How to Embed Environmental Sustainability into Departmental Planning
Environmental Sustainability is one of University of Warwick's strategic prioritiesLink opens in a new window. To support delivery of this priority, in 2026, the University has developed an Environmental Sustainability Strategy Link opens in a new windowthat sets out how sustainability will be embedded across education, research, engagement, campus operations and governance.
This page provides practical actions and suggestions for academic departments and professional services teams. Actions have been organised into key themes and categorised as Quick Wins and Higher Impact Actions to help departments quickly identify opportunities that align with their priorities and resources.
Quick Wins
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Encourage students to obtain the Climate Literacy CertificateLink opens in a new window.
- Highlight the link between sustainability and your courses during Open Days and Offer Holder Days.
- Promote the Student Green ChampionLink opens in a new window community and encourage participation.
- Encourage students to join sustainability-related events Link opens in a new windowon campus.
- Encourage students to engage with the Sustainability Pathway of the Warwick AwardLink opens in a new window.
- Promote sustainability-related extra-curricular activities and volunteering opportunities.
Higher Impact Actions
- Ensure students understand how sustainability relates to their discipline and future employment opportunities.
- Add environmental sustainability as a focus area for student-staff co-creation projects.
- Promote sustainability-related placement opportunities and encourage engagement with sustainability-focused Careers activities.
Quick Wins
- Include sustainability messaging and examples within existing teaching and learning activities where appropriate.
Higher Impact Actions
- Add Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to your departmental Education Strategy.
- Carry out a curriculum review to map Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) competencies, and identify opportunities to further embed sustainability across the curriculum and extracurricular offer.
Quick Wins
- Share departmental initiatives and examples of best practice through University networks.
- Promote ESD Network Link opens in a new windowtermly events.
Higher Impact Actions
- Engage with external partners, professional bodies or accreditation schemes linked to sustainability within your discipline.
- Consider appointing an ESD Lead within the department.
- Promote environmental sustainability research and events organised through the Sustainability SpotlightLink opens in a new window.
- Consider adding relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)Link opens in a new window to staff webpages to demonstrate how research contributes to the sustainability agenda.
- Highlight environmental sustainability research taking place within your department on departmental webpages, including examples of research projects where relevant.
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Add to the agenda of your research committee a review of the alignment of your research practice with the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation PracticeLink opens in a new window
- Develop opportunities for students and researchers to undertake sustainability-related dissertation, Master's project and research activities, including projects that use the University as a living labLink opens in a new window.
- Highlight how your department conducts research sustainably and complies with relevant University policies and frameworks, such as LEAF Link opens in a new windowaccreditation, the Sustainable Research GuidanceLink opens in a new window, Responsible Procurement GuidanceLink opens in a new window, Sustainable Travel GuidanceLink opens in a new window, and Sustainable Events GuidelinesLink opens in a new window.
- Work with regional, national and international stakeholders on sustainability-related research, knowledge exchange and innovation activities.
- Strengthen the integration of environmental sustainability themes within departmental research priorities and research culture.
- Consider developing a departmental level Sustainable Research Practice Guidelines.
- Promote and support staff to engage with sustainability activitiesLink opens in a new window organised by the Energy and Sustainability team.
- Promote the Sustainability Hub.
- Promote Warwick Green RewardsLink opens in a new window.
- Encourage staff and students to become Green ChampionsLink opens in a new window.
- Encourage everyone to consider sustainable transports options to, from and within the University, including video conferencing when appropriate.
- If you have several Green Champions, consider setting up a Green Champions action group and give them the support to succeed (for example, have a standing item on environmental sustainability at your staff meetings or a Green Committee)
- Encourage staff to consider environmental sustainability in all the decision-making processes, whether these are linked to research, education, engagement or operations.
- Consider engaging with regional, national or global stakeholders around environmental sustainability (if applicable)
Quick Wins
- Minimise unnecessary energy consumption by turning off equipment when not in use and reporting any building services that operate outside of normal working hours through the Invida Resolve APP.Link opens in a new window This could include::
- Heating
- Cooling
- Ventilation
- Electricity and
- Water (Hot or Cold)
- More details can be found at
Higher Impact Actions
-
Develop plans to reduce your department’s utilities consumption (electricity, heating, cooling, water, special fluids and gases). Consider and monitor your department's space usage to ensure that we’re not heating and cooling spaces unnecessarily which could be more productively used. More details can be found at
University Energy Usage Policy and Guidance.Link opens in a new window
-
Join a Sustainable Labs programme and make your research space more sustainable.
