Education for Sustainable Development

The University is a world leader in climate science¹ and renowned for its environmental sustainability leadership². Building your understanding of Sustainable Development is a key part of the experience at the University of Reading, and we’re helping you develop the skills and knowledge you need to help build a sustainable future for all. To do this we are:

Embedding education for sustainable development into the subject curriculum, encouraging the application of subject knowledge and practices to develop an explicit understanding of the challenges facing the wider world
Empowering our students with the knowledge, skills and attributes to contribute solutions to global challenges in an equitable and just way
Ensuring that Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a focus of all subjects at the university, experienced in a way that is authentic to the discipline.

You can find out more about our aspirations on the Sustainability website.

What is ESD? “Education for sustainable development (ESD) is the process of equipping students with the knowledge and understanding, skills and attributes needed to work and live in a way that safeguards environmental, social and economic wellbeing, both in the present and for future generations.’ (The United Nations World Summit, 2005).”

ESD is a central pillar of our approach to delivering quality teaching and learning and has a key role in the design of our programmes, in every subject, including those where traditionally, it has been less explored. We are working together toward the following goals:

Our graduates have a strong understanding of the sustainability challenges we all face and how these apply to their subject discipline
Graduates are enabled and empowered to become effective in positively contributing to sustainability problem-solving in their lives, professions, and communities
We are always looking for ways to maximise opportunities for collaboration between our students, staff and community partners. This helps us to apply insightful and innovative research and projects across our campuses and in our local area to meet the challenges that our world is facing.

Opportunities

We want to give you the opportunity to develop your understanding of climate and environmental sustainability issues, empowering you to act now and in your future career. In addition to working with us to achieve this, we have developed a suite of key modules, such as GV1GC:-Global Challenges: a Planet in Crisis and GV3CCR: Climate Change and the Geographies of Responsibility and a range of short online courses, which are available, regardless of your chosen degree discipline. Speak to your Support Centre to find out what options are available to you.

Sustainability projects

You can get involved with sustainability projects through many of our existing curricular or extra-curricular opportunities. For example:

The RED Awards and RED Sustainable Action Award sees many students take up volunteering opportunities with organisations like ZSL Instant Wild and Zooniverse
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP)
Volunteering

¹Ranked 5th in the world for Atmospheric Science (ShanghaiRanking 2023 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects); 97% of our research in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences is rated world leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*) in REF 2021; awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2021 for our work ‘Tackling the Impacts of Climate Change – from Global to Local’.4th in the People & Planet University League 2024/25^; winner of the inaugural Times Higher Education (THE) Award 2023 for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership; winner of the London Higher Award 2024 for Outstanding Contribution to Sustainability Leadership.

Our commitment to campus sustainability

By using the University’s facilities and surrounds as a ‘Living Lab’, we provide you with opportunities to gain practical skills and direct experience in applying research, help shape how we improve our environmental performance, use our resources efficiently, and work towards a thriving, sustainable university. Students are actively engaged in sustainability across our campuses, here are some examples:

A Living Laboratory

The potential of integrating battery storage with solar panels at the University of Reading (2023)

The University has set an ambitious net-zero target to be achieved by the year 2030. One of the crucial strategies to attain this goal is the incorporation of renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic (PV) panels, into the campus infrastructure. However, the intermittency and unpredictability of these clean energy sources pose challenges in meeting the University's energy demands solely through renewable generation. This research project was undertaken to investigate the potential of integrating battery storage with renewable energy sources, alongside demand-side response techniques, to assess the feasibility of reducing grid electricity imports and increasing reliance on locally produced clean energy. The Wager building on Whiteknights campus was used as the experimental case for this study. The outcomes consistently indicated that a 150 kW battery size proved to be the most suitable choice throughout the year. Through the integration of battery storage and demand-side response measures with renewable energy sources, the University of Reading can substantially advance its pursuit of the net-zero target and reduce its dependency on conventional grid electricity. The recommended 150 kW battery size exhibited significant potential in optimising energy management and sustainability efforts at the Wager building and holds promise as a viable solution for other buildings on campus. The research findings underscore the significance of considering energy storage solutions and demand-side response strategies as essential components of a comprehensive and sustainable energy management plan.

