Sustainability

Introduction

I am delighted at the diversity of progress we have made towards the delivery of our Social Responsibility and Sustainability Strategy.

 

Supporting world class research and providing an environment in which students can thrive.

The University has led the way in online teaching with more than 300,000 people signed up to study from a selection of free Massive Open Online Courses across a diverse range of subject areas, enabling wider access to excellent higher education for people from across the world.

We continue to embed sustainable principles within new learning and teaching facilities, such as the newly refurbished Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation, supporting world class research and providing an environment in which students can thrive.

The University recognises the positive impact our staff and students have on the local community, with many students volunteering with local groups and charities. At the same time the university has developed outreach projects that engage school children and the general public with our research and goals.

For the first time the University has included its current progress towards meeting its carbon reduction targets within the Highlights Report. It is clear from this that the University still has much work to do to achieve its ambitious targets, however we are reviewing our next steps to address this.

This year’s report yet again illustrates the commitment and enthusiasm of our staff and students in contributing towards a more socially responsible and sustainable university.

Dave Gorman, Director of Social Responsibility and Sustainability