Welcome to your May newsletter
Posted on 7 May 2025
New geothermal energy project
This month we have launched an exciting deep geothermal energy project to support the University Sustainability Plan 2030 and significantly progress our Net Zero ambitions. The first three-year phase - backed by a £35 million government grant - will explore sustainable heating for campus buildings.
This initiative aims to reduce fossil fuel use by 78%, while advancing research and education in sustainable energy.
Green Impact Lab Accreditation launch
This spring we have launched a new element of the successful Green Impact programme.
Green Impact Lab Accreditation (or GILA) has been created specifically to support research wet labs who may need a sustainability accreditation in order to apply to certain funding bodies, such as Wellcome or Cancer Research UK. Each laboratory completes the necessary actions, is audited, then receives a nationally standardised GILA certificate. The certificate demonstrates progress towards embedding sustainability in research.
Teams are now invited to join the Toolkit now and work towards receiving their accreditation in the autumn.
Newly released Carbon Literacy Training dates
Want to learn more about climate change, its origins, its impacts and tangible steps to address it? Join one of our cohort training sessions below by emailing sustainability@york.ac.uk with the month you’d like to attend, and become carbon literate certified. Open and free of charge to staff and students. Please note, you must be able to attend both dates of a single cohort.
June 2025 - Cohort 21 (online Zoom)
- Session 1 - Fri 13th June - 9:00- 13:00
- Session 2 - Fri 20th June - 9:00- 13:00
July 2025 - Cohort 22 (in person on campus)
- Full day session - Fri 25th July - 9:00- 17:30
Shop, Save and Sustain Donation
Through the ‘Shop, Save and Sustain Scheme’ at campus food outlets, Eat, Shop and Drink have been able to donate £3,600 to The Collective Sharehouse, a local community food support group. This funding will help ensure that vulnerable individuals have access to hygiene products, food, and essential household items.
The primary goal of the scheme is to tackle food waste on campus, but it also raises money for local charities and gives staff and students a chance to grab a bargain!
Learn more about Shop, Save and Sustain or The Collective Sharehouse.
Student Union 'Sustainable Development Grant' news
Congratulations to the three latest successful applicants awarded York SU's Sustainable Development Grant funding:
- Technical Theatre Society have been awarded funding to roll out the use of rechargeable batteries in their operations - reducing the waste generated by their activities.
- Beekeeping Society have been awarded funding to invest in hives and PPE equipment to kickstart their activities.
- The grant is also sponsoring the Schools' Climate Action Support Event and the KS3 and 4 York Sustainable Cities workshop run by staff at the Department for Education.
If you feel inspired by these latest grant winners, the deadline to apply for our next funding review is 9th May. Applications must address at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals. Students are given priority access to the grant and we are keen to receive more student applications this year, however staff members are also encouraged to apply.
For more information, and to apply, visit the York SU Sustainability pages.
Dip into something a bit different with International Pathway College (IPC)
This year IPC has been working on a Green Impact Project on ‘The Role of Knowledge in Advancing Sustainability’. On the webpage you can listen to their podcast episode called "Inside 'INCLUDE'", where Amie-May interviews Jamie Wood, co-chair of INCLUDE, the University's Staff Disability Advocacy Group, which delves into both social and environmental sustainability topics.
Carbon Chronicles is a collaborative newsletter between the IPC and the City of York Council. Amie-May Wilson, Student Support Advisor at the college, interviewed Issy Burkitt, one of the council’s Carbon Reduction Officers, discussing challenges, achievements, community engagement, and future goals.
Student Opportunities
New Green Impact Labs Auditor Opportunity
SOS-UK and the University are offering an exciting student opportunity, to receive IEMA-approved training on sustainability auditing in labs, and put your newfound skills into practice by conducting Green Impact lab audits. No prior experience is needed, just a willingness to try something new!
We are particularly interested in students with some experience working in labs or from a sciences faculty due to the nature of the audit work, but this isn’t essential.
The training and audits will be all day Tuesday 14th October (with breaks built in). This is an opportunity for students who will still be studying from September.
The training will support you to develop and practice transferable employability skills including communication, teamwork, decision-making, time management, and organisation. You’ll also develop a better understanding of sustainability in the workplace and what the University is doing to be more sustainable.
After the day you will get a digital badge to demonstrate your experience. You can apply to participate by filling out this short form. The deadline to sign up is the 5 June 2025.
Student Summer Intern Opportunity
The Sustainability team has two exciting paid work opportunities for students this summer.
We are offering two full time placements, for ten weeks. Apply for the Resources Intern role to help us develop a waste and resources plan and shape the future of sustainable procurement across the university. The second role as a Sustainability Engagement Intern will help us further develop on-going staff and student engagement programmes as well as explore other new initiatives.
Explore the full job description and apply now on Handshake.
Upcoming events
Enjoy a pint of science this May
Pint of Science - tickets now on sale! 19 May to 21 May, various locations throughout York
Pint of Science is a not-for-profit international science festival, aiming to bring cutting edge research to the general public. Several members of the University are doing talks this year and many of the nights are being organised by our postgraduate students. Please do come along and support them! Tickets are only £5, more details on Pint of Science events.
Upcoming SOS-UK webinars
Tuesday 13 May 2025: Tackling sustainability misinformation: Critical thinking and information literacy
In today's connected world, we're bombarded with information trying to grab our attention. Every day, our devices, eyes, and ears are filled with claims and counterclaims about sustainability and climate change. So, how do we know what's true and what's trying to deceive us for clicks, money, or something worse? In this webinar, we'll cover the basics of the scientific method, tools for critical thinking, and information literacy. We'll also look at common flaws in reasoning that can mislead us. Sign up here.
Wednesday 11 June 2025: Inhale with Intention this Clean Air Day: why we can't be passive about the air we breathe
Join us for a session focusing on Clean Air Day, where we delve into the causes and far-reaching effects of air pollution on our health and environment. We will share practical steps that citizens and organisations can take to reduce pollution and contribute to a healthier, more sustainable future. Discover how small actions can lead to significant improvements and learn how to become an advocate for clean air in your community. Sign up here.
Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) seminar
Join an online seminar bringing together undergraduate students from Mahidol University (Thailand) and the University of York. We welcome students to participate as either presenters or audience members. Presenters will showcase their senior projects related to the SDGs.
- Date: 20 May 2025
- Time: 3:00–4:00 PM (Bangkok Time) | 9:00–10:00 AM (UK Time)
- Platform: Online (link provided upon registration)
- Register or apply here: https://forms.gle/
5XBt5EiZLwd3cSe9A - Deadline: 18 May 2025
This event not only showcases student research aligned with the SDGs, but also fosters meaningful exchange between our institutions. In past years, several York students who joined the event have been inspired to spend part of their gap year at Mahidol University (Kanchanaburi Campus), engaging in immersive learning experiences about sustainability, Thai culture, and community development.
Sustainability events
Find out more about this month's sustainability events.
Links and further information
Don’t forget to follow UoY sustainability on social media.
You can also check out UoY Sustainability on our wordpress blog, or click the links below to find out more!
- UoY Sustainability pages
- Our Sustainability Plan 2021-2030
- Staff can join the Green Impact slack channel: #green-impact.
- Green Impact toolkit (registration code: 40238)
- Green Impact google site
- SOS-UK webinar series