Investigating the effect of aging and potential degradation on the performance of the Sustainable Built Environment solar PV (2023)

As solar energy becomes increasingly cost-effective in the built environment, concern is growing over the performance of solar PV systems as they age. To better understand the performance of a solar PV system beyond the 25 years of operational lifetime predicted by most manufacturers globally, this research examines the performance degradation of the Sustainable Built Environment (SBE) solar PV system at the University of Reading over its 24 years (from 1999) of continuous operation as well as 4 four years (2019 to 2023) of relocation within the Whiteknights campus. The research analyses the energy output data of the system by considering climatic factors such as solar irradiance and temperature. The results showed that the performance drop in the system had a direct relation to the degradation effect in the system. This performance drop was at an average rate of 2.5% per year over its 24 years operation.

Investigating the amount of food waste generated in offices and academic areas on campus (2023)

A student’s MSc dissertation investigates the relatively small amounts of food waste generated in the University’s offices/academic areas, compared with campus restaurants, in order to determine what is the most environmentally sustainable method of collection and disposal of food waste from offices/academic areas: co-collection with general waste which is then sent for incineration with energy recovery, segregation of food which is then sent for anaerobic digestion, segregation of food which is then sent for composting, or a different route. This dissertation is co-supervised by Paul Taylor, Sustainability Officer.

A Victorian Building Retrofit (2023)

Residential buildings are the second largest contributor to carbon emissions in the UK both through their use and construction. Global warming and Net Zero commitments demand a reduction in energy consumption from this sector. This research assesses the impact of retrofit scenarios on energy efficiency and thermal comfort of occupants using a Victorian House on campus. The results show that both thermal comfort and energy consumption are improved across the retrofit scenarios. There is a maximum 22.7% reduction in energy consumption from single retrofit methods in the existing building, which increases to 36.9% where a multi-method, deep retrofit approach that includes ground source heat pump (GSHP) renewable energy technology is used. With or without (Scenario 2) the GSHP, a deep retrofit also results in a maximum 25.7% improvement in occupant thermal comfort. (Credit - Mary Utley)

The effect and arrangements of indoor plants on Indoor Environmental Quality of office (2023)

This study investigates the impact of biophilic design on indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in commercial office spaces. The investigation explores how planting arrangements can affect IEQ factors such as indoor air quality, sound levels, lighting levels, visual comfort, and occupant perception; with the goal of in establishing interior design layouts which enhance occupant comfort by recommending plant species and layouts which improve IEQ conditions. Experiments were performed at JJ-Thompson Building and Chancellors Building (on campus at the University), with and without plants present to measure indoor air quality (CO2, air temperature, relative humidity), sound quality and lighting levels. The study findings aligned with survey responses on occupant perception that plants can positively impact IEQ. CO2 levels decreased, improving indoor air quality, whilst air temperature and relative humidity increased in the presence of plants. Sound levels were positively affected as plants were found to absorb sound in barrier layouts. Additionally, natural lighting periods were more affected by plant presence over artificial settings. (Credit - Hiral Harsad)

Investigating the potential of sustainable roof configurations on a localised Urban Heat Island during Autumn/Winter months (2023)

Urban Heat Island (UHI) has become a global phenomenon in cities. It involves warm pockets of air accumulating above urban areas due to anthropogenic emissions. There is limited research on the mitigation strategies, particularly in cooler months. The aim of this research was to investigate the potential of sustainable roof configurations on a localised UHI during Winter months, using Chancellors Building (on campus at the University). Using sustainable roofing solutions including green and blue roof construction, the effects of UHI can be mitigated considerably. The research has investigated the heat flux between the surface and air to determine the effectiveness of green and blue roofs. Based on the findings, the conventional green roof configuration demonstrated temperatures 2.0°C cooler than the baseline concrete and the blue roof showed 2.2°C cooler than the concrete. From the three configurations, the blue-green roof was most effective, providing a 2.5°C cooler temperature in comparison to the concrete in both warm and cool external Autumn/Winter temperatures. The findings of this study show that implementing a sustainable roofing design can lessen the effects of UHI by lowering the air and surface temperature. (Credit - Hannah Lamming).