INSPIRE
The Institute for Sustainable Practice,
Innovation and Resource Effectiveness
1st in Wales
in the People &
Planet Awards
UWTSD ranked 8th out of
151 universities across the UK
Green Gown Glory
University of Wales Trinity
Saint David (UWTSD)
is celebrating its success
following the prestigious
Green Gown Awards.
www.uwtsd.ac.uk
Introduction
Jane Davidson
December 2015
Contents
4
Green Gown Glory
'Since 2012, a quiet revolution has
been going on at the University - and
that revolution has been explicitly
endorsed by the Vice Chancellor, the
University Council and the senior
management team. The revolution is
about futures thinking; of integrating
sustainability principles throughout
the university's culture, curriculum,
campuses and its communities. The
challenge is to offer the most relevant
education to all our students to make
them more resilient, better problem
solvers and critical thinkers with a
strong value set in relation to social and
environmental responsibility. Not only
will these skills enhance their
understanding of future challenges, but
they are what employers want too.
2
“The revolution is
about futures thinking;
of integrating sustainability
principles throughout the
University’s culture, curriculum,
campuses and its communities.”
Hopefully, you have already come
across the work of INSPIRE - the
University's virtual institute encouraging
sustainable practice, innovation and
resource effectiveness. If not, when
you've read of the inspiring activities
that staff and students are undertaking
under the INSPIRE banner to deliver
futures thinking, please get in touch
if you have ideas you'd like to take
forward. Through this newsletter, you
will have gained some understanding
of the range of sustainability focused
projects and initiatives across UWTSD.
Through INSPIRE, we aim to embed
sustainability thinking in everything we
do and to position the university as a
leader. And it appears to be working: in
2013, UWTSD won the first Guardian HE
award for sustainability; in 2014, the Soil
Association Gold Catering Mark for its
commitment to local producers through
its conference and events catering and in
2015, we achieved a First Class People
and Planet University League award,
and are now 1st in Wales and 8th in
the UK having climbed up from 113th
the previous year. UWTSD won three
awards and one commendation in the
prestigious Green Gown Awards 2015,
where sustainability excellence within
education is recognised.
7
We are on a journey though, rather
than having reached a destination.
Understandably, staff and students also
want to see physical changes in our
buildings and on our campuses as well
as in their curriculum to demonstrate
that real change is happening. Our new
waste to resources contract has just
been agreed and our staff and students,
old and new, will see big changes in
Carmarthen and Lampeter in relation to
recycling in the new academic year.
‘WHOLE EARTH?’
Exhibition
I'd like to thank all those who have
submitted to this newsletter and
the many others who have seized
this agenda with gusto and are
doing some really exciting activities
across the university. We have an
active Sustainability Committee and
Sustainability Link Contacts in every
School and department; we have a new
ESDGC Research Group convened by
Dr Carolyn Hayles, Academic Lead for
INSPIRE, which you can read about
in this issue; we have an active paid
student INSPIRE internship programme
for which we will be recruiting shortly and
excellent support with lots of ideas from
Anna Patterson in Corporate Services.
For more information, have a look at the
INSPIRE pages on the University website
or get in touch.
Jane Davidson
jane.davidson@uwtsd.ac.uk
Literature and
Sustainability Public
Lecture Competition
8
10
People and Planet Awards
14
Green
Impact
16
International Summer School
18
Inspiring Profile:
Luci Attala
20
ESDGC
Conference
22
Gold Standard
Banqueting
23
Green
Transport
University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
UWTSD scooped
three awards and
one commendation in
the Green Gown Awards:
4
Green
Gown Glory
University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD)
is celebrating its success following the
prestigious Green Gown Awards.
The Best Newcomer category was
awarded to UWTSD for its Institute for
Sustainable Practice, Innovation and
Resources Effectiveness (INSPIRE).
INSIPRE is the University’s institutional
approach to delivering sustainability
through its culture, curriculum campuses
and community. Through INSPIRE, the
whole university’s operations are now
subject to Key Performance Indicators
to test this approach across all the
University’s activities.
The judges’ described INSPIRE as
delivering “strong institution-wide strands
for sustainability, embedded at all levels
of the University. It demonstrates a topdown structured approach with clear
goals and good results.”
The Leadership Award was presented
to Dr Jane Davidson, Director of
INSPIRE at UWTSD. Dr Davidson
established INSPIRE in 2012 before
which UWTSD had no history of
involvement in sustainability.
