Sustainability news

This workshop introduced the core ideas of climate justice and intersectionality, exploring why decolonising and decarbonising education must be tackled together.

Discover real-world examples of climate injustice, the risks of non‑intersectional sustainability approaches, and how education can drive more just, inclusive climate action across curricula.

This session shared the latest updates from the Responsible Futures accreditation and how sustainability is being embedded across the organisation.

Teresa Cox, Senior Manager (Access Programme), was joined by colleagues from Open SU, LDS and our faculties to showcase collaborative work within the curriculum and beyond, highlighting how we are responding to the Responsible Futures framework to strengthen sustainability across teaching, learning and operations.

The Open University marked Veganuary with a programme of online and on‑campus events exploring plant‑based living through the themes of sustainability, ethics and health.

The Open University has achieved a significant leap in the People & Planet University League, moving from 62nd place in 2024 to 39th in 2025.

The Open University has been accredited by the UN-recognised Cabon Literacy Project as a Bronze Carbon Literate Educator. 

This prestigious accreditation recognises our commitment to embed climate education and action, through Carbon Literacy, into our educational institution and ethos, and facilitate a cultural shift to a zero-carbon society.

The Open University has become the largest university in the UK to switch to Ecosia, as its default internet search provider. Ecosia is a not-for-profit search engine that uses its advertising revenue to fund tree-planting projects worldwide, helping users turn everyday searches into climate action.

Sustainability and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are often framed in terms of compliance and treated as a ‘nice to have’ addition to business as usual. Yet both disciplines are deeply concerned with what it means to be a human in the world. Indeed, both may inform our approach to relationships throughout our lives – with our colleagues, students and communities as well as planet Earth.

Jane Grindey from Milton Keynes Community Energy led this session. Community energy is all about people joining forces, acting and using local resources to manage or generate clean, affordable energy that benefits everyone in the local community.

Clare Watters, Carbon Project Manager led this session on the power of retrofitting and energy efficiency for a net zero home. Interested in living in a cosier, affordable, lower carbon home, but not sure how to get there? Find out how to assess your home and work out realistic routes forward, including sequencing improvements and working within your budget, so that you can have the net zero home.

Dorian Holloway, Director of Estates led this Go Green session on the OU's waste management journey and shined a light on our OU waste stream statistics and guidance on how we can all help the OU to be greener.