San Jose State University joins the ISCN!
We are thrilled to formally welcome San Jose State University into the ISCN!
San Jose State is a major, comprehensive public university located in the center of San Jose and in the heart of Silicon Valley. SJSU is the oldest public university in the West. Its distinctive character has been forged by its long history, by its location, and by its vision—a blend of the old and the new, of the traditional and the innovative.
San Jose State University students, faculty, and staff are deeply committed to sustainability. SJSU offers a wide range of academic courses and programs related to sustainability. Ongoing campus-wide efforts minimize SJSU’s "ecological footprint" by reducing campus energy consumption, water use, and waste.
For more information on Sustainability @ SJSU, please visit: http://www.sjsu.edu/sustainability/
“We are delighted to welcome San Jose State University into the ISCN and look forward to providing a platform for international value exchange and partnership on campus sustainability” says Bernd Kasemir, Secretary of the ISCN Board.
For more information on the ISCN, please visit: https://international-sustainable-campus-network.org/
For inquiries, please email: [email protected]
Yeditepe University joins the ISCN!
We are thrilled to formally welcome Yeditepe University into the ISCN!
Yeditepe University is a private foundation university situated in Istanbul, Turkey. Yeditepe University as being a leader institute in many aspects; has goals to foster environmental awareness and sustainability in the community. Yeditepe University has several sustainability efforts to achieve sustainable campus life. Major categories considered for sustainability practices are; campus setting and infrastructure, energy and climate change, wastes, water conservation, transportation and education.
Yeditepe University is a member of World University Rankings Network (UIGWURN) as a participant of UI GreenMetric. UI GreenMetric has been recognized as the first and only world university rankings on sustainability. UI GreenMetric is primarily about awareness raising. Its a platform to turn sustainability issues into action. In this network, participants can share their best practices in sustainability programs as well as networking with other participants worldwide. Currently the network consists of 515 participating universities from 75 countries around the world located in Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, America and Oceania.
For more information on Yeditepe University's Sustainable Campus, please visit: http://www.yeditepe.edu.tr/en/university-campus-yeditepe/sustainable-campus
“We are delighted to welcome Yeditepe University into the ISCN and look forward to providing a platform for international value exchange and partnership on campus sustainability” says Bernd Kasemir, Secretary of the ISCN Board.
For more information on the ISCN, please visit: https://international-sustainable-campus-network.org/
For inquiries, please email: [email protected]
University College Cork joins the ISCN!
We are thrilled to formally welcome University College Cork into the ISCN!
University College Cork is an award-winning institution with a history of independent thinking stretching back over 170 years. UCC is proud to be ranked in the top 2% of universities in the world. Its beautiful university opened its gates to just 115 students in 1849. Today, it has a student population of over 21,000.
In 2010, University College Cork was the first third level education institute worldwide to receive the Green Campus award. In 2013 it became the first third level institute to new its Green Flag, and in 2016 successfully renewed it once again.
The Green Campus Programme was initiated in 2007 by a number of students from the Environmental Society who were passionate about the environment and determined that more should be done in and by UCC, and in a more structured and cohesive manner. Fully supported by the university and guided by An Taisce this small group of students led the formation of the Green Campus Programme, which is now being implemented in 14 countries worldwide.
For more information on UCC Green Campus, please visit: http://greencampus.ucc.ie/
“We are delighted to welcome University College Cork into the ISCN and look forward to providing a platform for international value exchange and partnership on campus sustainability” says Bernd Kasemir, Secretary of the ISCN Board.
For more information on the ISCN, please visit: https://international-sustainable-campus-network.org/
For inquiries, please email: [email protected]
University of Bristol joins the ISCN!
We are thrilled to formally welcome the University of Bristol into the ISCN!
Bristol is one of the most popular and successful universities in the UK and was ranked within the top 50 universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2018.
The University has a long history of sustainability action, winning numerous awards for its work. Bristol was the first UK city with European Green Capital status in 2015 and the community played a large role in helping the city deliver this. Sustainability remains one of the central strands shaping the University's vision of the future.
For more information on Sustainability at the University of Bristol, please visit: http://www.bris.ac.uk/green/
“We are delighted to welcome the University of Bristol into the ISCN and look forward to providing a platform for international value exchange and partnership on campus sustainability” says Bernd Kasemir, Secretary of the ISCN Board.
For more information on the ISCN, please visit: https://international-sustainable-campus-network.org/
For inquiries, please email: [email protected]
University of Leeds joins the ISCN!