The judges’ said “Jane’s exemplary
leadership demonstrates powerfully
the role of a university as a catalyst
for change and an ‘anchor’ institution
impacting city/region and beyond. Jane
has championed the embedding of
sustainability throughout the university
strategy. This is particularly powerful as
the university is a dual sector institution,
and this agenda connected the
community during a time of change. Jane
is an inspirational leader, charismatic and
enabling of others - she is authentic and
her passion has created a unique space
for creativity and change led by others.”
The Sustainability Champion Award
for Staff was presented to Luci Attala,
Anthropology Programme Director at
UWTSD. Luci believes that to stimulate
genuine and lasting change people need
to experience how their actions make
a difference. Recognising that future
leadership demands confident individuals
who make clear, bold decisions,
Luci works stridently to empower
undergraduates in diverse ways.
The judges were impressed with
the breadth, quality and scale of the
work undertaken by Luci, “she has
embedded sustainability into the
anthropology curriculum, influenced
other academics to adapt their teaching
and learning techniques and provided
a significant amount of support to
students to help them raise money for
developing countries. Her passion for
sustainability was described by the
judges as ‘truly inspirational.”
Highly commended in The
Sustainability Champion Award
for Staff was Gwenllian Beynon,
Art and Design Senior Lecturer and
Programme Director at UWTSD.
Sustainable Pedagogy incorporating
‘social, economic, environmental and
cultural’ values, is central to Gwenllian’s
role in Higher Education. She has
enabled students to study in their
own language, to look at their own
and global cultures, and to embrace
sustainability in creative practice.
The judges were “impressed by the way
in which she had embedded sustainability
into her art and design course, developed
the new Welsh language degrees
and the international project with St
Michael’s School to share sustainability
expertise and learning across borders.
The judges were also delighted to see
the way that Gwenllian had involved the
local community in her work – providing
practical, sustainability experience for a
student from the local school.”
The Green Gown Awards provide
universities and colleges with
benchmarks for excellence and are well
respected by governments, funding
councils, senior managers, academics
and students alike. With sustainable
Continued on next page...
5
University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
development moving up the global
agenda, the Awards are now established
as the most prestigious recognition
of sustainability excellence within the
tertiary education sector, as well as the
environmental sector.
The UWTSD Group, which includes
Coleg Sir Gâr and Coleg Ceredigion, was
shortlisted in six categories representing
cross-campus initiatives as well as
individual staff contributions to the
sustainability agenda.
Dr Jane Davidson said “This is excellent
news that demonstrates clearly the
University’s commitment to sustainability.
Colleagues and students across the
UWTSD Group have worked diligently
to ensure that this important agenda
is embedded throughout our core
operations and culture.
“UWTSD has placed sustainable
development as a core value and
aims to ensure that our students
and graduates develop the skills and
attributes that are required by employers
and society across the world.”
Professor Medwin Hughes, UWTSD ViceChancellor, said: “These are prestigious
accolades and they acknowledge our
commitment to sustainability as one of
our core values. Most importantly they
celebrate the excellent and inspiring work
of colleagues and students across the
University’s campuses.”
Iain Patton, Chief Executive of
the Environmental Association for
Universities and Colleges (EAUC), said:
“Every year the Green Gown Awards
rewrite what business-as-usual looks
like for UK universities and colleges.
Sustainability makes business sense and
this year’s inspiring initiatives prove that
sustainability benefits staff, students,
the wider community and of course the
bottom line. Congratulations to all the
finalists for their hard work.”
Green Gown Awards
Gallery
Links to YouTube Videos
UWTSD Food and Drink
UWTSD Best Newcomer
UWTSD Learning and
Skills – Luci Attala
UWTSD Sustainability
Champion – Staff –
Luci Attala
UWTSD Leadership –
Dr. Jane Davidson
UWTSD Facilities
and Services
6
7
UWTSD Sustainability
Champion – Staff –
Gwenllian Beynon
UWTSD Learning & Skills –
Dr. Carolyn Hayles
Playlist of all videos
Literature and
Sustainability Public
Lecture Competition
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David
(UWTSD) and the Association for the
Study of Literature and the Environment,
UK & Ireland (ASLE-UK) are sponsoring
an annual public lecture competition: The
2016 INSPIRE Lecture on Literature and
Sustainability: Green Knowledge.
The competition aims to showcase
research which explores the relationship
between literature and the sustainability
debate. The winner of the competition
will be invited to deliver her/his
submission at The 2016 INSPIRE Lecture
on Literature and Sustainability at The
2016 Hay Festival of Literature and the
Arts, which will take place in Hay-onWye, 26 May – 5 June.
