Curriculum Teams

Commitment to ESD in learning, teaching and research

Bangor University is committed to becoming ‘the Sustainable University’ through the University’s Strategic Plan and sustainability policy. By emphasising sustainability, aiming for an international and ‘best in class’ reputation for its commitment to sustainable development, and by setting short and long term targets to integrate all aspects of sustainability into daily operations, it is contributing not only to its own sustainability but also to that of the region and the world in the context of its rich, natural environment and in terms of social cohesion, financial stability, and resource efficiency.

What this means for students is that the University provides excellent education and student experiences, and ensures that the development of the curriculum reflects this commitment to sustainable development and global citizenship. This approach also enhances teaching and research success by aiming to foster a culture that values and promotes sustainability alongside business and enterprise activities.

ESD support and training for staff

Bangor’s staff development team and the trades unions work with the Sustainability Lab to offer informal and structured support and training to help all staff integrate ESD into the curriculum and their work as part of Bangor’s ongoing commitment to its staff’s Continuing Professional Development programme to ensure continual improvement of its learning, teaching, research and other activities. This support and training includes discussions about ESD, opportunities to explore and develop collaborations, and support to develop ESD teaching, learning, research and work resources.

Get in touch with us to find out what’s on offer.

Find out more and get involved

Bangor’s Sustainability Lab share the University’s progress to integrate ESD into the curriculum as part of our journey towards becoming “The Sustainable University”. We welcome all comments as to whether or not the University is succeeding in its ambitious goals, and encourage all students and staff to get involved in steering the process.

To find out more about progress and developments on integrating ESD into Bangor’s curriculum and some of the projects and activities already underway, explore the Sustainability Lab news and events pages, Facebook and Twitter, or get in touch with the Sustainability Lab team for an informal chat.

Sustainability Education in Action

The University offers a large number of courses with direct links to real-world sustainability issues. Students can have the opportunity to conduct projects and get involved with practical sessions which consider the sustainability of University operations and how future developments can be shaped by sustainability considerations.

DXX4535 Research Planning and Communication: Work with real environmental data (Waste and Energy) from Bangor University buildings to develop research and analysis skills. Students complete a small project with conclusions and recommendations for the Sustainability Lab/Campus Environmental Performance Team using a dataset of their choice. A scientific poster, practice note or briefing paper is produced.
DXX4524 Strategic Environmental Management: Staff from Sustainability Lab/Campus Environmental Performance Team lead sessions based on their own expertise and work both within University and with other businesses, on Global Environmental Issues, Future Proofing and eco-design, Environmental Performance Indicators. Real data on the energy consumption of Bangor University buildings is used to teach energy auditing and assessments skills.
DXX4525 Green technologies: Assess the success of renewable technologies on the Bangor University estate in a practical session.
DXX4518 Business Planning for Green Economies: Students develop business plans to target sustainability issues. Recent students have created business plans for a wide range of projects including; renewable energy generation for Bangor University, recyclable coffee cups, environmental education, a vegan micro-brewery.
Sustainability Master’s Projects: A huge variety of sustainability-related Master’s projects are conducted by Bangor University students every year supported by staff with active sustainability research projects and interests. Projects this year have included:
- An evaluation of the context of adoption of agroforestry techniques
- What discourses of nature and the environment inform and inspire rewilding activists?
- Combining farmer’s local knowledge with ecological surveys
- Impact of warming on the growing conditions of Aspen trees
- Meta-analysis of wind farm guidelines to manage the mortality risk to bats
- Quantifying the impact of climate change on forest biodiversity