Every month, it seems another university is ranked as the highest for this or that issue: student satisfaction, performance rating, world rankings, diversity of courses, student diversity, cheapest university city and so on.
Have you considered factoring in sustainability for your university choice? Many students do, so much so that for over a decade, there has been a sustainability list for the UK’s institutions. The latest list was published recently.
How Can We Calculate Sustainability?
The ranking looks at a number of issues including but not limited to:
- Environmental policy
- Whether there is an Environmental Management System in place
- Sustainability of food and food waste, and water and water waste
- Education and engagement
- It’s energy sources
- Ethical investments and fossil fuel divestment
There are 13 categories in all, each given a rating. Some ratings are weighted as more valuable than others. The scores are then combined to create a total score and the rankings published.
The ranking for 2020 will be published in spring.
What Were the Top Performers?
University of Gloucestershire
This university came first with an incredible score of 80.6%. This isn’t the first year they hit the top spot. Last time was way back in 2008. It’s a welcome return to the top of the sustainability league and the university management is particularly delighted. It has long been a goal of University of Gloucestershire and they have consistently been in the top 10 since they last topped it.
Manchester Metropolitan University
Scoring highly in many other league tables, Manchester’s second university came a very close second at 79.9%. Manchester Metropolitan is no stranger to the higher echelons of sustainability. They came top in 2013, third in 2016 and has strived to maintain high performance every year. Manchester aims to hit the top spot again next year but for now, happy to settle for second.
Nottingham Trent University
Third was this university with 75.2%. Another university that is no stranger to sustainability and trying to do the right thing by the planet. At the end of 2018, Nottingham Trent was ranked fifth in the world for its sustainability work by a different organisation using different criteria. Clearly, they take their duty to the planet as importantly as they take their duty to the students.
The Worst Performing University?
That dubious honour went to Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance with a score of just 9.8%, scoring 0% in eight categories. While this might seem shocking, it’s important to note that People & Planet, the organiser of this ranking, give automatic scores of 0% to any of the 13 measures where no information is available.
On its own website, Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance lists a strategic plan for conserving the beautiful park which surrounds it, and to implement energy saving throughout the historic building and grounds.