Chris Willmore

Measuring Education for Sustainable Development: Experiences from the University of Bristol.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how education for sustainable development (ESD) was measured in the taught curriculum at the University of Bristol (UoB), providing comparison to other methods of measurement and how measurements were used to engage academics in considering the visibility of the penetration of sustainable development into their teaching. Design/methodology/approach – The process of designing a quantitative and comparative method of reviewing ESD utilising a reflective process at the UoB is considered, which can be applied by other institutions. The UoB decided on an in-house method of assessment using the Unit and Programme Catalogue, a list of all taught units. Initially this revealed that some information relating to ESD was not clearly articulated. A school ESD review refined the data along with the release of key information set data, a nationally published data set which identifies mandatory, typical and optional diets taken by students on programmes. Findings – Text-...

Young People’s Role in Creating Sustainable Cities

This chapter considers the role of young people in developing and sustaining resilient sustainable infrastructure in cities. Discussions can often focus upon physical infrastructure, with less focus on human infrastructure, and when the latter is considered it is often in terms of families and geographical networks. Young people’s networks are often more mobile, less geographically specific, but provide strong, innovative communities in which norms and preferences are being tested and set. Engagement with young adults offers a productive opportunity for learning and for transformations in relation to the resilience of the wider community and the individual’s resilience. This chapter draws upon the award-winning Bristol Green Capital: Student Capital research data, the Bristol Learning City project and wellbeing and relational thinking literature to explore the relationships between SDG 4 learning, engaged activity and wellbeing, the significance of partnerships (SDG17) as an outcome in its own right and argues that the capacity of young people to play a change agent role in developing city sustainability (SDG11) is undervalued.

Bridging the gap: a case study of a partnership approach to skills development through student engagement in Bristol’s Green Capital year

ABSTRACT HEIs are well placed to engage with local communities, and can connect students with organisations through several pathways, such as volunteering opportunities, placements, internships, or projects. The University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE), the University of Bristol and their respective Students’ Unions have been working in partnership with the city and local communities, using HEFCE Catalyst funding to promote student involvement in sustainability activity during Bristol’s year as European Green Capital. The Green Capital Student Capital project has created a broad programme of citywide impact through mobilising the enthusiasm of the city’s student body. It delivered a wide-ranging programme of engagement in city sustainability and in so doing developed skills, knowledge and attributes in the student body that support the development of graduate attributes and a more sustainable lifestyle. The project demonstrates how institutions can collaborate across cities and communities to have internal and external impacts for sustainability. Abbreviations: ASHE: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings; BGCP: Bristol Green Capital Partnership; CBI: Confederation of British Industry; HEFCE: Higher Education Funding Council for England; HEIs: Higher Education Institutions; NUS: National Union of Students; ONS: Office for National Statistics; SME: Small and Medium sized Enterprises; UK: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; UoB: University of Bristol; UWE: The University of the West of England, Bristol.