The lecture will be followed by a public
discussion between the competition
winner, and Dr Jane Davidson, Director of
INSPIRE and former Welsh Government
Minister for Sustainability, and Professor
Brycchan Carey, Chair of ASLE-UKI.
Once again, this annual competition
invites submissions that explore how
literature, in any of its forms, responds to,
and is shaped by, our contact with other
creatures in the context of debates around
sustainability. Sustainability is a matter of
8
literature as much as it is about politics or
environmental science. The stories we tell,
the poems we compose, the dramas we
enact – all provide spaces for inspiration,
imagination, and debate on the questions
of what it means to live sustainably.
The judging panel will consist of
representatives from the University of
Wales Trinity Saint David and ASLE UKI.
Speaking of the competition, Dr Jane
Davidson, director of INSPIRE, said: “In
the three years since the competition
was launched, our winners have
addressed how re-reading Shakespeare
through a sustainability lens can unearth
fascinating insights into the way we
used to live and inform our ideas for
the future; they have explored how
Nature Writing has adapted to our new
environmental concerns and ecological
perspectives in our post-colonial
globalized economy and looked at the
importance of inter-related ecosystems
remaining in balance. The competition
has demonstrated unequivocally that
stories for change can play a crucially
important in re-interpreting our world for
the benefit of future generations. As the
Director of a University-wide institute
looking at introducing a sustainability
University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
lens into all our students’ experiences,
I’m looking forward hugely to this
years’ entries. on how literature, in
any of its forms, responds to and
is shaped by our capacity to know
the natural world in the context of
debates around sustainability.”
Professor Brycchan Carey, Chair of
ASLE-UKI, said: “We are excited to
continue supporting this important
competition. Poets, playwrights, and
novelists have for many centuries
inspired people both to describe
and to delight in the natural world.
For many in today’s highly urbanised
society, literature is a direct and
tangible link to nature, encouraging
them to create and nurture a more
sustainable world. Literary scholars—
in the essays encouraged by this
competition—play a key role in
understanding and promoting this
literature of sustainability.”
Last year’s winner Hayden Gabriel was
invited to deliver her submission at “The
2015 INSPIRE Lecture on Literature and
Sustainability” at the 2015 Hay Festival
of Literature and the Arts.
9
University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
Landmark Sustainability
Exhibition Gets Welsh
Premier at UWTSD
University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) has
become the first institution in Wales to host the globally
significant and celebrated outdoor photography
exhibition, ‘WHOLE EARTH?’, aimed at bringing younger
generations into the sustainability debate.
The choice of the Sail Bridge is
symbolic, referencing UWTSD’s future
Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter
in the city’s SA1 development.
10
‘WHOLE EARTH?’, created by journalist
Lloyd Timberlake and photographer
Mark Edwards, is the follow-up to
the internationally acclaimed ‘Hard
Rain’ exhibition which launched at
Eden Project in 2006. In ‘Hard Rain’
the lyrics of Bob Dylan are illustrated
with photographs that bring alive the
challenges of the 21st century.
Moved by images of disharmony,
many of the exhibition’s viewers
demanded solutions to the issues that
were documented.
The result is the ‘WHOLE EARTH?’
exhibition, a partnership with the UK
National Union of Students. It offers
solutions in the areas of climate, energy,
fresh water, oceans and agriculture, but
also in areas such as human rights and
economic rule-making.
In addition, it is a response to the United
Nations Sustainable Development
Goals initiative (SDG). SDGs will
shape government policies and UN
programmes up to 2030 and those
policies will determine the future for
hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.
‘WHOLE EARTH?’ brings the
younger generation more firmly into
the sustainability debate, helping
them understand the solutions and
opportunities that these challenges
open up.
The exhibition has so far travelled to
educational institutions in the UK,
Europe, North America, India, Africa,
and Australia. This was it’s first, and
possibly only, showing in Wales. It will
be open to the public, free of charge.
Dr Jane Davidson, who is also Director
of UWTSD’s Institute of Sustainable
Practice, Innovation and Resource
Effectiveness (INSPIRE), said: “I am
delighted that UWTSD has been able to
bring this important exhibition to Wales
and to make it available not just to the
University but to other education partners
and the wider public across south west
Wales between now and Christmas.
Photo by Mark Edwards
‘WHOLE EARTH?’ was officially
opened on Thursday 1 October
in The River House Lounge and
Restaurant in Swansea’s SA1, close
to the exhibition’s first location at
the city’s Sail Bridge. Speaking at
the opening were Dr Jane Davidson,
UWTSD Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor
and former Welsh Government
Environment Minister, and Peter
Davies, Wales Commissioner for
Sustainable Futures.
