWF are asking University students and staff to get more involved in their Earth Hour campaign and to switch off all non-essential lighting in University buildings and halls on Saturday 31st March 2012 for an hour from 8.30 – 9.30 pm. |
Sustainable Events Guide
The university is committed to sustainability and seeks to adopt best practice across the range of its activities. A guide to sustainable events has been developed by the Sustainability Team to support staff and students engaged in University event planning and management. It gathers experience from across professional and academic departments. The Guide, compiled by Cathy Green, seeks to inform practical decisions associated with choice of venue equipment, travel plans, catering, procurement amongst other considerations. More. |
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Green stalwarts to address Gloucestershire business sector - 25 April 2012
Business leaders and green stalwarts from around the country are to speak to encourage and educate in Gloucestershire.
Sustainability in Business Seminars, which launches later this month, aims to help organisations in the county drive towards a more sustainable economy.
The first topic geared towards business, called 'Strategy', starts on April 25. This will be followed by seminars on Resources on May 23 and Communication on June 27. They follow earlier seminars aimed at the education and healthcare industries. More |
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A Royal Socitey of Chemistry Lecture: Peatlands and Palaeoclimates, Putting Global Warming in Perspectives - Professor Frank Chambers
7pm, 29 March 2012, TC001 Francis Close Hall Campus, University of Gloucestershire. More
RSVP to outreach@glos.ac.uk or 01242 714833 by 19 March 2012. |
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VII Spanish Seminar on ESD and Sustainability Research - Valsain, 2-3 May 2012
As a result of last year´s PRISM Conference, PRISM has recently joined forces with the Spanish Interuniversity Doctoral Programme on Environmental Education to hold a joint seminar for Spanish-speaking postgraduate students and young professionals researching sustainability and ESD topics. More |
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Adam Hart returns from the Trail of the American Honeybee
Biologist and Science Communicator Dr Adam Hart spent last week in the Central Valley of California with BBC Radio 4 making a documentary on the science and practice of migratory beekeeping in the USA. More |
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On the Road to Rio+20, Brazil, 20-22 June 2012
Rio+20 — the short name for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012 - is a historic opportunity for governments, international organisations and major groups to define pathways to sustainable development. More |
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COPERNICUS Alliance Leads the People’s Higher Education Treaty
The COPERNICUS Alliance has agreed to lead the People’s Higher Education Sustainability Treaty for Rio+20. The Peoples’ Sustainability Treaties consist of a declaration and action plan, which demonstrate the collective visions of people worldwide and help to advance the global movement forging sustainable futures for all. Through joint civil society efforts, the Treaties call for the realisation of practical and sector-specific outcomes at Rio+20. More |
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Satish Kumar - Sustainable Landscape Series Presentation; FCH 20th March
On 20th March, Satish Kumar will be giving the final Sustainable Landscape Series presentation of the year. Further information. |
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Cheltenham Tree Group: Planting Trees, Improving the Environment of Cheltenham
Saturday 3 March 2012 - 10.00-12.00pm: Balcarras Cottage, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham GL53 8QG
A local group is keen to promote the growth of trees in Cheltenham. The Cheltenham Tree Group aims to work hand in hand with the local authority to keep a check on the health of the trees and to encourage new planting.
Small trees which we purchase at low price at the end of the season and are provided to anyone who has a need for a hedge or specimen tree.
Cheltenham Tree Group hopes to help raise charity money by planting trees for various countries in Asia and Africa. They need as many volunteers as possible, so please go along if you have a spare couple of hours (from 10-12).
Further information can be found on http://cheltenhamtreegroup.btck.co.uk/.
If you are interested please email Lynne s0808474@glos.ac.uk More |
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Christian Ecology Link eBulletin
As we approach Lent, you may think this a good time to take on some commitment to safeguard and celebrate God's Creation. I am encouraged by the new Westminster Diocese environmental mission statement, issued recently. It would be good if all dioceses could work up such a platform, and indeed all parishes! (Some of course do already.)
