Green Gown Awards 2016 – Leadership Award – Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge – Finalist

Vice-Chancellor Julia King, The Baroness Brown of Cambridge - Aston University

Julia plays a leading role within the University and nationally in communicating and embedding sustainability. Under her leadership at Aston it has established green policies for buildings, emissions, operations including travel to work, and an innovative programme for all undergraduates centred on Carbon Week.

Aston has developed a major research centre for bioenergy and waste to energy. Nationally, Julia is deputy chair of the Committee on Climate Change, a non-executive director of the Green Investment Bank and led the King Review (for the Chancellor of the Exchequer) in 2008.

Top 3 learnings

1 Senior level support on sustainable initiatives is important to drive behavioural change – but you must walk the talk, too!

2 All of today’s graduates will need to understand the impacts of climate change on their lives, jobs and careers – whether these are in insurance, investment, health, engineering, journalism etc. So we want to ensure that Aston students are ahead of the game.

3 Stretching targets for sustainability and emissions in all areas of operations and estates are critical.  They help save money and they help future-proof and de-risk major capital expenditure.

Videos

• Vice-Chancellor Julia King, The Baroness Brown of Cambridge - Aston University (click to hide)