“The exhibition offers opportunities to
consider some of the key challenges
of the 21st century and seek the most
appropriate solutions. It encourages
young people to ask questions and
challenges viewers to commit to their
own actions to make society more
sustainable. I look forward to a lot of
debate, particularly in the run up to
the next major Climate Change global
conference in Paris in December.”
The exhibition has been traveling
around the University’s campuses since
September and will continue to do so
until December the 20th. The dates for
the remaining locations are as follows:
30 November – 6 December
UWTSD Swansea College of Art (Dynevor)
7 – 13 December
UWTSD Swansea Business Campus
14 – 20 December
UWTSD Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter - Sail Bridge
11
University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
The University’s success is a huge
improvement in terms of rankings for
UWTSD, with the University seeing a
dramatic rise from its 113th position in
the 2013 League to 8th in 2015. UWTSD
has also been ranked the top green
University in Wales, moving from a 3rd
class degree to a 1st class award.
The People & Planet University League,
an annual ranking by the national
student campaign group, assesses the
environmental and ethical performance
of all universities, awarding First Class
'degrees' to the greenest and Fail to
those doing the least to address their
environmental and social impacts.
UWTSD is one of 30 universities to
achieve a ‘First’ in the 2015 league.
But how has UWTSD managed to
dramatically increase its ranking to
be named the 8th most effective
University in the UK in terms of
environment and ethics?
People
and Planet
12
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David won a
First Class Award and have been ranked 8th out of
151 universities across the UK and 1st in Wales in
the People & Planet University League 2015 – the
UK's only comprehensive and independent green
ranking of universities.
“The answer is simple,” says
Dr Jane Davidson, Associate Pro
Vice-Chancellor for Sustainability
and Engagement at UWTSD.
“We care about sustainability;
although delivering it has meant a
fundamental review of what we do
and how we do it across the university
– its culture, campuses, curricula and
communities. We believe that universities
should actively ensure their graduates
become responsible citizens and creative
problem solvers that the uncertain world
we live in demands, so we reflected this
in our strategic plan.
“We joined the HEA Green Academy for
inspiration and created our own virtual
institute INSPIRE – Institute for Sustainable
Practice, Innovation and Resource
Effectiveness in 2012 to lead our systemic
approach. We identified staff capabilities
and interests through a staff skills audit and
have redefined our academic offer with
every module going through the INSPIRE
gateway. We carried out a curriculum audit
this summer and found that all our faculties
and schools are delivering sustainability
throughout their curriculum – and have an
appetite for more.
“We are still at an early stage of the
journey, but have now developed
systems in all areas of the university’s
activity, so we know where we’re going
and we have a pretty good idea how long
it will take us to get there,” adds
Dr Davidson. “With the active support
of the Vice-Chancellor, the governors,
senior managers, students and the
inspirational Sustainability Committee
members, we are approaching 2015
re-invigorated by this award which
demonstrates that embedding
sustainability within the university
is everybody’s business and to
everybody’s benefit.”
Rosie Scannell, an INSPIRE intern
studying at UWTSD Lampeter is
equally proud of the University’s
achievement. “This amazing leap in
the league table is testament to the
hard work and determination of
UWTSD to improve its own
sustainability levels,” she says.
Hannah Smith, who compiled
the People & Planet University
League, said:
"University of Wales Trinity Saint
David is proving to be one of the
UK's leading universities for
environmental and ethical standards.
People & Planet celebrate their
commitment to meeting the
expectations of their students
with skills and understanding for
sustainable development; for
working with their students, staff
and community to bring about a
culture of change in social and
environmental practice; for working
on sustainability across the board from curriculum to catering - and for its
leadership for sustainable development.”
Continued on next page...
“After doing environmental work within
the university and Students’ Union for the
past three years, I am both delighted and
proud that the hard work and persistence
of staff and students has started to
show,” adds Rosie.
“The work we have done is crucial to
the development of the university,
both for existing students as well as
any future students. Furthermore, it
is important for students across the
university because it is the first step
in ensuring that staff and students
take what they have learnt through
the UWTSD's sustainability work and
hopefully apply it to their own future
careers and lives.”
What this means
for UWTSD...
1.
2.
3.
UWTSD is proving to be one
of the UK’s leading university’s
for environmental and ethical
standards.
This is just the beginning, the
systems developed across
all university activities mean
we know the next step of our
sustainability journey.
