Prompt Blog Three Things we Learned from the Wonkhe x Salesforce Sustainability Webinar

Last week, we attended the Wonkhe x Salesforce webinar about building a more sustainable future for Higher Education, which you can watch here, or with a link at the bottom of this article.Here are the three things we learned from Wonkhe's presenter Aaron Porter, and his three guests, as they talked about all things sustainable at university.1. We need more climate education.Did you know that 2.5 million 7-17 year-olds want more climate education? And another huge 91% of students want their place of study to be actively incorporating and promoting sustainable development? These stats tell us that Gen Z and students are hot on climate change and want to be part of the change to make a more sustainable world. As 75% of students have reported feeling frightened about their future, tackling the environmental crisis is key to quelling those fears and creating a better world for everyone. So, students are not only worried about the climate, but also want to be a part of the change. And this starts with more education from the start.2. Sustainability needs to be built into university structures.Judith Petts, Vice Chancellor of Plymouth University, has helped her institution embed sustainability in the university's infrastructure, studies and research, as well as the local Plymouth community.85-90% of Plymouth University's courses incorporate sustainability into their teaching, research and practices, prioritising environmental impact into everything they do - Judith said that the Nursing curricular has as much of a focus on conservation and sustainability as the Biology degree.By encouraging sustainability at all levels of university life, Plymouth University are ensuring that they make a real difference.It's not only university courses that sustainability features in: travel policies to prevent internal flights, electric bike hiring schemes, electric ports for electric cars over campus, removing unnecessary car parking spaces, sourcing 100% local food from the South West for catering, and so many other changes to buildings and the physical university itself has helped make Plymouth University a pioneer in HE sustainability. We can't wait for more universities to build sustainability into their infrastructure too, from course modules and research, to building materials and bins.3. Universities need to be leaders in change.Universities are important hubs in a lot of communities, and this means that what a university does can inspire and promote this in the local community and beyond, as students and staff travel home. This includes sustainable practices.Seven initiatives that universities can sign up to, to improve their sustainability.As Fiona Goodwin from EAUC said in the webinar, demonstrating a university's environmental achievements is a great way to show the community, as well as nationally and internationally, your commitment to sustainability. Fiona highlighted the Race to Zero, UUCN (UK Universities Climate Network) and the Sustainability Scorecard, among others, as great initiatives that universities can sign up for and work towards.What can you do right now? Jean Pembleton, the Director of Education Product Marketing at Salesforce, said the first thing you should do is talk to your sustainability team to see what your university is doing now, and what you can do next. And remember to plan this as a whole university approach, from studies, to research, student recruitment, recycling, refurbishing and technology.To watch the webinar, use this link: https://wonkhe.com/events/building-a-more-sustainable-environmental-future