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The Edinburgh academics supporting the Youth Strikes for Climate

School children striking over inaction on climate change originated in Sweden, with 15 year old Greta Thunberg protesting outside her Government’s buildings. Today, similar demonstrations are being held in 60 towns and cities across the UK as students express their concerns over the worsening impacts of climate change. 

We hear from University of Edinburgh academics that recently signed an open letter of support for the British climate change school strikes about their motivations for signing.

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Living plastic free in Edinburgh

Laura is an Environmental Protection and Management MSc student at the University of Edinburgh with a passion for living sustainably. She strives to live a lifestyle that creates as little waste as possible, known as the zero waste lifestyle. In this blog, she discusses the ways students and staff can reduce their plastic waste and the array of shops dedicated to zero waste in Edinburgh.

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28 ways to make 2019 your most sustainable year yet

Megan McGrath, Communications Coordinator, provides ideas for New Year’s Resolutions that make a difference. 

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Aligned with 1.5 degrees: The University of Edinburgh and Climate Change

Dr Elizabeth Vander Meer shares University progress in relation to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report “Global Warming of 1.5° C”.

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Change

What are the current and future opportunities for the University of Edinburgh and educational institutions to work towards the Sustainable Development Goals?

Sonja Peacock reflects on her work placement with the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability over the Summer.

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Sustainability Heroes: Jo Green

To mark ECO Week 2017, which aims to promote the wide range of careers related to the environment and sustainability, we are profiling a range of professionals who are leading the way within the sustainability sector. We’re calling them our ‘Sustainability Heroes’!

Throughout the week we will publish a series of short, snappy interviews that give us insight into their day to day life at work, what motivates them, and how they got to where they are.

Our fourth Sustainability Hero for ECO Week 2017 is Jo Green, Chief Officer – Performance & Innovation for Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

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Sustainability Heroes: Jonathan Hughes

To mark ECO Week 2017, which aims to promote the wide range of careers related to the environment and sustainability, we are profiling a range of professionals who are leading the way within the sustainability sector. We’re calling them our ‘Sustainability Heroes’!

Throughout the week we will publish a series of short, snappy interviews that give us insight into their day to day life at work, what motivates them, and how they got to where they are.

Our third Sustainability Hero for ECO Week 2017 is Jonathan Hughes, Chief Executive for Scottish Wildlife Trust.

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Sustainability Heroes: Cat Hirst

To mark ECO Week 2017, which aims to promote the wide range of careers related to the environment and sustainability, we are profiling a range of professionals who are leading the way within the sustainability sector. We’re calling them our ‘Sustainability Heroes’!

Throughout the week we will publish a series of short, snappy interviews that give us insight into their day to day life at work, what motivates them, and how they got to where they are.

Our second Sustainability Hero for ECO Week 2017 is Cat Hirst, Head of Learning & Innovation for UK Green Building Council.

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Sustainability Heroes: Andrew Pendleton

To mark ECO Week 2017, which aims to promote the wide range of careers related to the environment and sustainability, we are profiling a range of professionals who are leading the way within the sustainability sector. We’re calling them our ‘Sustainability Heroes’!

Throughout the week we will publish a series of short, snappy interviews that give us insight into their day to day life at work, what motivates them, and how they got to where they are.

Our first Sustainability Hero for ECOweek 2017 is Andrew Pendleton, Head of Campaigns for Friends of the Earth.

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Food Sharing Edinburgh

We throw away 7 million tonnes of food in the UK every year. Half is perfectly edible, and the other half has been left to decay as result of poor management and a broken economic, political and social system. More than 800 million people in the world go to sleep hungry, even though the waste produced by Europe alone would be sufficient to feed them.

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Global Ethical Finance Forum 2015

By Liz Cooper, Research and Policy Manager

Ethics, social responsibility and sustainability are attracting more and more attention in the world of finance and investment, following financial crisis and recessions, and in the context of climate change. This month, Edinburgh hosted the first Global Ethical Finance Forum, organised by Middle East Global Advisors.

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Upcycling materials at the City Croft community garden

by Allison Palenske

Whole-systems thinking, closed loop and cradle-to-cradle design are common terms used within the discourse of the sustainability sector––within a theoretical framework these concepts seem viable and ideal in solving many issues arising from our current way of living. But on a much more tangible level, how can the process of creating a sustainable food-growing space reflect systems-thinking practicalities in design, build and maintenance?

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Work-based placement: garment supply chains

By Eilidh Morrison

As is the case for most university students, April is often one of the busier and more stressful months of the year. Essay deadlines are looming, exams are fast approaching and master’s students are frantically planning their dissertation research. I am on the Environment and Development MSc, which means I belong to the School of Geosciences. Many of my colleagues are abroad doing field research, whilst some others have decided to complete desk-based research in Edinburgh. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to complete a Work Based Placement in the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability within the University of Edinburgh looking into garment supply chains. Upon completion of the placement, I will write a report for the Department, the findings of which I can then use towards my MSc Dissertation.

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