2013-2015 saw UWTSD rise
from 113th to 8th in the UK,
demonstrating huge potential
for future achievements.
13
University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
“University of Wales Trinity Saint David
has rocketed up the People & Planet
University League, we're seriously
impressed!” continues Hannah Smith.
“We've witnessed a vision for sustainable
development brought to fruition in a
matter of years; Jane, the staff and the
students at UWTSD are showing us what
can be achieved when a university takes
stock of their impact on our communities
and the wider world. By resourcing their
staff, listening to their students and
understanding environmental issues right
across the university, UWTSD
are stepping up to a unique opportunity
to meet student demand for the skills
and understanding they need to tackle
the biggest challenges of our time and
we can't wait to see the results in
years to come!”
UWTSD managed
to dramatically increase
its ranking to be named
the 8th most effective
University in the UK in
terms of environment
and ethics
“It's the progressive universities
ranking top 30 in the league that are
setting an example of what can be
achieved in higher education, responding
with speed to the oncoming challenges
of climate change and global inequality,”
adds Ms Smith. “These are the
universities equipping their graduates
with the skills they need to tackle
these threats.”
14
15
University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
Green Impact is an environmental
accreditation and awards scheme run
by the National Union of Students who
support teams and departments to
make simple and powerful changes in
behaviour and policy in order to work
towards a more sustainable institution.
Several team members of UWTSD
staff attended the awards ceremony
to celebrate their environmental
achievements throughout the year.
This year saw 2 Gold accreditation
awards, 1 Silver and 15 Bronze. In
addition, two teams were acknowledged
to be working towards a Bronze award.
Art and Design made an exceptional
impact this year, completing all of
the criteria within each level and also
submitting 4 Special Awards which
recognized the accomplishments from
their commitment to sustainability
through several projects. They, along
with the Environmental Office gained
Gold Awards. SHOE (School of Health
and Outdoor Education) achieved the
Silver Award, whilst Corporate
Services, Corporate Communications
& PR, Human Resources, Operations
and Student Experience were among
the many teams who achieved the
Bronze Award.
Green
Impact
16
The University of Wales Trinity Saint
David achieved several awards in this
year’s Green Impact Awards.
The Green Impact project was able to
engage with over 200 staff members
from across all three campuses this
year. The dedication of those involved
provided a potential savings of almost
23,000kg of CO2 and almost £6,000 in
savings through waste reduction, energy
conservation, and reductions in travel.
Over the last year UWTSD saw an
estimated 147 people reached by teams
campaigning for staff to switch lights
and equipment off when not in use,
potentially saving 16,659kg of CO2
and £2,603 across the institution. An
estimated 92 people were reached by
teams raising awareness to print and
photocopy double‐sided, potentially
saving 4,968kg of CO2 and £1,840 on
resource costs. An estimated 28 people
were reached by teams encouraging
staff to use teleconferencing facilities
rather than travelling to all meetings,
potentially saving 1589kg of CO2 and
£1,386 across the institution.
Alana Smith, Sustainability Engagement
Officer said:
“It’s important to promote good
environmental behaviour at UWTSD and
Green Impact offers a way to incorporate
small reminders into the workspace.
It’s also a great way to encourage
members of staff to work together
towards a greater good. I was extremely
pleased with the efforts of all the
teams this year. The project was very
successful and forms a solid foundation
for sustainability to continue to grow
throughout the University in the future.
The project will be beginning again this
September and we hope to further its
success. We plan on engaging even
more staff members and encouraging
the 15 Bronze Award winners to work
towards a Silver or Gold accreditation.”
What this means
for UWTSD...
1.
Over 200 members of staff
engaged with the Green
Impact effort.
2.
The 2015 awards have formed
a solid foundation for further
awards in 2016.
3.
Simple yet powerful changes
have contributed to UWTSD
becoming a more sustainable
institution.
17
University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
International
Summer School
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David hosted a
successful International Sustainability Summer School
with students from Saint Michael’s College, Vermont.
Twelve students and two members
of staff from Saint Michael’s College
visited UWTSD during May for a twoweek study abroad course focused
on how Wales has integrated
ecological sustainability throughout
its culture, institutions, art and
policies. Saint Michael’s College
approached UWTSD as they were
aware of INSPIRE and its commitment
to sustainability. The course included
cultural and environmental field
studies, on-site guest lectures and
collaboration and exchange of
research and artistic projects.
The aim of the International
Sustainability Summer School is to
inform visiting students on the different
perspectives of sustainability in Wales
through cultural, ecological, political,
geographic, and artistic lenses.