In three weeks time we have our Christian Ecology Link day conference in North Bristol (just next to Parkway Station in fact): full details are here, and it looks like being well attended, I'm pleased to say. Do book in if you have not done so already: you're sure to meet someone who will help you - I invariably do. And who knows whom you might be able to help there? More |
 Community Media Symposium: 15th March 2012
This Symposium is interdisciplinary and brings together researchers and practitioners of community media projects in the UK. More |
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International Mother Language Day
Don’t Hate Campaign and UNESCO promote INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY at Park Campus. 21 February 2012 at Park Campus from 11am till 3pm
UNESCO International Mother Language Day 2012 at the Park campus is all about promoting language education and informing students about the benefits of learning and knowing a second language.
On Tuesday the 21st of February 2012 Park Campus Reception area and Refectory shall be taken over from 11am till 3pm by this UNESCO event, with stands, dancers and a video project. More |
University students to raise funds to build dam
A group of university students and their lecturers are raising £2,000 towards building a dam in the mountains of south Sinai. The 16 geography students from the University of Gloucestershire will be visiting the mountains of south Sinai in May this year as part of their international field course experience.
To raise funds to cover the cost of the dam construction, the students are organising ‘The Dam Good Ball’ to be held at the Cheltenham Park Hotel on the 24th February. Tickets are £20 and include a buffet, DJ and other entertainment. The Ball is open to all, with tickets available at http://bit.ly/DGBtickets. More
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Events Management Students Present: The Blackout Event: ‘IT’S BETTER IN THE DARK…’, 2 March 2012
Events management students are hosting this years Blackout and Sustainability Fayre on Friday 2nd March 2012 at Oxstalls Campus, Longlevens.
Staff and students at the University of Gloucestershire are invited to ‘power down’ Oxstalls campus, actively engaging in raising environmental awareness, developing an understanding of sustainable issues and our consumption activities. More |
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2012 Fairtrade Fortnight - February 27th to March 11th
Fairtrade stalls- stalls throughout the week of the 27th of Feb. We will be at Park campus on Monday and Tuesday, FCH on Wednesday and Thursday and Oxstalls on Friday where we will be selling lots of fair-trade goods such chocolate, snacks and juice. More |
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University-Community Engagement & Volunteering Workshop
24th February 2012, Fullwood House, Park Campus, 10.30 - 15.30
This Workshop will explore university-community engagement and volunteering. It is an opportunity to share information, good practice, and aims to generate better understanding of how the university can work with communities to gain maximum benefits for students and for the community. More |
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Valentine’s Craft Evening - 8th February from 7.30 – 9.30 pm.
The Sustainability and Chaplaincy Teams would like to invite you to our Valentine’s Craft Evening. The event will be held in the Chapel, Francis Close Hall Campus and we will be joined by members of Transition Town Cheltenham and the Transition University of Gloucestershire group. This is a great opportunity to hand make a card for your loved one/friend from recycled materials. All materials and refreshments will be available with a recommended donation of £2.00 per person. More |
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UoG contributes to a UN Global Report on Higher Education for Sustainability
A new UN commissioned Sustainability report has been released this month. The 'Higher Education's Commitment to Sustainability: From Understanding to Action' is the fourth volume in a series published by the Global Universities Network for Innovation (GUNI) in collaboration with the United Nations University. The report is focused on the transformation of HE towards sustainability and the role of the sector in building sustainable communities. This volume includes papers by 85 authors from 38 countries and provides a map of how the regions are advancing this agenda. The regional picture is complemented with national and local case studies of experiences on thematic areas. More
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'The Art of Transition', 21 January 2012
Transition University of Gloucestershire and Transition Town Cheltenham would like to invite you to the event 'The Art of Transition' on 21 January from 2pm - 5pm in the Hardwick campus. This free event consists of an afternoon of talks and workshops exploring how language and images can change our view of the world and help us prepare for the future.
