{"id":7207,"date":"2018-03-28T06:37:37","date_gmt":"2018-03-28T06:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/?p=7207"},"modified":"2018-03-28T06:37:37","modified_gmt":"2018-03-28T06:37:37","slug":"why-i-like-the-nus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/2018\/03\/28\/why-i-like-the-nus\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I like the NUS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is a case study I've written* about the sustainability work of the NUS. \u00a0Can there really be a better organisation in the UK at promoting involvement in sustainability? **<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

STUDENTS AS CHANGE AGENTS \u00a0<\/em>The\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>National Union of Students UK<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

The National Union of Students (NUS) is a confederation of around 600 institution-based students' unions<\/a> in the UK, with devolved sub-groups in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It provides a national voice for students in UK universities and colleges, and helps students\u2019 unions to work effectively at improving the experience of all students.<\/p>\n

The charitable arm of NUS, NUS Charitable Services, seeks to drive improvement within students\u2019 unions, focussing on issues such as equality and diversity, strategic development, and sustainability. The NUS Department for Sustainability is based in the NUS Charitable Services and works on behaviour change, educational and institutional development programmes within and across universities and colleges.<\/p>\n

Activities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over time, behaviour-change activities have evolved into more ambitious institution-wide and national activities.<\/p>\n

Green Impact: <\/em><\/strong>helping students' unions to green their campuses, curriculums and communities, delivering 70,000 greening actions a year \u2013 47 universities and colleges and 100 community organisations are involved, training up over 1,000 students as mentors and auditors each year. NUS won the UNESCO-Japan ESD prize in 2017 for this programme.<\/p>\n

Student Switch Off: <\/em><\/strong>an inter-dormitory energy-saving competition giving students a chance to win prizes. This saves 1,300 tonnes of carbon a year \u2013 150,000 students are involved at 44 UK and 7 international universities.<\/p>\n

Student Eats: <\/em><\/strong>student-led food production and enterprises \u2013 on 505 campuses.<\/p>\n

Responsible Futures: <\/em><\/strong>an externally-assessed accreditation mark to assist institutions in helping students to gain the skills and experience they need to thrive in a global economy at a time of climate change \u2013 26 universities and colleges are involved.<\/p>\n

Dissertations for Good: <\/em><\/strong>a matching service between academics and social causes to help get social value out of student research, delivering 25 Dissertations for Charities<\/em> in 2017\/18.<\/p>\n

Campaigns<\/em><\/strong>: <\/strong>NUS runs several sustainability campaigns each year, such their divestment campaign Emissions Impossible<\/em>, the Last Straw<\/em> (on single use plastics) and the SDG teach-in.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

NUS is now building on this solid base of activity by organising annual Student Sustainability Summits, political engagement, and international collaboration through Students Organizing for Sustainability<\/em>, an informal alliance it co-founded.<\/p>\n

Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n