Quick Wins
- When planning activities, purchases and services, consider how resources can be used more efficiently and kept in circulation for longer, applying circular economy principles and the waste hierarchy Link opens in a new windowby prioritising prevention, reduction, reuse, repair and sharing before recycling or disposal.
- Ensure staff and students are aware of the recycling facilities and where information can be found about how to use these.
- Consider reduce the environmental impact of events. See the Sustainable Event Guide at: How to Run Sustainable Events.Link opens in a new window
- Using up old, branded stuff before buying new, for any questions please contact sustainability@warwick.ac.uk.
-
Keep laptops in use for 4 years, after which the warranty will expire. Always dispose of old or unused assets through IT Services - IT Equipment Disposal Link opens in a new windowto ensure that they are responsibly recycled through our partner.
Higher Impact Actions
- Review goods and services you procure across your department. Look for efficiency savings and consider the waste hierarchy:
- Carefully consider every purchase to ensure that it is necessary.
- Prioritise using existing equipmentLink opens in a new window, this may mean borrowing from within the University.
- Utilise Warwick SwapLink opens in a new window where possible for furniture requirements.
- Consider second hand itemsLink opens in a new window.
- Buy better, consider whole-life cost, focusing on high quality repairable item. See more details at
- Encourage the department to review their use of consumable and single use items such as coffee cups and food packaging.
- Prioritise local purchases.
- Review the facilities available for recycling all relevant waste streams and ensure these are suitable and sufficient. Identify the waste streams within your space and review the central facilities available for recycling. For specific questions contact: wasteandrecycling@warwick.ac.uk
Quick Wins
- Promote biodiversity events and surveysLink opens in a new window to staff and students through departmental communications.
- Use departmental comms channels to raise awareness of local wildlife, seasonal biodiversity campaigns and citizen science opportunities such as butterfly counts or pollinator monitoring.
- Support staff volunteering in on campus biodiversity surveys, habitat management sessions or sustainability events where operationally feasible.
Higher Impact Actions
- Encourage staff and students to record wildlife observations through iNaturalistLink opens in a new window platform.
- Integrate biodiversity into teaching, research or student projects, making use of the campus as a Living LabLink opens in a new window and supporting biodiversity monitoring and habitat enhancement initiatives.
-
Consider the impact on nature when making purchasing decisions.
-
Ensure the sustainability induction training is covered as part of your departmental induction discussions.
-
Have a departmental Sustainability LeadLink opens in a new window (this can be a green champion) and ensure they have a voice in staff meetings to provide updates on sustainability-related topics, while acting as a liaison with the wider University sustainability team.
-
Support individuals who make a substantial commitment to engage with environmental sustainability initiatives as volunteers, whether on campus or beyond, and share best practice at departmental meetings.
-
Have a regular agenda item at departmental meetings and SSLC meetings to discuss sustainability initiatives and offer staff the opportunity to contribute with suggestions.
-
Encourage staff to feedback with ideas or suggestions to reduce the department’s impact on environmental sustainability or to highlight where they identify something to address and make time to celebrate and recognise effort and success in this space.
- Having environmental sustainability as a standing item on all departmental meetings and working groups agendas and build in a requirement to committee TORs to consider environmental factors in all committee decisions.
- Encourage staff to use their PDR discussions to reflect on and plan their contribution to environmental sustainability, helping to embed sustainability within the department’s culture.
-
Consider adding an environmental sustainability assessment section in applications for internal departmental funding support.
-
Setting up departmental environmental sustainability targets and set up progress monitoring processes.
- Promote and support staff to engage with sustainability activitiesLink opens in a new window organised by the Energy and Sustainability team.
- Promote the Sustainability Hub.
- Promote Warwick Green RewardsLink opens in a new window.
- Encourage staff and students to become Green ChampionsLink opens in a new window.
- Encourage everyone to consider sustainable transports options to, from and within the University, including video conferencing when appropriate.
