Green Gown Awards 2021: Sustainability Institution of the Year - Anglia Ruskin University - Finalist

“The earth [is lent to us] for our life; it is a great entail” Ruskin

Here at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), we believe in making informed decisions and taking responsibility for the impact of our actions on current and future generations. And so we have pledged to incorporate sustainability into every aspect of university life. Our Academic Regulations include a requirement that all our courses include sustainability, which is supported by our Education for Sustainability team and monitored by our Academic Registry.

We have reduced our carbon emissions by 45% since 2005 by investing in our buildings, new heating, cooling, lighting, and computing technologies, and engaging our staff and students to adopt greener behaviours. In 2011 we launched our Global Sustainability Institute, which is now a world leading research centre and leads the University in growing our portfolio of research designed to lead to impact against the Sustainable Development Goals.

Top 3 learnings:

1. Our early engagement of staff and students in the consultation process was critical.
2. Where there are potential barriers, the student voice is very important.
3. We learned early not to be afraid of challenging targets that seemed unachievable.