Our sustainable development goals
The below sustainable development goals are relative to UN Sustainability Goals, identifying how Edge Hill University will aim to achieve those goals.
See UN Sustainability GoalsGoal 1
1.1 By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day.
- EHU provides vouchers for Morrisons/other food outlets for students who are really struggling financially.
- EHU conducted case study of Living Wage Campaign in the UK and published results.
- Presentation Event was held on Reducing In-Work Poverty: The Living Wage Campaign in the UK.
- EHU provided school meals packages for the local region to assist parents during the government withdrawal of support.
1.2 By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions.
- EHU provides a student information centre for financial advice and workshops.
- EHU provides a hardship fund for those who are unable to fully afford education.
Goal 2
2.1 By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.
- Caterers review the nutritional quality of food and identify products and practices that can be changed to improve nutritional value.
- Regular donations to Ormskirk foodbank by EHU staff take place
- Caterer promote seasonal fruit and vegetables to customers and engage suppliers to measure amount of fruit/veg used
- EHU provides vouchers for Morrisons/other food outlets for students who are really struggling financially.
- EHU provided school meals packages for the local region to assist parents during the government withdrawal of support.
2.3 By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.
- EHU promotes their sustainable food to customers, increasing awareness and sales.
- Catering promote the use of free-range eggs at every opportunity.
- EHU are Certified with the green kitchen certification, and the red tractor certification.
2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
- EHU investigate ways of increasing higher welfare meat through cost neutral methods such as portion size and looking for value cuts.
- EHU ensure Fairtrade products are promoted with annual events taking place.
- Targets are set for increasing the use of seasonal produce on previous year.
- EHU make sure all menus reflect the seasons – at least 3 (major) items per dish will be served in the season it is naturally abundant in this country.
- EHU ensure that 100% of meat meets the Red Tractor Assured standards as a minimum and look to increase the amount of meat reared under systems with higher animal welfare.
- EHU working to increase the sales of food from plant origin as an alternative to meat and dairy, focusing on health, wellbeing and the reduced impact to the environment.
- EHU working to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables used grown from systems that cause least harm to the environment, where possible.
Goal 3
3.4 By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and wellbeing.
3.8 Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
- EHU run a series of events such as Feel Good Food Days and Wellbeing Week promotions.
- Couch to 5k Running Group exists.
- Allotment engagement is encouraged at our on-site facility called, “The Sanctuary”.
- Free massages, petting zoo on campus, walks, bird watching, origami, workshops about food vs mental health are all put on over the year.
- Counselling service for staff and students is available.
- There is an initiative where students anonymously nominate other students who they deem are “at risk”.
- Stressed out students’ campaign – all involved chipped in for free sauna/steam room/classes.
- Mental health forum/’student minds’ society – involving local ‘celebrities’/professionals/staff, have been put on for students as part of the SU.
- Staff Professional Development Workshops – include Health & Wellbeing, resilience, and more are available.
- Jazz of Joy – team wellbeing service event has been hosted for staff.
Goal 4
Ensure inclusive, equitable quality education, promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.
- EHU’s policies across the board respect individuals regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, sex, gender reassignment, religion/belief, sexual orientation, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity.
- EHU works hard to harness the creativity, knowledge and commitment of its staff to promote its values and enhance its activities.
- EHU run an outreach programme with local schools with targets to include those with less well-off backgrounds in access to high-quality education.
- Strategic Policy Planning Unit (SPPU) look at who enters in to education at EHU – there are more students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds at EHU.
- Student Opportunity Fund exists to aid those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds obtain internships and more… provides some funding.
4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
- Staff Professional Development Workshops – include Health & Wellbeing, resilience, and more are available.
- EHU strives to provide an outstanding student experience, underpinned by high quality learning and teaching, and further develop its strong sense of community.
- EHU strives to strengthen its links to business and the region and enhance student employability.
- Careers service – provides help and focuses on those with disadvantaged backgrounds/in care/disabled and more.
