Our Environment and Sustainability Working Group is proud to announce a considerable increase in grading from the People and Planet League.
The Students Association Environment and Sustainability Working Group are proud to announce a considerable increase in grading from the People and Planet League, which grades Universities for their publicly available environmental and ethical performance.
In Category 6 of the Staff and Student Engagement section - Student Union - we are now rated 10/10% for the student union working towards continual improvement in environmental sustainability and in category 5 - Student Representation - 25/25% for student representatives to sit on committees that oversee sustainability, up from 0 in both categories last year.
The Working Group, which is made up of a team of dedicated and passionate student volunteers and staff, adopted an Action Plan in early January 2023 to integrate sustainability into the work of the Association. Margaret Greenaway, President of the Students Association said of the working group:
"Their dedication to improving the Association and Open University’s environmental and sustainability impact is unwavering, and I would like to give a huge thank you and congratulations to all members of the group. This is a wonderful achievement and I look forward to seeing how their work continues to positively impact current Open University students and those who enrol in the future."
The plan focusses on four key strands – impact, engagement, policy and the University. We’ve made big progress this year, guided by student feedback from our Annual Membership Survey and other student voice activities. Key actions have included: building a new Environment and Sustainability web hub, hosting sustainability focussed events for students, building partnerships and collaboration with the University and strengthening our Working group. Lou Robinson, Vice President Engagement on the Student Leadership Team, has been at the heart of this work, working with commitment and enthusiasm to build partnerships, advocate for students, and inspire others.
The work doesn’t stop here, plans for 2024 include working with the University on gaining Responsible Futures accreditation, publishing and embedding a new Association Sustainability Policy, completing our first carbon footprint report and holding more events for students.
The Student Union grading comes alongside a significant leap up the People and Planet ranking for the University – placed 67th overall this year, up 48 places from 116th last year. We know how much hard work has gone into building this improvement – particularly from the Sustainability Office, and we applaud them for that effort. There’s plenty of room for further progress, and this will take concentrated and collaborative effort from all corners of the University. Student voice will be integral to making that happen, and the Students Association are committed to being part of that work.
Lou, who is co-chair of the Association Environment and Sustainability Working Group said:
“I am so proud of the progress we have made in just over a year of sustainability action – we still have a long way to go but it’s reassuring to have our impact so far recognised at this level. This scoring is thanks to our students for participating in Student Voice and helping us to build a student-led movement, our dedicated Environment and Sustainability Student Volunteers who continue to go above and beyond in their roles, our supportive staff team who have helped promote transparency in our work and the wider university for always listening and championing our voice.”
If you’re keen to be involved in this work, the Environment and Sustainability Society are looking for committee members. Email oustudents-societies@open.ac.uk to express your interest.