University achieves Sustainability Strategy target

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The University has achieved a key target from its Sustainability Strategy, ensuring that all students have access to learning opportunities that equip them with the knowledge, skills and experience essential to make their contribution to a sustainable future. Achieving this ambition is a step closer to realising the overall vision for the University in line with the principles of the Strategy 2026.

In February 2021, the University set the challenging target of ensuring that every student has the opportunity to undertake a sustainability-related module, extra-curricular activity, or other relevant learning by 2022. This target has now been achieved as a result of a collaborative project between Careers and Employability, the  Centre for Innovation in Education, and the Education for Sustainable Development working group.

Student Sustainability Hub

The Student Sustainability Hub was originally launched as a short online course (Sustainability in Action) as part of the revised 2020/21 Foundation week to introduce students to the UN’s SDGs. The project started with the recruitment of a small team of student interns to develop the course over six weeks in the summer of 2020 ensuring we had an active student voice in the course development.

The Student Sustainability Hub is now a central resource for all students interested in sustainability.  The hub is accessed via Canvas, and students are automatically enrolled onto the Sustainability in Action module, and can access:

  • The Student Sustainability Network

  • The online short course introducing students to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This course can be taken informally by students or they can complete short assignments and receive HEAR accreditation

  • External sustainability courses – including LinkedIn Learning

  • Campus and volunteering activities organised by the Guild

  • Practical resources e.g. recycling advice and guidance

  • Forthcoming events and other activities

Since its implementation the Sustainability in Action module  has won the AGCAS Sustainability Impact Award 2021, was a finalist in the 2021 Green Gown Awards, and was submitted by the University as its institutional case study supporting our 2021 SDG Accord reporting commitments. The team behind Sustainability in Action were also commended for the Sustainability on Campus Staff Award 2022.

The Hub forms a central component of our ESD strategy in support of the Global Citizenship student attribute in the Liverpool Curriculum Framework, and Advance HE/ QAA sector drivers for education for sustainable development.

Student engagement

Since the launch of the Hub, a number of students have engaged with the variety of content on offer. One student told us: “I like the emphasise about UN's SDG. I have read about the goals previously, but this subject gave me more information and exposure to the sustainable goals."

While another student explained what they enjoyed about the Sustainability in Action module: “I really liked the fun research tasks which were genuinely interesting, especially learning how businesses are being sustainable.”

Staff Sustainability Hub

A Staff Hub has also been launched as a single point of reference for staff interested in developing Education for Sustainable Development skills and incorporating Sustainability in Action into their course or modules. It provides links to staff development resources including case studies, practice guides, toolkits, workshops, events and the ESD Network. provides an overview of our student-centred resources, and staff can self-enrol onto a mirror version of the Sustainability in Action course here.

Find out more

For further information about the Student Sustainability Hub or staff development resources for Education for Sustainable Development, please contact the Centre for Innovation in Education by emailing: cie@liverpool.ac.uk or the Sustainability team: sustainability@liverpool.ac.uk