We are thrilled to formally welcome the University of Leeds into the ISCN!
The University, established in 1904, is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK and is renowned globally for the quality of its teaching and research.
"Sustainability at the University of Leeds isn’t about half-promises; it’s at the core of who we are and what we do. It shapes and drives everything that happens here – what we teach, what we learn, what we buy, what we use, what we share, how we travel. It’s about ambition and belief in ourselves. It’s about working collaboratively within the University, with our partners, and with wider society.
Sustainability is at the heart of the University of Leeds. It’s not a ‘buzzword’, or something we just talk about. It’s something that influences every decision we make and every action we take, each and every day. And it’s not just because it’s the ‘right thing to do’ – embedding sustainability across our institution makes the university a better, more supportive, place to work." For more information on Sustainability at the University of Leeds, please visit: http://sustainability.leeds.ac.uk/
“We are delighted to welcome the University of Leeds into the ISCN and look forward to providing a platform for international value exchange and partnership on campus sustainability” says Bernd Kasemir, Secretary of the ISCN Board.
For more information on the ISCN, please visit: https://international-sustainable-campus-network.org/
For inquiries, please email: [email protected]
Trinity College Dublin joins the ISCN!
We are thrilled to formally welcome Trinity College Dublin into the ISCN!
Trinity College Dublin today joined the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) to participate in a global exchange between campus sustainability leaders to further best practices. In signing the charter at a ceremony that kicked off the annual Green Week, Trinity became the first Irish university to be accepted for its commitment to the ISCN’s sustainability goals.
Joining the ISCN represents the next step in Trinity’s long-standing desire to promote sustainability and encourage its staff and students to live more sustainable lives. The Green Campus Committee, populated by students and staff alike, was established in 1993 and the Sustainability policy was formally adopted by the College Board in 2008. An Taisce certified Trinity as a Green Flag campus in 2013, while the College Strategic Development Plan (SDP) 2014-2019 incorporates sustainability actions and initiatives into strategic college management and operations. Additionally, to drive this commitment, the Provost's Advisory Committee on Sustainability and Low Carbon Living was established in 2017 and staff and students have signed up to Sustainability Networks to act as ambassadors. For more information on sustainability at Trinity College Dublin, please visit: https://www.tcd.ie/provost/sustainability/
“We are delighted to welcome Trinity College Dublin into the ISCN and look forward to providing a platform for international value exchange and partnership on campus sustainability” says Bernd Kasemir, Secretary of the ISCN Board.
For more information on the ISCN, please visit: http://https://international-sustainable-campus-network.org/
For inquiries, please email: [email protected]
University of Zurich joins the ISCN!
We are thrilled to formally welcome the University of Zurich into the ISCN!
With its 26,000 enrolled students, the University of Zurich (UZH) is Switzerland's largest university. Founded in the year 1833, UZH was Europe's first university to be established by a democratic political system; today, UZH is one of the foremost universities in the German-speaking world. Made up of seven faculties covering some 100 different subject areas, the University offers a wide variety of Bachelor's, Master's and PhD programs. In addition, UZH's continuing education programs offer excellent learning opportunities.
The University of Zurich is committed to systematically expanding its contribution to local and global sustainability. This includes strengthening interdisciplinary and cross-faculty collaboration as well as supporting projects with external partners. In addition, the University of Zurich strives to promote sustainable procurements, foster efficient energy consumption, and take other steps toward achieving a sustainable campus in order to reduce the environmental impact of its operations – and contributes to the quality of life in Zurich. The Sustainability Team at the University of Zurich supports existing activities surrounding sustainability in research, teaching, and daily operations. It coordinates implementation of various measures and fosters communication between all members of the UZH community who are working toward sustainability. For more information on Sustainability at UZH, please visit: http://www.sustainability.uzh.ch/en/sustainability-at-uzh.html
“We are delighted to welcome the University of Zurich into the ISCN and look forward to providing a platform for international value exchange and partnership on campus sustainability” says Bernd Kasemir, Secretary of the ISCN Board.
For more information on the ISCN, please visit: https://international-sustainable-campus-network.org/
For inquiries, please email: [email protected]
Smith College joins the ISCN!
We are thrilled to formally welcome Smith College into the ISCN!
Founded in 1871, Smith College opened in 1875 with 14 students. Today, Smith is among the largest women’s colleges in the United States, with students from 48 states and 68 countries. An independent, nondenominational college, Smith remains strongly committed to the education of women at the undergraduate level, but admits both men and women as graduate students.
