EAUC-Scotland Conference - Resources and Reflections

On Tuesday 17th November 2015, around 100 Delegates from tertiary education institutions and sector partners joined the EAUC and 13 Exhibitors from across the UK for the third EAUC-Scotland Conference at the University of Edinburgh’s John McIntyre Conference Centre.

The conference theme, A Shared Responsibility, highlighted for effective change sustainability action is not just needed by a single department or individual, but from a range from academia, estates and support staff, senior management and students. It requires engagement with local and national partners and other further and higher education institutions.

Starting at the institution level, delegates had the opportunity to attend a range of workshops examining different aspects of employing a whole-institutional approach through case studies of projects happening in Scotland. In the afternoon discussions considered responsibilities and opportunities on a national level, between tertiary education institutions and also key partners. The final plenary session considered the global level through input from EAUC’s sister networks in the USA and Australasia, discussing what can be learned from the tertiary education sector in other countries, their sustainability priorities, and how we can best work together to address this global challenge.

The Conference Steering Group and EAUC-Scotland Team both wanted to minimise the carbon and ecological footprint of the event, and implemented a range of measures including:

• Offering delegates the opportunity to download a Conference App, Agenda and/or Programme to their mobile phones or other devices in advance, and providing Agendas on screens thoughout the venue, to avoid the need for a printed programme
• Promoting sustainable transport and car sharing and collecting travel data for attendees
• Offering a fully vegetarian menu
• Having a final plenary session with international speakers joining us via webinar software rather than trans-national flights

Visit the Conference webpages to access the final Programme, and find the presentations and resources from this event on the Sustainability Exchange using the tag EAUCS2015.

Here is some of the feedback we have received so far:

“Great venue, food and presenters. I went along to the Young Scot workshop, which was brilliant. Made the room consider some of the assumptions that we make on the values and motivations of young people. It's something that I have since spoken to my colleagues about.”

“I made new contacts, learned new things and got a boost of positivity from the conference.”

“A very good experience providing lots of valuable information and an opportunity to network with experienced professionals in the Sustainability and Climate Change field.”

If you have any reflections on or questions about the event please contact Rebecca Petford.