Resource hub

Environmental Sustainability policy

The Students Association's Board of Trustees has approved our Environmental Sustainability Policy, which cements our commitment to the sustainability work we are doing.

This policy defines sustainability in our organisation, sets out our principles and objectives in this area and shares plans for monitoring and review.

Sustainability for students

Fully funded Carbon Literacy Training - available to OU students and staff which gives a solid awareness of climate change and the climate impacts of our everyday actions. You can read reviews of the training in this article on The Hoot.
Environmental Footprint Calculator - find out how big your environmental footprint is and what you can do to improve it. This calculator is UK-based.
Did you know you can become a member of the Environmental Association of Universities an d Colleges (EAUC) which is the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education? The Open University has membership of the EAUC, and membership is open to all OU students and staff with benefits including a monthly newsletter, excellent online resources, and communities of practice, as well as regional meetings. Please email gogreen@open.ac.uk if you are interested in becoming a member.
Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK) is a student-led education charity focusing on sustainability where you can access learning and events in their learning academy including starting a social enterprise, leadership and incorporating sustainability into your career.

Careers in sustainability

The Open University's Careers and Employability Service offers some resources on green skills and their high value for many organisations that are prioritising sustainability. This includes the free learning on OpenLearn's sustainability hub. The service also has a Career opportunities page for courses related to Environment and Development or you can also search 'sustainability' on the OpportunityHub to find related vacancies.

The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) is an organisation that connects people working in sustainability across different industries.

As a student, you can join the IEMA for £30 per year (with a 40% discount if you have a TOTUM card!). If you aim to have a career furthering sustainability, you can link your studies to your future profession by being an IEMA student member. Membership includes toolkits, events and networking, webinars, news, a magazine subscription and more. If your course is IEMA approved you can get this membership for free! Contact your course tutor to ask if your course is approved and they can provide the join code.

The Green Careers Hub highlights the importance of sustainability work within all sectors and inspiring green skills in all careers. The Hub offers guidance on finding work experience, mentoring and information on training and apprenticeships.

Voluntary and student roles in relevant sustainability organisations also help add to your employability, experience and skill set. If you would like to get in touch with us to get involved in the Environment and Sustainability Working Group or Society please do get in touch with us at oustudents-insights@open.ac.uk

The University

The OU has dedicated and experienced sustainability advocates across the University. You can find training for students, a comprehensive list of sustainability-related modules and courses and details of research and outreach projects in partnership with the University.

Sustainability at The Open University
People & Planet University League - see where UK universities are ranked on environmental and ethical performance.
OpenLearn has over 60 free short courses relating to nature and the environment including 'Could we control our climate?', 'Eating for the environment', 'Introducing environmental decision making' and 'Why are nonhuman animals victims of harm?'. These courses vary in study hours from as little as two to 24 hours and are pitched at different levels: introductory, intermediate and advanced.
The Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Changemakers programme. This initiative gives the opportunity for students to work together on projects that promote sustainability throughout the curriculum.
Educate, Measure, Speak up: How businesses can get ahead with environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy

Wildlife on our campus

Hedgehog Friendly Campus is 'designed to protect hedgehogs...to enhance hedgehog habitat...to educate others on how they can help' and we are excited to have Hedgehog ambassadors here at the University and Students Association.
Contact us to get involved in litter picks, campaigning, social media support and tips on building hedgehog-friendly habitats. This could include a visit to the Milton Keynes OU campus or helping hedgehogs in your area!
You can also read more about helping hedgehogs in your area on the British Hedgehog Preservation Society website.

If you are passionate about these tiny, adorable creatures, why not become a Hedgehog Street Champion? Becoming a champion is free and you will get access to resources you can print and use for events and a discussion thread to chat and get ideas from other wildlife enthusiasts. To track of how many Hedgehog Street Champions we have recruited from the OU, could you please also forward your confirmation email to hedgehog-friendly@open.ac.uk?
If you want to do something to help hedgehogs in 30 seconds, sign this petition. It proposes adding hedgehogs to the Wildlife and Countryside Act. This will add more protection for these animals which are now on the endangered species list.

Add hedgehogs to schedule 5 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 - Petitions
Keep an eye on our Sustainability news page for upcoming events you can get involved in to protect wildlife and promote biodiversity in your area.

Giki Zero

The Open University has a brand new sustainability habit tracking tool called Giki where you can calculate and then work to reduce your individual carbon footprint. There are daily tips and challenges throughout the year to inspire you to implement more sustainable habits in your everyday life and the app is free of charge. Giki also runs webinars throughout the year on topics including digital sustainability, plant-based eating, travel and more.

If you experience any problems with your Giki account, please contact sustainability@open.ac.uk

Information and statistics on climate change

Climate Change Committee - read UK progress reports, carbon budgets, Net Zero reports and more.
Climate Action Tracker - this is a fantastic resource for reading up-to-date data and analysis on relevant policies and actions, Nationally Determined Contribution targets and climate finance for any country in the world.
Earth Overshoot Day tells us what day of the year, people on Earth exhaust nature's budget for the year.
The Solutions Project have a 100% renewable energy vision. On their website, you can explore what this looks like in each country by clicking on their interactive map.
The Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit have produced a report on How the ‘Big Four’ emitters – China, US, India and the EU – could play their part in bending the global emissions curve to point downwards.
Oxfam's report on Climate Inequality: A Planet for the 99%.

Coping with eco-anxiety

Go Green: What is Eco Anxiety? This is a free Open University workshop on how to cope with the climate and ecological crisis and the emotions that this can unearth in us.
Introducing Climate Psychology: facing the climate crisis. This is another free course offered by OpenLearn. This 12-hour course combines a range of disciplines including social theory, psychoanalysis and ecopsychology to understand emotional responses to the climate crisis and develop a personal action plan for yourself.
The Climate Psychology Alliance offers support, resources and training.

Quizzes and interactive activities

The EN-ROADS Simulator allows you to have a go at changing different factors to see what cross-sector solutions we need to implement to stay below 1.5C.
The Financial Times Climate Game asks players to try to reach net zero by 2050 by making a variety of choices in investments, industry, travel, buildings and more.

Good news to spread positivity and hope

Thinking about the environment and climate change can be draining and very worrying. Although it is important to act now, reading some good news stories may help you to maintain some positivity and motivation.

Positive News has an environment page and shares a range of uplifting stories including a section on 'what went right this week'.
The Daily Climate Good News

Changes you can implement today

Eat less hard cheese and animal products. Choosing plant-based options benefits the environment. You can read more in this article by Cambridge Carbon Footprint.
Plastic swaps:

Swap out plastic is written on an image of the Earth. Surrounding this are tips to reduce plastic including never leave home without your water bottle, get bamboo toothbrushes, bring your own cups and cutlery, bring your own shopping bag, grow plants in old plastic food containers or bags, get refillable pens.

Poster by Alana, OU student winner of our Earth Day 2024 poster competition.

Contact the Association's Environment and Sustainability Working Group