Environmental sustainability
We are guided by a commitment to environmental sustainability, recognising it's position as one the University's 'Ethical Grand Challenges'.
Our activities
Staff and students can get involved with the University-wide sustainability activities through the Think Sustainably, Take Action initiative.
At a School level we have a School Environment Team involving both academic and administrative staff and students that oversees an Environmental Sustainability Policy.
There is also a Green Impact Team which was awarded a silver impact award for the Arthur Lewis Building in 2015. The Green Impact Team will be working towards an award again in 2017.
Some recent innovations include introducing online-only submission of coursework for undergraduate and taught master’s students, dramatically reducing printer usage. Please see the online notice board Think Sustainably@The Arthur Lewis Building for communications from the team.
Think Sustainably, Take Action
Visit the University Environmental Sustainability website:
Read more
Sustainability on Pinterest
Take a look at our sustainability online noticeboard for the Arthur Lewis Building:
Read more
Green Impact Award
We're proud of our silver impact award for the Arthur Lewis Building. Find out what it takes:
Read more
Our Green Impact policies and initiatives:
- SoSS Green Impact - How to make a difference
- School of Social Sciences Environmental Sustainability Policy
- SoSS Green Impact - Social Responsibility
- SoSS Green Impact - The Living Campus and UMAPIT
- SoSS Sustainable Procurement Policy
- SoSS Virtual Meetings
Our teaching
Whichever social science degree course you choose, sustainability will be at the heart of the curriculum. Our courses help students develop the understanding necessary to consider environmental sustainability from many perspectives, from international development to global justice.
Here are some examples of sociology and economics course units that focus on sustainability:
- The economics of environmental management
- Applied environmental economics
- Natural resource economics
- Climate change economics
- Sustainability, consumption and global responsibilities
- The sociology of nature, environment and risk
Students can also opt for units run by the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning:
- Global Citizenship and Sustainability
- Sustainability and Environmental Impact
- The Crisis of Nature: Issues in Environmental History
- Innovation for a Sustainable Society
Our research
Research into sustainability takes place across the School, in research centres and projects as well as by individual academic staff and PhD students.
Examples
Research undertaken within the Sustainable Consumption Institute explores how we can align a personal desire for a better life, with a shared need for a better future.
The Climate Just web tool, assists local authorities and other public bodies consider areas of climate vulnerability.
The BIOMOT: Motivation and diversity programme is a multi-disciplinary EU-funded project, which considers our motivation to act in environmentally friendly ways towards the promotion of biodiversity.
The Environmental and Resource Economics group comprises Faculty staff, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students and regularly welcomes visiting researchers from universities around the world.
Case studies
- Stimulating sustainable consumption in Scotland
- Our role in post-war Lebanese task-force
- Tracking the climate disadvantaged
- Justice and the future of flood insurance