Refreshments will be provided. Please email tug@ecoling.net to book places. More |
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 University’s Sustainability Director Elected as President of the Copernicus Alliance
The University’s Director of Sustainability, Professor Daniella Tilbury, was elected as President of the Copernicus Alliance at the 2011 Annual General Meeting which took place at Kerkrade on the 27th November. The Copernicus Alliance brings together 326 universities from across Europe who are committed to re-orienting universities so that they can make a meaningful contribution to sustainability. These Universities have signed the Copernicus Charta which identifies ten change pathways for sustainability in higher education: institutional strategic frameworks, sustainability values and ethics, education of university employees, education for sustainability for students and communities of practice, interdisciplinary problem-solving and networking, technology transfer and partnership building for sustainability. More |
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Advent Craft Evening in the Chapel at FCH – 30th November
Last Wednesday over 35 staff and students gathered in the Chapel at FCH to experiment with waste packaging and discarded magazines and posters to create their own Christmas decorations. A member of the local community from Transition Town Cheltenham kindly sourced the activities and staff and students spent a pleasant two hours experimenting on the best shapes to make out of old magazines and cardboard. There were 5 Sustainability St*rs student volunteers on hand to lead the activities and a member of staff who volunteers with a local scout troup led another activity decorating found pine cones with glitter. The Chaplaincy donated funds to provide all participants with a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie each and in return the Chapel was left well decorated with a range of colourful and sustainable Christmas decorations to take them into the festive season. |
 Advent Craft Evening for staff and students
Wednesday 30th November @ 7.30 pm
The Sustainability Team and the Chaplaincy would like to invite you to come to an evening of Christmas decoration making in the Chapel on FCH campus. We will be joined by the University’s WI group and the Transition University of Gloucestershire action group. You will have the opportunity to make Christmas doves, fir tree cones and stars from recycled card as well as finding out about other methods of re-using unwanted household items to decorate your tree cheaply and sustainably.
Free refreshments including mulled wine will be provided with a recommended donation of £2.00 per person. All materials will be provided, just bring yourself and your friends. |
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 Transition University of Gloucestershire goes official
The Transition University of Gloucestershireinitiative has been recognised as 'Official' by Transition Network, the coordinating body for the 897 Transition Towns across the world. Gloucestershire is the second university in the UK to gain official status after Transition Edinburgh University, although there are a number of universities such as St Andrews, Lancaster, Birmingham, Exeter and Leeds which have initiatives underway.
The University of Gloucestershire initiative brings staff and students together with local community groups in a collective effort to help the towns of Cheltenham and Gloucestershire prepare for a high well-being, low resource-consumption future. More |
GUNi's panel at AASHE2011 Conference
GUNi hosted the Parallel Plenary Panel “Moving from Understanding to Action: Breaking Barriers for Transforming Higher Education’s Commitment to Sustainability” on Tuesday October 11th, 2011, at the AASHE2011 Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA).
The aim of the panel was to acknowledge how the challenge of sustainability is transforming HEIs by exploring the advances already achieved, by highlighting the barriers or difficulties that prevent HEIs from achieving this transformation, and by proposing solutions on how to overcome challenges. The panel’s purpose was to answer the following questions: What progress has there been and how is it evidenced? (“steps forward”). What still remains to be done? What are the barriers limiting HEIs from transforming themselves? What are the possible actions or solutions to break these barriers?
The session started with the presentation of the upcoming GUNi Report through its structure and contents. Professor Daniella Tilbury, from the University of Gloucestershire (UK), showed global perspectives and Dr. Tarah Wright, from Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia, Canada) focused on the regional perspectives of Canada and USA. More |
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Students Focus on Sustainability in Springbank
Geography students from the University of Gloucestershire will be focusing their attention on the Springbank area of Cheltenham as part of their final year research projects. More |
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Green Gown Awards: University receives a Highly Commended for the Institutional Change category
The Green Gown Awards recognise exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities, colleges and the learning and skills sector across the UK. The University of Gloucestershire was awarded a “Highly Commended” classification in the Continuous Improvement – Institutional Change category at the Green Gown Awards Dinner held in London on the 3rd November. This category recognises sustained and successful activities to improve the performance of the institution. More |
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 Turnaround Leadership for Sustainability in Higher Education
2 December 2011, University of Gloucestershire
The RCE Severn is delighted to invite you to a free event, led by Prof Geoff Scott titled 'Turnaround Leadership for Sustainability in Higher Education'. More. |
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Green ideas at free event
Gloucestershire College has joined forces with Cheltenham Borough Council, the Commercial Group and the UoG to organise a free local business event all about Green IT and sustainable computing. It takes place on Wednesday 26 October at the college's Cheltenham Campus in Princess Elizabeth Way from 9.15am. |
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Stride out on UoG healthy walks
The UoG is putting its “best feet forward” as it starts up a weekly walking club at Oxstalls campus. Students, staff, residents and anyone interested in meeting new people are invited to come along to the university campus and join in an hour’s walking, as part of the Healthy Walk Scheme. More |
Professor Ursula King on Challenges Facing the Planet - 1 December 2011
Professor Ursula King, formerly of Bristol University, and Professorial Research Associate at the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS),is one of the UK’s foremost scholars in the area of contemporary spirituality. More |
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10th Anniversary Weekend Event Success
The University celebrated its 10th anniversary of University title on 22 October with a series of launches of its £5 million refurbished facilities at Oxstalls, Park and Hardwick.