- If you have several Green Champions, consider setting up a Green Champions action group and give them the support to succeed (for example, have a standing item on environmental sustainability at your staff meetings or a Green Committee)
- Encourage staff to consider environmental sustainability in all the decision-making processes, whether these are linked to research, education, engagement or operations.
- Consider engaging with regional, national or global stakeholders around environmental sustainability (if applicable)
Quick Wins
- Minimise unnecessary energy consumption by turning off equipment when not in use and reporting any building services that operate outside of normal working hours through the Invida Resolve APP.Link opens in a new window This could include::
- Heating
- Cooling
- Ventilation
- Electricity and
- Water (Hot or Cold)
- More details can be found at
Higher Impact Actions
-
Develop plans to reduce your department’s utilities consumption (electricity, heating, cooling, water, special fluids and gases). Consider and monitor your department's space usage to ensure that we’re not heating and cooling spaces unnecessarily which could be more productively used. More details can be found at
University Energy Usage Policy and Guidance.Link opens in a new window
Quick Wins
- When planning activities, purchases and services, consider how resources can be used more efficiently and kept in circulation for longer, applying circular economy principles and the waste hierarchyLink opens in a new window by prioritising prevention, reduction, reuse, repair and sharing before recycling or disposal.
- Ensure staff and students are aware of the recycling facilities and where information can be found about how to use these.
- Consider reduce the environmental impact of events. See the Sustainable Event Guide at: How to Run Sustainable Events.Link opens in a new window
-
Keep laptops in use for 4 years, after which the warranty will expire. Always dispose of old or unused assets throughIT Services - IT Equipment DisposalLink opens in a new windowto ensure that they are responsibly recycled through our partner.
Higher Impact Actions
- Review goods and services you procure across your department. Look for efficiency savings and consider the waste hierarchy:
- Carefully consider every purchase to ensure that it is necessary.
- Prioritise using existing equipmentLink opens in a new window, this may mean borrowing from within the University.
- Utilise Warwick SwapLink opens in a new window where possible for furniture requirements.
- Consider second hand itemsLink opens in a new window.
- Buy better, consider whole-life cost, focusing on high quality repairable item. See more details at Responsible Procurement Guidance
- Encourage the department to review their use of consumable and single use items such as coffee cups and food packaging.
- Prioritise local purchases.
- Review the facilities available for recycling all relevant waste streams and ensure these are suitable and sufficient. Identify the waste streams within your space and review the central facilities available for recycling. For specific questions contact: wasteandrecycling@warwick.ac.uk.
Quick Wins
- Promote biodiversity events and surveysLink opens in a new window to staff and students through departmental communications.
- Use departmental comms channels to raise awareness of local wildlife, seasonal biodiversity campaigns and citizen science opportunities such as butterfly counts or pollinator monitoring.
- Support staff volunteering in on campus biodiversity surveys, habitat management sessions or sustainability events where operationally feasible.
Higher Impact Actions
- Encourage staff and students to record wildlife observations through iNaturalistLink opens in a new window platform.
-
Consider the impact on nature when making purchasing decisions.
-
Make sure the sustainability induction training is covered as part of your departmental induction discussions.
-
Having a departmental Sustainability LeadLink opens in a new window (this can be a green champion), who will have an oversight of work being done in this area and offer an expert view when considering sustainability assessment within the department and to the University.
-
Support individuals who make a substantial commitment to engage with environmental sustainability initiatives as volunteers, whether on campus or beyond, and share best practice at departmental meetings.
-
Have a regular agenda item at departmental meetings to discuss sustainability initiatives and offer staff the opportunity to contribute with suggestions.
-
Encourage staff to feedback with ideas or suggestions to reduce the department’s impact on environmental sustainability or to highlight where they identify something to address and make time to celebrate and recognise effort and success in this space.
- Having environmental sustainability as a standing item on all departmental meetings and working groups agendas and build in a requirement to committee TORs to consider environmental factors in all committee decisions.
- Encourage staff to use their PDR discussions to reflect on and plan their contribution to environmental sustainability, helping to embed sustainability within the department’s culture.
-
Consider adding an environmental sustainability assessment section in applications for internal departmental funding support.
-
Setting up departmental environmental sustainability targets and set up progress monitoring processes.