Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) has been named a 2:1 university in the People & Planet University League, and ranked 50th out of the 124 universities that received a classification (first class, 2:1, third class – reflecting the structure of the degree classification system). The university ranked highly in several categories including Auditing and EMS, Environmental Policy and Sustainability Staff.
People & Planet is the largest student network in the UK campaigning for social and environmental justice. Their mission is to build an empowered generation of change-makers who will be a force for change in achieving a more equitable and sustainable world.
AUB received a total score of 53.1%, climbing 18 places from the previous report. Up against much larger institutions, this is a fantastic achievement for the University. And when the results are filtered by size (universities with 5,000 students or less), AUB is second in the UK.
The latest league was published in December and received coverage in The Guardian. 151 institutions were assessed on 13 categories including environmental policy and strategy, ethical investment and banking, carbon management and reduction and workers’ rights.
Looking to the future, James Jackson, Environment and Sustainability Manager at AUB, comments, “This is another wonderful achievement by the AUB community. It demonstrates our connected commitments to people and environment. As well as being an environmental achievement this framework values diversity, wellbeing, ethical finances, and widening participation.
“But we must not stand still with the progress we are making. A People & Planet team has been established to progress up the League in the future."
Moving forward, AUB is focusing on six key areas: minimising emissions and utility usage, sustainable resource management, reducing emissions associated with travel, managing the estate efficiently, promoting biodiversity and fairtrade, and developing staff and student awareness and engagement.