The Mayor of Gloucester, Councillor Andy Lewis, presided over the ceremony at the Oxstalls campus, where a building was renamed after the Cheltenham-based environmentalist, Jonathon Porritt, CBE. More |
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Organisational Change for Sustainability: Learning from Experiences
4-5 November 2011, University of Gloucestershire
An RCE Severn event which will bring together FE, HE, Business and Government sectors in unpacking change for sustainability at the organisational level. Limited free places for University staff and students. Reserve your place now! More |
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'Sustainability St*rs’
Sustainability St*rs are University of Gloucestershire student volunteers who are interested in gaining skills and experience through participating in sustainability projects. If you are aware of any students who may be interested in becoming a Sustainability St*r please contact the Sustainability Team. More |
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Student Roadshows on Sustainability Volunteering – why not come and see what it’s all about……..
Lunchtime Roadshows on Student Sustainability Volunteering and information about projects in the Sustainability Student Engagement Action Plan will be taking place in FCH, Park and Oxstalls next week to provide information about student sustainability volunteering opportunities, our ‘Sustainability St*rs’ scheme and sustainability events coming soon!
If you are a student, drop in and find out more about the volunteering opportunities available to you and how you can get more involved. Or if a member of staff, come and find out how your students can get involved in sustainability volunteering.
The Sustainability Team will be at the following venues, so why not come and see what it’s all about!:
• FCH Campus Refectory – Monday 10th October from 1.00 – 2.00 pm
• Park Campus Elwes Reception – Wednesday 12th October from 12.00 – 2.00 pm
• Oxstalls Campus Café Area – Friday 14th October from 1.00 – 2.00 pm |
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What is Green or Sustainable IT? And how does it affect me?
Tuesday 11th October at 7.30pm in TC103, Park Campus
Speaker: John Booth MD Carbon3IT Ltd, MBCS Green IT & Data Centres Specialist Groups
John is a leading consultant on Green IT and will provide an overview of the 4 main Green IT topic areas (manufacturing, in use, disposal and IT governance), including some science, some elephants and why the cloud may not be as Green as it purports to be. We’ll be going on a journey from Cradle to Grave from John’s “Damascus” moment at Eden to the present day.
John will provide information on leading work being conducted on Green IT and Data Centres including the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres and the CEEDA award, as well as provide a view of what the future holds. |
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University's new partnership is flavour of the month
A new and unique partnership is set to cause a stir as SOHO Coffee Co. arrives at the University of Gloucestershire.
Cheltenham-headquartered SOHO Coffee Co., which has just been named ‘Food Business of the Year’ at the 2011 Taste of Gloucestershire Food and Farming Awards and has local stores in Cambray Place and Regent Arcade, will work in partnership with catering services company BaxterStorey to serve up a range of new brews at the University’s Park, Hardwick and Oxstalls Campus.
