Sustainability Events and Open Conversations

In this insightful session, we explored how the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) framework supports global efforts toward a sustainable future. Closely aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the IDGs highlight the inner capacities, such as empathy, resilience, and collaboration that individuals and communities need to drive meaningful change.

In this engaging session, we explore Giki, the fun and interactive carbon calculator designed to help individuals understand their personal carbon footprint. Whether you're just starting your sustainability journey or looking to deepen your impact, Giki offers a simple way to measure your lifestyle’s environmental impact and take meaningful steps to reduce it.

What You’ll Learn:

As our reliance on digital technologies grows, so does the environmental impact of data centres, devices, and online activity. In this insightful session, David Crews explores the hidden carbon footprint of our digital lives and the challenges institutions like The Open University face on the journey to Net Zero.

As part of Second-hand September, the OU’s Ismay Mummery explores how choosing pre-loved clothing can reduce waste, cut carbon, and celebrate personal style. In this video, Ismay shares practical tips on embracing sustainable fashion, from re-wearing and re-purposing your favourite pieces to making mindful choices that support a circular economy.

The Open Living Lab is a pioneering initiative from The Open University that brings nature recovery into the heart of education. Through this innovative project, OU academics, students, and the public collaborate to collect and explore environmental data, helping us better understand ecosystems, biodiversity, and the human-nature connection.

In this bitesize Go Green workshop, Helen Chambers from Giki joined us to demystify the carbon calculator and show how small, achievable changes can make a big impact. Through an engaging and practical session, Helen explained how the tool works, how it helps individuals understand their personal carbon footprint, and how to set realistic goals to reduce it.

In this insightful video, Fran Baker explores one of the most significant impacts of the Environmental Act 2021 on our urban environments: the legal requirement for biodiversity net gain. This policy marks a major shift in how developments must contribute positively to nature, ensuring that any loss of biodiversity is not only compensated but improved upon.

The OU was once again a proud sponsor of Net Zero Week (6-12 July) and this year hosted an event entitled ‘Driving change: Imagining a different transport future’.  The event saw Dr Miguel Valdez, joined by Professor Steven Potter and Dr Öznur Yurt, alongside two OU alumni Chinedu Nevo and Dr Paul Hodgson.

Learning about the climate and ecological crisis can be very disturbing and overwhelming. We may feel a variety of different emotions often grouped under the umbrella label of eco-anxiety. But what is eco-anxiety and how can we learn to live meaningfully with the reality of the crisis without falling apart?

Join Ayo Sokale, BBC Bitesize Presenter and Civil Engineer, alongside Dr. Victoria Hands, Director of Sustainability, and ESG Freelancer Amie Kumar.
Discover why sustainability matters to organisations, how to turn conversations into actions, and the importance of developing a solid plan.
Gain insights, ideas, and practical advice to propel your business towards a sustainable future.
Let's rise to the challenge together!