Environmental Sustainability
Environmental Sustainability (ES) is one of the five priorities in the University’s Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement plan.
As a priority, the Professional Service Leadership Team (PSLT) have committed to creating an Environmental Sustainability (ES) action plan, with each PS Directorate, including the Library, creating their own ES action plan.
ES Steering Group
The Library has formed an ES Steering Group which is responsible for:
- Mobilising the Library ES action plan;
- Empowering Library staff to take ownership of relevant actions in the Library ES action plan via Directorate Management Teams (DMTs);
- Embedding ES thinking and action across our Library;
- Encouraging and supporting grass roots action by engaging all Library staff with ES activities and through the ES Community of Practice Group;
Read the ES Steering Group’s Terms of Reference.
Our priorities
Priorities of the group are focused on making some of what we already do more sustainable, and making tweaks that can effect behavioural changes from our staff and Library users. These include:
- Rethinking our procurement processes across the Library.
- Approaching any changes to our spaces and buildings more sustainably.
- Encouraging moves towards more sustainable travel.
- Managing our waste in a more sustainable way, including food waste, recycling, furniture reuse, disposing equipment responsibly.
For a more detailed look at what the Steering Group is working on, please see the Library ES action plan.
ES Steering Group members
- Ciaran Talbot (co-chair)
- Olivia Walsby (co-chair)
- Fariha Agha
- Zsofi Buda
- Adam Cooke
- Des Coyle
- Adele Gillibrand
- Divya Malhotra
- Iqra Malik
- Janette Martin
- Sarah Phillips
- Ria Sunga
- Christine Sweet
- Elizabeth Warnock
ES Community of Practice group
To support the Library’s ES objectives, a Community of Practice Group (CoP) has been established. We created this group as an opportunity to bring together grass roots efforts into sustainable change. It is a chance to connect with like-minded colleagues, collaborate on initiatives and collect a unified voice on the future of the Library's efforts towards a net-zero, greener future. The group will bring together expertise, highlight University-wide opportunities and provide peer support for change.
The Terms of Reference for the CoP has yet to be written. Membership is currently open to Library staff.
If you’d like to join, please fill up this form:
To know more about the CoP, please contact Adam Cooke.
Resources
Some resource for you to know more about ES and the University’s initiatives:
- Watch this presentation by Richard Smith (Head of Environmental Sustainability) in 2023 at the Library All-Staff meeting. Richard sets out the University’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy: Our Sustainable Future 2023-2028.
- Library action plan
- Sustainability on Campus
- Office for Social Responsibility