To compliment the University’s recent £5 million estate development to enhance the student experience, the University will offer a range of hot drinks, and SOHO frapps in The Park and Hardwick Campus welcome areas, in Cheltenham, and the Cafebar at Oxstalls, in Gloucester. More |
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Transition University of Gloucestershire
The first meeting of Transition University of Gloucestershire will take place on 4 October in the Chapel on the FCH campus from 12-2pm. This is a chance for staff and students to discover more about the Transition Town movement, and how they can be involved in the university's own transition initiative. There will be representatives from some exciting projects that are attempting to transform the St Pauls area around the FCH campus through community gardens and open air art. For further information please visit: http://www.sustainability-literacy.org/trans.html |
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AASHE 2011 Conference and Expo – 9 – 12 October 2011
Global University Network For Innovation (GUNI) Panel
Global University Network For Innovation (GUNI) will host a Parallel Plenary Panel titled: Moving from Understanding to Action: Breaking Barriers for Transforming Higher Education’s Commitment to Sustainability at the AASHE 2011 Conference. Prof. Daniella Tilbury, Director of Sustainability, University of Gloucestershire has been invited to sit as a panelist for this session. The panel session will take place Tuesday, 11 October 2011. More |
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 Pilot a Big Green Gap Year
James Derounian is exploring the piloting of a BigGreenGapYear (of 6 months duration) which would enable young people pre-university to contribute to communities & climate change remediation or sustainability. More |
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Big Green BRoom & Sustainability Team stands at Freshers events
The Sustainability Team are having a stand at the following 3 Freshers events:-
• Thursday 15th September at the International students Information Fair in Elwes Reception at Park Campus
• Monday 19th September at the FCH Freshers event in the Chapel at FCH Campus
• Thursday 22nd September in the Sustainability Zone at the SU Freshers Fayre at Park Campus
These stands will be part of the Big Green BRoom project, selling cheap goods for student life to freshers, salvaged from the items left behind by students living in Halls of Residence last year. There are plenty of useful items to buy all for £1 and £5, from artificial christmas trees to dressing gowns to a range of useful kitchen utensils. Come and visit our stand and discover the joys of recycling!
Contact: Cathy Green at sustainabilityvolunteer@glos.ac.uk |
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Cheltenham Connect
Cheltenham Connect is a fast-growing local community initiative that was set-up in 2009 to support the South Cheltenham Community and to celebrate the amount of talent that we have in our area. It has achieved an amazing amount in its first two years and has now become the biggest initiative in Cheltenham.
WHAT'S COMING UP - KEY DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
11th September - Green Group: Sustainable Homes Open Day
13th September - Skillspace Networking Meeting
30th September - Skillspace: Connect Business Day
November - date tbc - Local History event
November - date tbc - trip to Monmouth Cinema
2nd, 3rd and 4th December - Christmas Craft Fair
6th December - Skillspace Christmas Dinner
For more information please visit: http://www.cheltenhamconnect.co.uk/ |
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The John Ray Initiative - Food Matters: Wednesday 21 September 2011 (9.30 - 17.00)
Spend a day pondering food at Holland House near Pershore in Worcestershire. The day will include talks from Mike Rayner on Biblical perspectives and Graham Gooderham on local perspectives, some wonderful local food, a communion service and lots of time for reflection on God’s goodness to us. We will explore why food matters – 10 million Africans are starving and we’re importing mange tout from Kenya (crazy – and not right). What might we learn from the Bible about foods place in human life? What might we do here in our own backyard to realise God’s purpose for food?
For more information please visit: http://www.jri.org.uk/ |
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4th International Conference on Higher Education for Sustainable Development: “Higher Education for Sustainable Development: Moving the Agenda Forward” 14 – 16 September 2011
Professor Daniella Tilbury, Director of Sustainability has been invited by the UNESCO Chair ‘Higher Education for Sustainable Development’ to the 4th International Conference on Higher Education for Sustainable Development: “Higher Education for Sustainable Development: Moving the Agenda Forward”, where she will present the opening keynote “Higher Education for Sustainable Development: Indicators of Progress”. The conference takes place from 14 to 16 September 2011 in Lüneburg, Germany. More |
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NEW: Education for Sustainability in HE Guides
Education for Sustainability: A Guide for University Managers on Needs and Opportunities
Education for Sustainability: A Guide for Educators on Teaching and Learning Approaches
The Higher Education sector has been accelerating its engagement
with sustainability over recent years. There have been significant sector-wide initiatives to tackle the carbon agenda and to support research on sustainability issues, but far less progress has been made in bringing sustainability education principles into the HE curriculum.
