Organisations such as universities have a key role to play in the promotion and practice of sustainability. Indeed, Governments and other bodies demand that sustainability is increasingly incorporated into the Higher Education sector.  Swansea University has an exemplary Environmental Policy that commits the University to sustainable development.

Sustainability and Swansea

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 has stepped up its recycling policy and collection points for waste paper are now in every department.

The University's Campus Catering division has a strong commitment to sustainability and has recently published a Sustainability Policy Statement (pdf). Further information is also available on the Campus Catering wesbite.

Other initiatives include:

• Used vegetable oil from campus turned into BioDiesel locally
• Sustainable procurement policies
• Sustainable practices incorporated into new buildings (e.g. geothermal exchange in the new Institute of Life Science)
• The new Alternative Travel Map (click here to download)

Defining Sustainability

The UN World Commission on Environment and Development 1987 defined Sustainability as

"Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Sustainability can be viewed as a goal, where everything is in balance and all our needs are met from within the limitations of ecological systems. Sustainability may not be fully achievable, but it is a goal to aspire towards.

Sustainable development is the process by which we can move towards sustainability. To be sustainable, we must consider three issues – the three pillars of sustainability: Environmental, Social and Economic. It makes no sense to speak of economic sustainability, for example. To be sustainable, something must be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

Above all, sustainability is all about doing something positive