4.5 By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.
- Accessibility for disabled people is generally good around campus.
- Learning facilitators are employed for those with learning difficulties.
- Recruitment team are currently working to diversify the student body.
4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.
- EHU strives to provide an outstanding student experience, underpinned by high quality learning and teaching, and further develop its strong sense of community.
- Summer course exists for those who didn’t do well in GCSE/A-Levels.
- Summer programme allows high school students to experience university.
4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
- Build its research capacity and, in particular, establish research centres in the areas of public policy and the creative industries in addition to a postgraduate medical institute.
- Check that curriculum meets national standards, including global citizenship as developed by the CLT (centre of learning and teaching).
- Education/ CLT (Centre for Learning & Teaching) incorporate social justice and equality into their courses (global citizenship, culture, and more).
Goal 5
5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
- Equalities – Festival of Ideas – celebrates 100 years of women’s rights to vote.
- Respecting individuals regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, sex, gender reassignment, religion/belief, sexual orientation, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity.
- Recruitment team are working to diversify the student body.
- A, B, and C applicable to both targets.
Goal 6
6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
- Ensure tap water is available at every catering outlet.
- Regular water audits and management recommendations.
Goal 7
7.1.2 Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technology
- EHU have committed to develop proposals looking into the feasibility to install additional Photovoltaic cells on campus
- Upgrading of heating systems in the Main building to move away from wet heating systems to reduce energy use
To develop a Carbon Management Plan, in line with the University’s Strategic Plan, that sets out the pathway to a carbon neutral campus. This will include a review of energy metering infrastructure so that building energy usage can be monitored and updated more accurately
Carry out an upgrade of the heating and lighting of the Stanley and Clough wings of the Main Building, moving away from a more energy and carbon intensive wet heating system and increasing the thermal insulation of the building
Goal 7
9.4 By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.
- Seek to reduce the number of deliveries made to site by suppliers and ascertain from suppliers the sustainable credentials of their transport fleet.
- Car sharing scheme.
- Campus-led cycle hire scheme.
- CO2 emissions reduction.
- Reduce the University estates carbon intensity (kgCO2/m2).
- Reduce our Scope 3 emissions.
- Continue its investment in the campus and facilities to create an outstanding environment for these activities.
- Excess heat from media building funnelled into sports complex
- Incorporating energy efficient measures when things need replacing
- Heating and cooling guidance to comply with the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
- Design new construction projects to optimal environmental standard, cognisant of BREEAM or Passivhaus targets where relevant and achievable.
- New buildings, green campus.
9.5 Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.
- Build its research capacity and, in particular, establish research centres in the areas of public policy and the creative industries in addition to a postgraduate medical institute.
- Establish both national and international partnerships, which will enrich university life, deepen our understanding of the world, and benefit the region and, more broadly, the UK economy.
- Funding from the Webb Memorial Trust for the Institute for Public Policy & Professional Practice to research concepts of a good society.
Goal 11
11.2 By 2030 provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notable by expanding public transport with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons
- EHU provide the EdgeLink bus free of charge to all staff and students to travel safely between Ormskirk and campus
Goal 12
12.2 By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
- Targets to increase the sales of food from plant origin as an alternative to meat and dairy, focusing on health, wellbeing and the reduced impact to the environment.
- Targets to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables used grown from systems that cause least harm to the environment, where possible.
- Site sub-metering to monitor water use has been suggested by United Utilities (UU).
- Leak detection programme, pressure management scheme, and water efficiency surveys were proposed by UU.
- “Emergency backup static or reactive water supplies” suggested by UU.
- Flush reducing devices and flow control devices recommended by UU.
- Water saving shower heads were recommended by UU.
12.3 By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
- “Find out how much food we waste per week and continue to regularly monitor the amount whilst seeking to reduce it.”.
- “Increase recycling of mixed paper and card and co-mingled dry recycling from sources generated by the catering staff and restaurant users so that 50% of waste is recycled.”.