A key priority for the University of Gloucestershire’s approach to sustainability is to bring sustainability thinking more deeply into our education and learning provision, building on the history of experimentation in several different subject areas over many years. The University has invested resources to scale up these efforts and has also received major external awards, through the EU Marie Curie IIF and HEFCE LGM funding streams, to support further innovation across the sector.
We are keen to share with you Guides which explain the sector context and the key principles underpinning this educational work. The intention is to provide shared points of focus and dialogue for all those who develop and support student learning, or interact with employers and partners of the University.
We hope that the materials are helpful and encourage you to share
them with colleagues. We would also value any feedback.
For more information and to download PDF versions of these Education for Sustainability Guides please visit our web pages
During 11-12 we will be discussing these materials further with academic Heads of Department and developing subject-specific guidance materials and resources. The aim is to build an enhancement-led approach that helps teaching teams to place Education for Sustainability within the student learning journey through specific programmes and subject areas.
For inquiries, comments or feedback please email:
Professor Daniella Tilbury, Director of Sustainability:
dtilbury@glos.ac.uk
Dr Alex Ryan, Associate Director of Sustainability (Academic):
aryan@glos.ac.uk |
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Global University Network for Innovation  G lobal University Network for Innovation interviews Professor Tilbury after her opening keynote at it's World in Higher Education Conference 4. Her interview focuses on the challenge of embedding education for sustainability into university programmes.
http://www.guni-rmies.net/interviews/detail.php?id=1751 |
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University of Keele Teaching Innovation Symposium 2011 - 14 July 2011
Professor Daniella Tilbury, Director of Sustainability was invited to present the keynote address at Keele University’s Teaching Innovation Symposium. The annual event which has been offered to staff and University partners over the last nine years seeks to support teaching innovations and enhance student learning. The University of Keele has made a commitment to embed sustainability into its undergraduate offerings and is seeking curriculum change over the next two years.
For more information about the event, please visit: http://www.keele.ac.uk/cpsd/learningandteaching/teachinginnovationsymposium/ |
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CONFERENCE REPORT: Postgraduate Researchers Interested in Sustainability Matters (PRISM) Conference 19 – 20 May 2011.
The PRISM Conference Report is now available.
PRISM is a network of early career researchers established to support the Learning and Living Sustainably Project. Its initial intention was to provide a communication and learning platform for research students based the University of Gloucestershire. It has since evolved to become a larger network of 104 members involving MA and PhD students as well as post-doctoral researchers from universities across the UK and overseas. It held its first international conference in May 2011.
The Conference formed part of the Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship (IIF) Programme ‘Learning and Living for Sustainability: Building Interdisciplinary Research Capacity and Expertise in Social and Professional Responses to Sustainability’ which is based at the University of Gloucestershire.
Links below for further information:
Conference Programme
Conference Report |
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UNESCO Commissioned Research on Culture and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
In September 2010, the International Reseach Institute in Sustainability (IRIS) was commissioned a new research initiative which sought to bring together two important UNESCO concerns: ESD and Culture. The UNESCO Project “Linking Culture, Education and Sustainability: Good Practices and Experiences from Around the World” was established as a contribution to the UN Decade in Education for Sustainable Development.
IRIS is pleased to inform you that the Project results and examples of good practice can now be accessed on the new website:
http://insight.glos.ac.uk/SUSTAINABILITY/UNESCOCULTURE/.
The website offers an opportunity for policy-makers and practitioners to learn more about the relationships between ESD, cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. It showcases a wide range of projects, from across the globe, that are rich in detail and innovative in terms of how they have integrated culture components in ESD.
University publishes its first Sustainability Report
Following collection of data and information from around the University by the Sustainability team for the 2009-10 financial year, the University has published its first sustainability report. The report celebrates sustainability achievements across the University and assesses performance against themes set out in the University's sustainability strategy - Promising Futures 2009-15. The 2009/10 sustainability report can be downloaded from the Sustainability webpages (http://insight.glos.ac.uk/sustainability/Pages/SustainabilityStrategy.aspx).
