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Sustainability work showcased at Davos

Published: 26 January 2015 at 10:20

Anglia Ruskin University's groundbreaking sustainability work has been presented to leading figures at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) in collaboration with the Global University Leader Forum (GULF) shared exemplary campus sustainability case studies provided by 25 universities from across the world.

Anglia Ruskin was one of just three UK universities, along with the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, selected for the Developing skills for future leaders report.

This state-of-the-art report is focused on educating future leaders by full immersion in a 'living laboratory' environment for sustainability.

The report sets out Anglia Ruskin's three-pronged approach to sustainability integration:

  • a commitment to making sustainability a part of every student's formal and informal curriculum, led by the Education for Sustainability team
  • a commitment to internationally recognised research in sustainability, led by the Global Sustainability Institute
  • striving to exceed national and sector benchmarks for the sustainability of its buildings and processes, led by the Environment team.

In addition to best practice case studies from leading universities, Peter Bakker, President and CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), provided a foreword that encourages dialogue between universities and corporations on developing sustainability skills needed by future business leaders.

Dr Aled Jones, Director of Anglia Ruskin's Global Sustainability Institute, said:

"Anglia Ruskin is pleased to be recognised by the International Sustainable Campus Network and to be included in the best practice report for the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"The main role of a university is of course enabling its students to develop the skills they need for the future - at Anglia Ruskin we believe an important aspect of this is Education for Sustainability."

"Our Education for Sustainability (EfS) programme provides support for staff and students, as well as a research platform. Our aims within EfS are embedded in our corporate plan, people strategy, quality assurance and research strategy. To achieve real change we need to adopt a holistic approach."

Anglia Ruskin was the first UK university to sign the Rio+20 Declaration of Higher Education Institutions and in 2013 won the Excellence in Integration award at the ISCN Sustainable Campus Excellence awards.

The Global Sustainability Institute was established in 2011 and in 2013 Anglia Ruskin launched a unique sustainability Masters course, MSc Sustainability, in partnership with the Eden Project and Change Agents UK.