- “Measure and reduce the amount of disposables used (measured as a value percentage of sales), move to biodegradable where possible”.
- “Investigate ways of reducing the amount of meat used, focusing on appropriate portion sizes and zero wastage”.
- Waste Management strategy doc.
- “To reduce carbon emissions from waste management by 40% from a 2008/09 baseline by 2016.”.
- Waste streams managed, food waste is there back of house (Catering)
12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.
- “Increase recycling of mixed paper and card and co-mingled dry recycling from sources generated by the catering staff and restaurant users so that 50% of waste is recycled.”
- “Measure and reduce the amount of disposables used (measured as a value percentage of sales); move to biodegradable where possible”
- Waste Management strategy doc
- Reduce waste to landfill
- Sustainability Week – Crafternoon sessions
- Sustainability Week – Think Green campaigns including ‘The Last Straw’ to remove plastic straws from SU and replace with compostable, as well as working with catering re cutlery cups and containers.
- Sustainability Week – Ormskirk Clean-up with community.
- When department moves occur, evaluate if furniture can be reused/recycled before disposing.
- Develop comprehensive SWMP’s for all construction projects over £300,000. (to comply with Site Waste Management Plans Regulations 2008).
- Multi-functional printing services are available on campus, with more submissions online than printed – paper use has reduced.
- Most library resources also available online.
12.6 Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.
- Implementation of the EMS
12.8 By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.
- Sustainability Week – Eco Lounge set up – an “engaging educational zone for students around the concepts of sustainability”
- Sustainability Week – Omskirk Clean-up with community
- Forest school on campus for children from schools to learn more about nature and the outdoors
- Check that curriculum meets national standards, including global citizenship as developed by the CLT (centre of learning and teaching)
Goal 13
13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
- Procedure for adverse weather and more. Snow, flooding, and more.
- Sustainability Week – Eco Lounge set up – an “engaging educational zone for students around the concepts of sustainability”.
- Sustainability Week – Switch Off electrical appliances/light’s sticker competition.
- Sustainability Week – Campfire & Marshmallows evening.
- Check that curriculum meets national standards, including global citizenship as developed by the CLT (centre of learning and teaching)
Goal 14
14.1 By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.
- Sign Sustainable Fish Cities pledge.
- Recommendation for new fish species not to be introduced into ponds.
- Working with Tyrer Partnership ecological consultants (for red-listed plant relocation).
- Sustainability Week – Think Green campaigns including ‘The Last Straw’ to remove plastic straws from SU and replace with compostable, as well as working with catering re cutlery cups and containers.
- Measures are being taken to limit pesticides used on campus.
Goal 15
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
15.5 Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
- Sign Sustainable Fish Cities pledge.
- Tree planting.
- Bird boxes to be in suitable locations; and bat boxes have been purchased.
- Recommendation for freshly cut hay to be spread.
- Recommendation for new fish species not to be introduced into ponds.
- Working with Tyrer Partnership ecological consultants (for red-listed plant relocation).
- Around the Sports Centre: New ecological features and wildlife habitats have been created, linking mixed-woodland areas and footpaths to Ruff Wood. Wildflower meadows, open grassland and a new wildlife pond have been cultivated, alongside structural screen planting and hedgerow replacement.
Goal 16
16.6 Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
- Policies, strategies & action plan reports are published online with summaries from regularly convened sustainability related groups made accessible to the public domain.
16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
- The organisational structure has been developed year after year to ensure an inclusive and transparent decision-making process.
- This includes the formation of the Sustainability Group that provides a platform for gross-departmental direction.
Goal 17
17.14 Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development.
- Economic, social, environmental and governance dimensions of sustainable development is considered at all stages of policy making with sustainable targets prioritised in the University Strategic Plan.
17.16 Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries.
17.17 Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
- The launch of SustainNET has created partnerships between the community, academia, professional and support staff.