UoG Sustainable Travel Action Plan (STAP): Tell us what you think! 13th-17th June 12.30-1.30pm 
The University is committed to embedding sustainability across all its activities. It recognises the need to lower its carbon footprint and to promote more sustainable transport modes.
In November 2010, the Sustainability team organised a national Sustainable Travel forum in order to obtain a better understanding of what others within the sector are doing on travel. This led to the formation of a cross-university Sustainable Travel Action Planning Group. The draft Action Plan that resulted from the work of this Group is now open to wider consultation and as part of this process, we are seeking input and comments from staff and students across the University.
Comments can be provided at one of four drop-in sessions where Andy Simpson (Estates) and Dave Dowdell (Sustainability Team) will be on-hand to answer questions/collect feedback, as follows:
• Monday 13th June: FCH - HC Foyer
• Tuesday 14th June: Oxstalls - Link Corridor
• Thursday 16th June: Pittville - Reception
• Friday 17th June: Park - Elwes Reception
Alternatively please click here for the draft Plan and provide any comments directly by email to Dave Dowdell by 24th June 2011.
Following this consultation process, a further draft of the Plan will be produced based on comments received.
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 James Derounian contributes to Cairo’s ‘Tahrir Square Nation’ newspaper
James Derounian, a specialist in democratic renewal and community engagement, has been asked to contribute & has written an article for Cairo’s ‘Tahrir Square Nation’ newspaper. James’ father was born and educated in the middle east.
James comments that the article celebrates the bravery of ordinary citizens in pursuit of democratic freedom & in the face of violence, and makes the point that we — as Europeans have much to learn from the activism sweeping across countries like Tunisia, Bahrain, Syria, Egypt and others. |
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International Day for Biodiversity – May 22nd
The United Nations proclaimed May 22nd as
International Day for Biodiversity in 1993. This has become an annual celebration to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity and to encourage the protection of all species. For 2011 this year’s theme for the Day is Forest Biodiversity.
An educational organization called ‘Resources 4 Rethinking (www.r4r.ca) encourages students and teachers to participate in the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22nd. If you click here you will find some excellent teaching resources to help you plan for this day.
UoG SU ranks 4th and is awarded a Gold Green Impact Award
The University of Gloucestershire’s Students’ Union has been awarded a Gold Green Impact Award by the NUS in their annual Green Impact awards. UoG SU scored a total of 802 points which meant that they came 4th out of all 88 Unions who took part in the award scheme. This is a big increase in points from last year when the SU won a Silver Award and represents an increase of nearly 300 points and demonstrates the commitment of staff and students in the SU to the sustainability agenda. The SU’s Environment & Sustainability Exec, Chris Bateman, said: “We’re incredibly proud of the sustainability credentials of this University and Union. This award really demonstrates that our students can have a positive impact on the society and environment around us, and is testament to the hard work of our volunteers, staff and students across the University.” |
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National Journeys Towards Education for Sustainable Development: UNESCO DESD Publication
The UNESCO publication National Journeys Towards Education for Sustainable Development aims at documenting the way societies use learning and education to address the sustainability challenges of our time. It gives concrete examples and entry points for progressing education and learning for sustainable development (ESD) across the sectors.
The document was commissioned by the UNESCO Paris as a contribution to the UN Decade in Education for Sustainable Development.
Download the document in English:
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001921/192183e.pdf |
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Invited Experts: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 3 - 8 May 2011
Professor Daniella Tilbury and IRIS PhD student Ingrid Mulà have been invited by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) as visiting experts to support the development of staff and student research skills in the area of sustainable development. The UAB received funding from the EU to support this visit. In addition, Prof. Tilbury will give a keynote presentation on 'The Global Vision of Education for Sustainability' to the Research Group COMPLEX.' |
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Global Environmental Research Vol. 14 No. 2, "Education for Sustainable Development: Promises and Challenges"
This special edition of the Journal of Global Environmental Research was published on the 26th April. A paper written by Prof Daniella Tilbury entitled “Are We Learning to Change? Mapping Global Progress in Education for Sustainable Development in the Lead Up to ‘Rio Plus 20’” © forms part of this special edition. This journal article reviews international efforts undertaken as part of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development to map global progress in education and asks the question, “are we learning to change our education system and practices?”. |