RAU named in top 20 most sustainable universities in the UK

The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in Cirencester has ranked 16th in UK higher education for its environmental and ethical performance, according to the People and Planet University League 2016.

Released earlier this week (22 November), the People and Planet University League evaluates all UK universities across various sustainability categories. The University has jumped an impressed 22 places up the league table since 2015.

The RAU gained full marks for environmental policy, staff, and sustainability in the curriculum, as well as an 88% for carbon reduction, leading to an overall 1st Class classification.

Pearl Costello, Environmental Officer at the RAU, said: “We are delighted that our sustainability efforts are continuing to be recognised with this latest accolade. It is a testament to all our staff and students who are engaged in this work.”

Over the past few years, the RAU has been constantly improving its environmental performance by investing in renewable technologies, developing its environmental management system, undertaking cutting-edge environmental research, and embedding sustainability throughout the curriculum. This was also recognised this year by The Guardian University Awards 2016, at which the RAU was announced winner of the Sustainability Project category.

For the RAU, which has the motto ‘caring for the fields and the beasts’, sustainability is an integral part in our teaching and operations. All courses, as they go through our regular review cycle, must now demonstrate how they address the skills and knowledge needed to create a sustainable future, from innovation in food production to best practice management of local woodland. The campus is the perfect Living Laboratory to promote this, by implementing sustainability projects reflecting these values. For example, first year entrepreneur students are currently working on a project researching the feasibility of the RAU becoming a zero carbon campus by 2020.

Katharine Foot, Academic Lead for Sustainability at the RAU, said: “Preparing our students for a world where sustainability is increasingly important is fundamental to what we do as a university. We see it as vital that we do this through making links between our teaching and learning activities and how we operate as an institution. Our Living Laboratory philosophy is a great example of this. It allows students to learn from examples of good practice, and also to work on projects that make a positive contribution to improving what we do, whilst at the same time supporting them to develop the skills and knowledge to apply these principles in ‘real world’ situations.”

The RAU is committed to becoming one of the most sustainable universities in the UK, and delighted that this is reflected in the ranking. Over the next year the RAU is developing a new long-term sustainability strategy which will push the university even further in this field.

See the full People and Planet University League 2016.

To find out more about the Royal Agricultural University, visit www.rau.ac.uk.