The Environment and Sustainability Working Group consists of staff and student volunteers, who meet monthly to ensure we’re delivering on our action plan. The group was formed in September 2022, and as we approach our third-year anniversary, we’re looking back on another successful academic year.

This year, we have:   

• Had our first ever carbon footprint measurement completed by SUMS Consulting. Our CO2 emissions for the 2023/24 financial year was 114.4 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent). We will now explore how we can reduce our footprint, with the next carbon footprint measurement taking place in late 2026 for the 2025–26 year (breakdown below).

• Achieved silver accreditation from the Hedgehog Friendly Campus scheme alongside the OU, with the help of our Hedgehog Friendly Campus student volunteers. There have been two main strands to our work in this area – to help raise awareness and to make changes on campus to improve wildlife habitats. Our activities have included litter picks, insect hotel building at a local pre-school and nursery, and setting up hedgehog feeding stations on campus.

• Held a partnership event with SOS UK and the OU on ‘Empowering Futures: Brand Value and Sustainability, Employability and Responsible AI in Education’, which was attended by colleagues and students from across the sector.

• Rolled out a sustainability briefing for Student Reps to use in their meetings with the OU, to ensure sustainability is on the agenda.

• Collaborated with the OU on an initiative to reduce disposable cup use on campus. A surcharge of 25p on disposable cups was introduced in The Hub (catering outlet on the Milton Keynes campus). The trial saw a 40% reduction in disposable cups used, and the initiative was made permanent.

• Included sustainability in all Open SU staff role descriptions.

• Hosted sustainability-themed events, including a ‘How Bad Are Bananas?’ game for Great Big Green Week in June 2025, and plant propagation and bug hotel workshops at the Big Meet-up on 5 July. 

We look forward to continuing to amplify the student voice on sustainability across Open SU and the University, for the next year to come and beyond!

If you have any ideas or feedback for us on sustainability, please get in touch at oustudents-projects@open.ac.uk.

Carbon footprint breakdown