QS have just released their first ever global university rankings based on social and environmental sustainability- just in time from our discussion on Responsible Universities at the Australian Circular Economy Conference!
The new global sustainable universities rankings mark an exciting development in the accountability of our valued higher education institutions and the role they can, and do, play in driving change in the war against waste.
The ranking is based on an equal 50/50 split of environmental and social impact and was not based on an opt-in system. The Campus Morning Mail breaks down the sustainability ranking, stating it ‘reflects performance across the different themes of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a distinct focus on social and environmental aspects’.
From over 700 global universities, 33 were included from Australia with 12 ranking in the top 100 (!!!). Yippee!
The University of California, Berkeley was ranked as the overall #1 sustainable university, with the University of New South Wales and University of Sydney coming in equal fifth position globally.
These rankings indicate the social and environmental role that Universities play in our society and their ability to create change. This is a quality that Responsible Cafes has recognised, driving the creation of our newest Responsible Universities program!
Responsible Cafes has always aimed to engage multiple levels of society to drive the most impact in the war against waste from keen beans to councils and cafes and now- universities!
At RC we see the absolute potential in engaging universities in our RC program from onboarding multiple campus businesses to educating and supporting the young and aspiring minds of the next generation of leaders in Australia.
As universities play such an integral role in our society, from education to research and employment, we believe it’s crucial to ensure they have the tools to operate sustainably, and begin to creep up the global sustainability rankings in coming years! We will engage campus businesses in initiatives that aim to reduce waste including facilitating the use of reusables, such as with our BYOFridays campaign, creating mug libraries and taking other sustainable actions as both a business and campus as a whole.
To introduce this program and discuss the ways that universities can sustainably engage in environmental action…
We are excited to announce that Responsible Cafes has been invited to speak at the Australian Circular Economy Conference 2022!
The ACEC is being hosted by University of Sydney Net Zero Initiative and invites a host of Australian circular economy leaders to come together to ‘deliberate on the progress, innovation, and benefits of the circular economy and digital solutions for Net Zero’.
Responsible Cafes will be presenting from 5pm-6pm on the 23rd of November 2022 on our new University program’s impact and what role Responsible Universities can play in fighting the war on waste featuring a case study with our first university program partner University of Adelaide! Make sure you register below!
The presentation will shift to a panel discussion moderated by Responsible Cafes with Christine McCallum from The University of Queensland and Nicole Marchhart from Macquarie University on organic waste diversion initiatives and how to work collectively towards being a zero-waste university by 2030.
Hear from our amazing speakers, including:
Marion Vigot, General Manager at Responsible Cafes
Manon Olaya, Program Coordinator at Responsible Cafes
Christine McCallum, Principal Program Officer – Sustainability for the Property & Facilities Division at The University of Queensland
Nicole Marchhart, previously Energy and Waste Manager for University Infrastructure at The University of Sydney, and now Head of Sustainability at Macquarie University
We can’t wait to see you there!