In 1886, Florence Merriam Bailey, a student concerned about the plight of birds, started the Smith College Audubon Society and began weaving the fabric of sustainability at Smith that can now be found across all aspects of the college—in academics, operations, research and student life. Smith prepares women through active learning and societal engagement to foster and lead sustainable, just communities and to make significant and lasting contributions to address the critical issues of the times. Like Florence, students are frequently at the heart of sustainability issues on campus. For more information on Sustainable Smith, please visit: https://www.smith.edu/about-smith/sustainable-smith
“We are delighted to welcome Smith College into the ISCN and look forward to providing a platform for international value exchange and partnership on campus sustainability” says Bernd Kasemir, Secretary of the ISCN Board.
For more information on the ISCN, please visit: https://international-sustainable-campus-network.org/
For inquiries, please email: [email protected]
International Master's Programme: Education for sustainable development
The University of Gothenburg has introduced a new Master's Programme in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) centered on the question of how education can support critical inquiry and be a positive force for transformation and change towards a more sustainable future.
As a response to the major environmental crises and changing life conditions for humans as well as other species, this interdisciplinary ESD Master's Programme brings together four departments at the University of Gothenburg and one at Chalmers University of Technology in a pioneering curriculum at the forefront of the international research debate on education and sustainability.
The ESD Master's Programme prepares you not only to respond to local and global sustainability challenges, but also to counteract them and contribute to more sustainable futures through education and research. As a Master’s student in the ESD programme you will enter into critical dialogue with recent scientific debates in the educational, social, and natural sciences, and get access to a range of analytic tools that will help you develop theoretical as well as practice-based knowledge in education for sustainable development.
The ESD Master's Programme is of interest if you:
- Want to work for increased public awareness, knowledge and action competence in sustainable development;
- Are interested in supporting learning for sustainable development among diverse groups;
- Are involved in social movements for the environment, and want to learn more about the role of education in creating a more equitable, peaceful, and ecologically viable world;
- Are a teacher/educator looking for ideas and strategies to better integrate education for sustainable development in your classrooms or in community settings;
- Want to pursue a research career in the broad area of education for sustainable development.
The international admission period for the autumn semester 2018 will close on 15 January 2018.
Please visit the University of Gothenburg's website for more information: https://idpp.gu.se/english/education/ESDmaster
The University of York’s campaign to improve campus habitats for bees and other pollinators
The University of York is characterised by two lakeside campuses that are home to an abundance of wildlife. The original campus is located on over 200 acres of parkland centred around an extensive lake and boasts a wide variety of environments, ideal for supporting the University’s aim to diversify their habitat and broaden their species range. Not only does York boast areas of woodland and wildflower beds, it has established an on-site bird sanctuary, and developed safe nesting sites including sand martin banks.
The York campus is well known for its abundance of wildfowl, celebrated in this Duck of the day website, but more recently the University has also focused on improving its habitats for bees. Providing food and shelter for bees and other pollinators is an integral element of the Estates team’s ecological management plan.
Blooms and bulbs for the bees
Since 2008 the University has been developing its newest campus, Campus East, which features a species-rich area of meadowland to provide foraging for bees and other pollinating insects. More than 10 per cent of the entire University estate is currently given over to wildflowers and the sowing of further wildflowers is carried out annually in selected areas to encourage a broader range of species across the site. A specially-chosen biodiversity mix of bulbs, including crocus, tulips and narcissus, have been planted across 1500 square meters of the University’s grounds in past three years. Bulbs are often the first flowers to appear in spring, making them particularly important to encouraging bees and pollinators at York.
Six bee hotels have been introduced on campus, with another two being added shortly, to provide nesting areas for solitary bees and the Estates team have decreased the frequency of grass cutting in key areas to encourage further wildflower growth to provide more bee-friendly environments.
Benefits
It’s a testament to the success of the initiatives so far that several beekeepers have hives on campus to take advantage of the foraging that the wildflower areas now provide for their bees.
The wildflower and meadow land areas also provide a great habitat for other invertebrates which, in turn, attract birds that both feed on the insects and can use the habitats for nesting and breeding. For example, up to 17 breeding pairs of skylark, listed as a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species, have been spotted on campus.
The enhanced habitats also provide an extra teaching and learning resource not only for the University’s own students but also for visiting school groups, underlining the University’s commitment to the local community and to widening participation.
To learn more, reach out to Emily Lawley. Feel free to check out the University of York on Instagram: @uoy_grounds_and_gardens
Photos courtesy of the University of York