27/9/2005

Swansea University is launching a “Sustainability Forum� to help monitor and manage the University’s waste minimisation and energy efficiency. The group will also look at some of the larger issues, such as Fair Trade and climate change, with a view to engaging other partners across Higher Education, the Welsh Assembly and funding councils.

Sustainability is not simply about the environment. Dr. Larch Maxey from the University’s Geography Department explains that “sustainability really affects different aspects of our lives and if we don’t address sustainability now, the impact will be felt in the economy and society as a whole.�

Swansea already has a great deal of experience in managing cutting-edge research into sustainability and is leading the way with a number of innovations that have been introduced on campus. For instance, the University is the first in Wales to achieve Fair Trade status and staff commitment to waste minimisation is also high - the University, in partnership with Shanks Wastes Solutions, has stepped up its recycling policy and collection points for waste paper are now in every department.

The Forum, which includes representatives from other institutions such as the Swansea Institute for Higher Education, will build links and enhance understanding of sustainability issues as well as drawing on the experiences, policies and funding opportunities that have been employed successfully by other organisations. Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard B. Davies commented that “given the wide range of relevant skills and interests across the campus, there are clearly massive opportunities for developing further multi-disciplinary research into sustainability issues. “

The first meeting of the Forum will be held in the University’s Centre for Development Studies between 1pm and 2pm on Tuesday 27 September 2005, with subsequent meetings on the last Tuesday of each month.