Gwen Beynon, Art and Design
Programme Director who played a
key role in organising the Summer
School said:
18
“The Summer School was tremendously
successful for all involved. It was a
really great way of communicating
with an international institution and it
provided students with an opportunity
to learn and appreciate Wales’ and
UWTSD’s approach to sustainability.
It gave me great pleasure to hear the
students’ positive perceptions of our
attitude towards sustainability; they
were constantly impressed by the way
we embrace sustainability on a variety
of levels. It was great working and
collaborating with Saint Michael’s
staff, Jeffrey Ayres, Dean of the College
and Professor in the Department
of Political Science and Jonathan
Silverman, Chair of the Education
Department and Coordinator of the
Arts in Education Program.
“Students were impressed by the
fact that we approach sustainability
in terms of culture, industry and
language, it’s not just a matter of
recycling. Their positive reactions
made me realise how well we are doing
on the global scale of sustainability.
“As part of their academic work
the students were expected to give
two presentations each. Their final
presentations were given at the end
of the trip, they were fantastic. It was
clear that the students had learned a
great deal and were passionate
about our pro-active attitude towards
sustainability. It was also lovely to see
how in awe they were of the Welsh
coastline and landscape.”
Kath Griffiths, International Office at
UWTSD who worked closely with
Gwen Beynon to develop the
programme, said:
“The itinerary for the Summer
School was jam-packed and varied
tremendously, ensuring that the
students received a wide scope of
information. A number of panel
sessions took place, addressing issues
such as Sustainability of Place which
included an opening keynote speech
on UWTSD’s and Wales’ approach to
sustainability by Jane Davidson,
Director of INSPIRE. A second panel
session included 5 presentations
from people who work directly with
sustainability including Joanna Lane
from Tidal Lagoon and Haf Leyshon
from Wales National Resources.
“There were field trips to Big Pitt and
the Senedd, a hike across the Brecon
Beacons with Gruff Owen, UWTSD
International Student Support Officer,
and a weekend in Pembrokeshire which
included an overnight stay on Skomer
Island. There was a wonderfully positive
and inspired reaction from the students.
This will be the first of many Summer
Schools from Saint Michael’s and the start
of a rewarding collaboration that we at
UWTSD are really looking forward to.”
A student who attended the Summer
School said: “My academic curiosities
were sparked by something new
every day during our time at UWTSD.
Upon returning home, I have told every
person who has asked about my trip,
about sustainability in Wales. Jane
Davidson was truly inspirational; her
work motivated me to bring back some
of her ideas to my parents’ business to
help them create a more sustainable
company. Every day I was amazed with
the passion of the lecturers and the
beauty of the landscape.”
The International Sustainability Summer
School achieved a Green Impact
Special Award, which recognises
commitment to sustainability through
extra-curricular projects.
19
University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
Inspiring Profile
Luci Attala
Anthropology Lecturer
Luci Attala, Anthropology Lecturer
and Programme Director at UWTSD
Lampeter is actively working on a
number of projects that promote
sustainability and create globally
aware citizens. Luci is not just a
lecturer, she is an educator who
listens, empowers, activates,
challenges and promotes change
on a daily basis.
Luci’s many achievements include
winning an award from NIACE for being
an inspirational tutor, she plays a key
role with the Community Carbon Link
(CCL) a not-for-profit organisation that
attempts to link communities through
carbon absorption and has also
been nominated for two Green Gown
Awards. Luci originally trained as a
nurse and uses her expertise in both
anthropology and health/social care to
teach in the school of Health and Social
Care for the Open University. Luci has
a passion for teaching and is dedicated
to empower her students by making
them feel that they as individuals can
make a difference to the world.
20
“What I love about teaching is watching
people change and develop; I enjoy
watching them cultivate thoughts and
ideas and I love being there as they
pick up new ideas and role with them.
This is particular exciting roll when
students start to question things and
don’t simply accept what they are told.
I see students grow as individuals and
develop into different people from
who they were when they arrived.
This is especially inspiring to see in
the younger students who have come
straight from school and leaving home.
When they arrive and are introduced
to a whole range of different issues,
ways of understanding the world and
of approaching people, I see them start
to blossom, start to question and start
to become ‘somebody’. Teaching is a
nourishing occupation because you
get to witness those moments of pure
gloriousness from them.”
