Education

Our work to embed sustainability into the curriculum supports the University's Citizen Student strategy of wanting to empower our students to become engaged citizens with the confidence to act for a more sustainable future in an increasingly uncertain world.

• Annual Review (2022)

Responsible Futures

We were part of the NUS' Responsible Futures pilot programme in 2014/15 and worked in partnership with Chester Students' Union to create an enabling environment for sustainability to thrive. We collaborate with academic disciplines to create opportunities for students to work collaboratively and develop the skills and knowledge required to be part of the solution to our social, economic, and environmental challenges. The University achieved Working Towards Responsible Futures Accreditation following the student led audit in June 2020.

At the University of Chester we adopted the Education for Sustainable - Executive Summary (2021), which defines it as:

"the aim of supporting students from any discipline to acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to develop values and take actions to transition society towards sustainable futures"

At the University of Chester we develop skills in responsible management, ethical consideration, and sustainable development.

Chester Youth Climate Action Network

Chester Youth Climate Action Network (Chester Youth CAN) is a group of young adults with a passion to create positive impacts.

They have three core aims: 

• To help educate children and young people on environmental issues and help facilitate discussions around green skills and careers.  
• To connect sustainability-conscious regional businesses and the local authority with a likeminded younger generation, focusing jointly on creating a greener, more prosperous future for Chester.  
• To be an active and engaging presence at environment-focused events in Chester and the surrounding areas.    

For the past two years, the group has delivered the Youth Conference Day at the Chester Green Expo. Workshops, delivered to students from year 7 to 9, addressed the urgent climate and nature crisis, specifically focusing on biodiversity, energy, home, travel and waste. During a panel discussion with event sponsors, they considered the careers young people want to be available to them, to adopt both sustainable lives and livelihoods.

You can keep up to date with the group by following them on Instagram and Twitter. 

Embedding Sustainability

The Sustainability team supports delivery of sustainability sessions within various modules across a range of disciplines. This ranges from an introduction to what the team do, exploring the impact of day-to-day choices on our carbon footprint and the sustainability of digital marketing. Some examples of how sustainability has been embedded within teaching are detailed below.

Chester Business School

The Chester Business School has integrated Carbon Literacy Training and environmental auditing into a final year module, Tourism Futures. When visiting local hotels and tourist destinations, students apply skills developed in the classroom to evaluate the opportunities to improve the environmental performance of the organisation. In 2020/21, the cohort completed Carbon Literacy training, and the success of this pilot led to Carbon Literacy Training being rolled out to fellow students in 2021/22. We have also delivered the training to various cohorts throughout 2022/23.

Computer Science

Computer Science students have been involved in a proposed project to restore the former Chester Hydroelectric Power station– it’s been out of use for many years–to  a Sustainable Energy Visitor / Education Centre (Chester Hydro Hub).  A group of Level 5 Experiential Learning students designed, built and tested a prototype website and database for the centre, and Level 6 and postgraduate dissertation students have designed, built and tested prototype designs for Virtual Reality exhibits.

Geography and International Development Studies

Each year, the Sustainability team offers projects for students taking Sustainable Futures module in their final year.. Students apply theories of sustainability to real-life projects at the University or in the wider community. This year, there are two projects; one is creating a sustainability checklist for events and the other is researching transport accessibility. 

Performing Arts/Art & Design

Students from the Department of Music, Media and Performance put together a production called ‘Earthquakes in London’. The group worked with the University’s Waste and Recycling Officer to reuse materials to design the sets and reduce environmental impacts.

To discuss how we can support teaching and embedding sustainability, and to access copies of past presentations, please email the Sustainability Team greenchester@chester.ac.uk.

Researching sustainability

The University of Chester is committed to the creation and exchange of knowledge that is:

• Significant and ethical
• Has a recognised impact
• Supports excellence,

And has the goal of creating an enriching vibrant academic community for students and staff and, through:

• cocreation, co-production and co-development with stakeholders
• creates opportunities for developing sustainable cultures and communities

As part of its research strategy, a number of Research and Knowledge Exchange Institutes were formed to support interdisciplinary working including the Sustainability and Environment Research and Knowledge Exchange Institute.

We see our learning sites as a living-lab, supporting students in their learning and skills development. Recently, a final year BSc Forensic Science student conducted a research project that looked to reduce laboratory waste. This project is an example of how student research has the potential to directly influence and impact working practices at the University.  

Eco-Innovation and Sustainable Futures PhD Studentships

There are a variety of PhD research projects focussing on aspects of sustainability;  recovering energy from waste plastics, carbon capture and remediation of acid tar pits are being conducted at the Eco-Innovation Centre on Thornton Science Park. Earlier this year, a PhD studentship was awarded to a project engaging religious perspectives on animal consumption as part of the development of the University's Sustainable Futures scheme. 

Work Experience

We are happy to host students from local high schools to complete a week's work experience if they have an interest in environmental management or broader sustainability. Please email the Sustainability Team - greenchester@chester.ac.uk to discuss your ideas.

Work Based Learning 

Each year, we host students on their five-week Work Based Learning placement. This year, we had four students working with us on multiple projects; creating an engaging presentation for student and staff induction, designing cycle route maps for the Chester area and supporting the Youth Conference Day at this year's Chester Green Expo.