At the end of June, University of Bath hosted the annual EAUC (The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education) Annual Conference. Delving into an array of sustainability focused topics and challenges faced by the Higher and Further Education sector, the theme of the conference this year was 'Conversations on Climate Action'.

Sustainability professionals from across the sector joined this engaging and insightful conference for two-days of rich conversations and discussions on challenging topics. The conference covered all aspects of sustainability, including education, skills and careers, research, finance and procurement, IT, campus decarbonisation, travel and internationalisation, offsetting, partnership working and delivering equitable solutions.

Professor Phil Allmendinger, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, welcomed delegates to University of Bath, acknowledging the significant changes needed in our urban areas to tackle social and environmental issues, while also recognising the complexity of the challenges we all face in the sector.

University of Bath was also invited to share our expertise and experience in climate action and sustainability at this conference: Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh led an inspiring workshop focused on engaging participation in climate change through communication, while Peter Phelps and Jessica Carwardine led a thought-provoking workshop delving into the internationalisation challenge.

The conference was well attended by our colleagues and students, including two newly-appointed Students' Union Sabbatical Officers.

Amber Snary, Students' Union Education Officer, said "Being able to attend the EAUC was an absolute treat - it was indispensable being able to meet so many different representatives and talk about how sustainability can be embedded into both educational practice and EDI. As an Officer, it was great to be able to bring a student-based perspective to these events, and feel included in these important conversations."

David Lam, Students’ Union Activities Officer, said "Having serious conversations about sustainability is important especially in places where decisions are being made. It is just a shame that not enough is being done but at least that it is recognised, specifically with Scope 3 emissions."