Luci works closely with the CCL, a
reforestation initiative who together
with the UWTSD students won a UN
Gold Star for Environmental Impact in
2014. She has helped link Lampeter
with Giriama in Bore near Malindi,
Kenya through negotiations with the
tribal elders to create a tree-planting
initiative. The sponsored trees support
Giriama farmers’ subsistence and
simultaneously absorb carbon from our
shared atmosphere. The project is now
being used as a pilot project for the
Size of Wales – a scheme supported
by the Welsh Government, that aims to
protect and plant an area of rainforest
the ‘size of Wales’. Luci is currently
working to document this Wales/Africa
Community Link and the resulting
community engagements. Her work
pays specific attention to the part water
plays in supporting the communities’
diverse aims. The information emerging
from this Community Link offers
an alternative relational model to
sustainable development schemes.
“The scheme is rewarding
on so many levels, students
have been out to Kenya which is brilliant as it shows
that they as individuals can
make a difference.
I strongly believe that students learn
more whilst being active and engaging
rather than simply sitting passively
and hearing about what other people
think and do. The concept that truly
motivates me is that I want people to
feel empowered to make a difference.
Anthropology is a mechanism that
allows that. I feel genuinely lucky to
see people emerging empowered
through graduating with their degree
and I think ‘these are the people that
will make a difference.’ I also want the
world to change; I think we’ve made
a lot of mistakes particular us in the
global North, the industrial dominant
part of the globe. We need to change
things and I hope I’m a part of that,
in a way that is my motor and that is
what drives me.”
Luci has been nominated for two Green
Gown Awards, a prestigious awards
ceremony that provides universities
and colleges with benchmarks for
excellence and is well respected by
governments, funding councils, senior
managers, academics and students
alike. The awards recognise the
exceptional sustainability initiatives
being undertaken by universities and
colleges across the UK. With the
increasing awareness of sustainability,
the awards have become established
as the most prestigious recognition
of best practice within the further and
higher education sector.
Luci’s nominated categories are New
Teaching Methods and Sustainability
Champion, her work ethic and unique
approach supports her as a highly
worthy of choice candidate.
“I was totally thrilled when I received
the news that I had been successful
with the nominations. The Green
Gown judges recognised that the way
I teach allows students to engage
with substances and the ideas around
‘greenness’ in a new way. Instead of
just learning about what people are
doing and the problems on the planet,
they are actually trying to find solutions
by engaging with the issues.”
An example of Luci’s unique approach
to teaching can be seen when she
asked her students to collect and bring
in their rubbish throughout the term to
the Anthropology Lab in Lampeter, the
rubbish was then put into a ‘landfill’ they
had created in the Lab.
“By the end of term there was a
considerable amount of rubbish in
the Lab, and I asked the students to
engage with their rubbish again. It was
so interesting. Firstly the students didn’t
want to touch it and it was as if the
rubbish wasn’t theirs anymore. When
I insisted that they engaged they were
forced to look at the waste again and
realized that in fact it still belonged to
them. They decided to use the rubbish
to make a sculpture of a detailed
human, as if to say the rubbish was
human made.
“From this exercise the students
recognised how many un-recyclable
coffee cups they had used over the
term, this led to them creating an action
to the catering team to have recyclable
cups on campus. The action was
successful and there are now recyclable
coffee cups on each campus. This came
directly out of that class of students. It
was not something I asked them to do, it
came from them being confronted with
the level of their own rubbish.”
21
University of Wales Trinity Saint David: INSPIRE
Dr Jane Davidson, Dr Carolyn Hayles, Professor Simon Haslett
ESDGC
Conference
22
INSPIRE hosted its first ‘Education for
Sustainability and Global Citizenship’ (ESDGC)
conference at Swansea Business School at the
beginning of June this year.
The one-day conference was an
opportunity for UWTSD staff to come
together and share best practice and
case studies in the delivery of ESDGC
teaching and learning from across
the whole University. The conference
provided staff with the chance to
produce a full conference paper for
formal review. Accepted papers will be
published in a peer reviewed in-house
journal publication. An award for Best
Paper will be made to the academic
who produces the best piece of work,
the winner will be decided over the
summer months and will be provided
with financial support to attend a
conference and present their work.
Hoss, VocalEyes and Pembrokeshire
College, on Digital Adventures: Setting
out on the path to Active Citizenship and
Sustainability, Stacey Coleman, Lecturer
in Psychology, UWTSD Swansea on
Recognising Sustainability in Psychology:
Pitfalls and Promise and Dr Glenda
Tinney, Senior Lecturer, School of Early
Childhood, UWTSD Carmarthen, on Early
Years Education and ESDGC- two sides
of the same coin? The closing keynote
speech came from Professor Simon
Haslett, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor,
on Promoting research and scholarship
in education for sustainable development
and global citizenship: from a personal
journey to an institutional approach.
