Understanding sustainability is more important now than ever, and universities hold a lot of responsibility when it comes to the future of our planet. The ongoing climate crisis affects us all, and we believe sustainabilty should be accessible and inclusive of everyone. KeeleSU is dedicated to embedding sustainability through everything we do, creating opportunities for students from every corner of the university to get involved and help make a difference.
Each year SOS-UK (Students Organising for Sustainability) carry out a survey of student opinions and attitudes around their university experience and career aspirations. In the most recent Sustainability Skills Survey, 76% of students agreed that KeeleSU takes action to limit its effect on the environment and society. (You can view the full report here) Whilst we're pleased that this number is so high, we're aiming for 100%.
We are committed to delivering excellent student activities and campaigns that improve the student experience at Keele. We know that sustainability is so much more than just planting trees and turning off the heating. From liberation and social justice to our environmental practices, we're working hard to ensure we address all aspects of sustainability, as mapped out by the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. We will continue to champion student-led initiatives focusing on how we can improve our practices and empower grass-roots activism to improve not just the SU, but the University and the wider community.
KeeleSU has officially declared a Climate Emergency!
The climate crisis is an issue that affects everyone on this planet, including the plants and animals we share it with. We are at the point where urgent action is required to slow down or reverse climate change and avoid the potentially permanent environmental damage caused by it.
At a recent UGM, you voted in favour of the Union declaring a climate emergency in line with the University and the local council. We know that declaring a climate emergency is just the first step towards creating a more sustainable future, and that we’ve first got to build a solid foundation with which we can work together to do better. As a result, we have put together a list of ten commitments that we will be working towards going forward, as well as ten examples of what we're already doing in our full climate emergency statement.
We have put together a Sustainability SMART Action Plan for the next academic year (2021-22) which goes into more detail about what we are committing to going forward and how we will achieve it. This plan was put together by your Full Time Officers with the help of SU staff, and has been approved by the Senior Leadership Team so that. If you have any questions about our climate emergency declaration or want to discuss your ideas, please email su.activities@keele.ac.uk.
