As part of our involvement in Bristol's years as European Green Capital, in 2015 we hosted the National Sustainable Schools Conference, in conjunction with Sustainability and Environmental Education (SEEd) and the Students' Union. The event mostly shared examples of how teachers are embedding sustainable development within primary and secondary schools, but also included a focus on sustainability in higher education.

Community-based learning projects

Hannah Tweddell, our Sustainability and Engaged Learning Coordinator, ran a workshop on community-based learning for teachers, drawing on the student-led Biodiversity in Bedminster project - a great example of how our students benefit from working in partnership with local organisations as part of our commitment to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Delegates were encouraged to take away resources and ideas and adapt them to their audience - in this case, the biodiversity project could be developed into a schools-based activity, with pupils identifying local green spaces and learning to grow new plants at home.

Engaging students through the Students' Union

Jess Sharratt, the Students' Union's former Green Capital Project Assistant, led a session on the SU's sustainability engagement initiatives, particularly Get Green, an NUS-funded project which worked to engage students in sustainability issues, normalising more sustainable behaviours across the University.