Academic Lead for INSPIRE, Dr Carolyn
Hayles, who established the event said:
“The conference was very successful in
bringing academics together from across
the university to share their ESDGC
practice and present some fantastic
examples of best practice in teaching
and learning. Going forward, we hope the
conference will encourage academics to
disseminate their experiences of ESDGC
more widely, through international
conference contributions and journal
publications. In the meantime we intend
to make this in-house conference an
annual event.”
Professor Simon Haslett has had a
career in higher education spanning
over 20 years, he has published a
number of books, over 100 scientific
articles, and is also a broadcaster and
appears regularly on television, radio
and writes articles in the popular press.
He is Co-editor of the journal Atlantic
Geology and Associate Editor of the
Journal of Coastal Research.
A number of speakers presented short
talks on key issues throughout the
conference. These included Sarah
The University of Wales Trinity Saint
David aims to place sustainability at
the centre of its delivery and has been
working alongside other universities
across the UK through the Higher
Education Academy’s Green Academy
programme to embed sustainability
within its core operations and culture.
INSPIRE, directed by Dr Jane Davidson,
was launched in January 2012, and has
developed cross institutional activity
in 2013 and 2014. The University’s
Strategic Plan commits to embedding
sustainability as a core principal across
all aspects of the University.
Dr Jane Davidson, Director of
INSPIRE said:
“Sustainable development is about
making better decisions using long
term values. It is about thinking about
the impacts of today’s actions on future
generations and learning to live within
our environmental limits - it is about
balancing social, environmental and
economic needs in a way that does
not compromise future generations.
Through INSPIRE we aim to develop
curriculum-related delivery to ensure
that our students are provided with
the knowledge, skills and attitudes
that will equip them for their future
contribution to the economy, community
and environment. To develop our
campuses to the highest standards of
environmental performance, contribute
to our communities by giving particular
regard to issues of sustainable rural
communities and the development of
south west Wales as a low carbon region
and develop a research and innovation
capacity focused on the core strengths of
the University.”
23
Gold Standard
Banqueting
Green
Transport
In line with the wider sustainability
credentials that are currently in motion
at UWTSD, Hywel Griffiths, Operations
Director, who is responsible for day
to day delivery of sustainability at the
University, is actively working
on the Green Transport plan to
reduce the impact of its travel
and transport activities.
Graham Allen, Environmental Manager
at UWTSD said: “The results of the
university-wide travel survey that
took place towards the end of last
year will be used to inform planning
and our carbon management whilst
clearly demonstrating our commitment
to continual improvement of
environmental performance. We are
actively formulating plans to ensure
we take advantage of technological
advances in electric and hybrid vehicles.
We operate a corporate bus scheme
for staff, and students are eligible for
various discounts.”
UWTSD has won the UK’s First
Gold Standard for University-wide
Banqueting Service. The University of
Wales Trinity Saint David is the first
university in the UK to achieve a Food
for Life Gold Catering Mark from the
Soil Association for its banqueting and
events services across all campuses.
24
The Soil Association’s Catering Mark
provides an independent endorsement
that food providers are taking steps
to improve the food that they serve,
using fresh ingredients which are free
from trans-fats, harmful additives and
genetically modified products (GM),
and are better for animal welfare.
Catering Services are audited by the
Association annually to ensure they
meet high standards of provenance
and traceability, providing reassurance
to customers that meals are freshly
prepared using environmentallysustainable and seasonal ingredients.
The University has been awarded the
Gold Catering Mark for its banqueting
and events catering and is the first
University in the UK to achieve this
accolade for a service provided across
its campuses. UWTSD is also the first
University in Wales to be awarded a
Silver Award for its lunch services which
include the popular Sunday carveries
served at its restaurants in Carmarthen
and Lampeter.
The list of the University’s suppliers
include companies operating in the
immediate environs of its campuses
in Lampeter, Carmarthen, and
Swansea as part of the University’s
commitment to sustainable development
across its campuses, curriculum,
culture and community.
The Swansea Waterfront Innovation
Quarter development provides the
University with additional opportunities
to develop solutions of transport
for students and staff to travel to
and between the geographically
dispersed campuses.
25
“We are determined that students
will gain graduate attributes and
skills that will make them better
problem solvers and attractive to
future employers in all sectors. In
achieving these goals the University
aims to deliver an inspired
education to all its students.”
Professor Medwin Hughes, DL
Vice Chancellor, University
Of Wales Trinity Saint David
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