Heriot-Watt University

Student Sustainability Forum

The Student Sustainability Forum provides space for Heriot-Watt students, Global Environmental Sustainability staff and the Student Union to co-create initiatives to support delivery of the University’s sustainability strategy. It empowers students to input ideas and feedback and facilitates collaboration on student-led initiatives.

In partnership with the Student Union and the Eco- and Net Zero- student societies, the forum was set up in response to Heriot-Watt’s student sustainability survey, which informed us that students wanted to find out more about what the university is doing to address the Climate emergency.

The Forum is a space for students to share their ideas around sustainability while enabling the sustainability team to incorporate their input into a range of initiatives to reduce Heriot-Watt’s environmental impact. This has included students providing their feedback as part of the consultation process for the University’s Climate Action Framework, which sets out the university’s approach to address the climate crisis.

Top 3 Learnings

1. We found that building trust with students is vital for their participation in the Forum.
2. We learned that students appreciate having their voice heard and took ownership once they felt empowered.
3. The students said it was the first time they had all come together to focus on sustainability.