University of the West of England, Bristol

University of West of England, Bristol

This application describes the outcomes of the first phase of the University of West of England, Bristol’s (UWE) Transforming Futures Climate Action and Sustainability Strategy. This was launched in 2020 and takes its authority from the university’s Strategy 2030.

Transforming Futures is a whole institution, culture change strategy and is designed to further deepen UWE’s sustainability ambitions in the culture, processes, and operations of the university. This includes the development of a suite of new action plans to implement the new sustainability commitments in Transforming Futures and the alignment of existing policy statements to support attainment of the new strategic goals.

The strategy sets 7 ambitious goals for the UWE community which are the subject of the Transforming Futures: Climate Action and Sustainability Strategy. Each of these commitments is supported by implementation action plans and clear lines of governance, ownership, accountability, and responsibility. The overall approach is managed by the Sustainability Board who routinely assess progress, pace, and rate of change, on behalf of the University Directorate.

Top 3 Learnings

1. The importance of whole institution engagement especially working with students and the SU.
2. The importance of committing to challenging targets and celebrating successes.
3. Learning from failures as well as successes.