Sustainability news

In a significant stride towards sustainable urban development, Bridgman & Bridgman LLP and The Open University (OU) have secured Open Societal Challenges (OSC) funding for their innovative project, the “Living Roof Live Lab.” The project, championed by the Milton Keynes-based green roof specialists Bridgman & Bridgman, aims to construct a state-of-the-art green roof research lab on OU’s Walton Hall campus. This initiative will contribute to crucial research on the ecological and urban benefits of green roofing technologies.

Last week saw the awards ceremony for the Northen Ireland Business Eye Sustainability and ESG Awards in Belfast. The OU Faculty of Business and Law sponsored the Innovation in Sustainability categories and Professor Mark Durkin, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law launched the Awards with fellow award sponsors earlier this year.

The OU and OU Students’ Association have collaborated and have now been awarded the full Responsible Futures Accreditation, meaning we’ve exceeded the score threshold and have demonstrated and evidenced our commitment and progress for embedding sustainability and social responsibility across the whole institution.

The Festive Season is a magical time of the year. The lights and decorations, the food, and of course spending time with friends and family. But while we all enjoy the festivities that season brings, the environment is not. The increased energy usage, waste, and consumption during can create a significant carbon footprint.

There are things we can all do to reduce our impact on the planet during the festivities. Here are few tips and hints to think about:

Season’s Greetings

The EAUC (Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges) conference, held in Winchester from 24-25 July 2024, brought together more than 230 attendees, including 81 presenters and 20 exhibitors, under the theme "Accelerating Ambition and Impact." The conference celebrated its 20^th anniversary and this year there was a distinct sense that action had to be taken. The opening remarks by Laurence Frewin, Principal and CEO of South Devon College, and Gavin Hunter, Chief Operating Officer of the University of Winchester, set an optimistic tone.

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.

Willow Neal (They/Them), a postgraduate researcher and Associate Lecturer at The Open University in the school of Earth, Environmental and Ecosystem Sciences wrote for Climate Perspectives magazine’s Summer 2024 edition.

The Open University (OU) has participated in the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Changemakers programme. This initiative partners students with academics from aligned disciplines to co-create innovative approaches to integrating ESD into our teaching and learning practices.

The OU’s Walton Hall campus has recently been presented with a Gold Award in the Regional ‘Thames and Chilterns in Bloom, large parks’ category 2023.