The University of Greenwich is a leader in sustainability in the higher education sector. The Green Greenwich campaign is empowering staff and students to play their part in meeting ambitious environmental targets
Caring for the planet is essential for humanity and the well-being of the natural world. Adopting sustainable practices and reducing environmental impact are crucial for creating a healthier and more sustainable future for everyone.
The University of Greenwich has been recognised for its work improving its sustainability for over a decade. It has retained its first-class award in People & Planet’s University League since 2012 and is currently ranked as the 18th most sustainable university in the UK.
The university is also playing its part in meeting the challenges set out in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is ranked 89th globally in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which celebrates universities that excel across the SDGs.
The university’s commitments to sustainability are described in its latest corporate strategy, which includes an ambitious target of achieving net zero by 2030. The university has reduced its carbon emissions by over 60 per cent since 2009. It continues to move in the right direction thanks to initiatives such as fully electric inter-campus buses and a new zero-carbon air source heat pump at its Avery Hill Campus.
In February 2024, the university launched its Green Greenwich campaign. This encourages participation in the university’s environmental initiatives by perhaps its most vital resource: its staff and student community.
The campaign sets out the ways that individuals can drive environmental change. Staff members can join the Green Champions network and encourage colleagues to change their behaviour to support the university’s environmental goals. These adjustments may be small, such as switching to a reusable coffee cup, but they can make a real difference.
The university is committed to the circular economy, and its community is encouraged to reuse and recycle wherever possible. For instance, in 2023, students donated over 13,000 unwanted items – worth £23,000 – to the British Heart Foundation.
Over 1,600 staff and students have signed up for GREen Rewards, an online platform where members are incentivised to participate in activities that boost sustainability, employability and well-being.
The university has 6.7 hectares of natural land across its campuses – equivalent to nine football pitches. Through the Green Greenwich campaign, staff and students are discovering how they can help to preserve this space. The university’s green spaces are home to dormice, bats, butterflies and many other species. It has silver accreditation from the Hedgehog Friendly Campus initiative for its work to protect this endangered species on campus.
Not all of these green oases are found in expected places. The university’s Stockwell Street Building in the centre of Greenwich features landscape roof areas with ponds, flower beds and trees. Nesting ducks and foxes have been spotted there, living two floors above the busy streets of London. At the edible garden on the Avery Hill Campus, volunteers include members of the local community, helping to build relationships beyond campus boundaries.
Academic staff are encouraged to consider opportunities for sustainability within teaching and research. Much of the university’s research is focused on helping communities around the world respond to the climate emergency. This is especially true of the transformational work carried out by the world-renowned Natural Resources Institute.
More than 50 of the university’s courses include content with a sustainability focus. This gives students an understanding of environmental issues, preparing them for future careers in this rapidly expanding field.
The university also works with companies who share its vision for a safer and healthier world, such as leading sustainability organisations RSK Group and Brand New. These partnerships empower the university to shape its green agenda and can provide students with valuable work experience and job opportunities in the sustainability sector. Collaborations between the university and external organisations are creating innovative approaches to sustainability challenges, including the delivery of a sustainability professional development foundation course for all staff, developed with IBM.
The University of Greenwich has already achieved a great deal, but it’s not stopping there. Visit its sustainability pages to find out more.
