The world’s most prominent networks for sustainability in further and higher education convened 25 March 2015 at the UK-based Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC) annual conference, this year organised at University of Leeds.

The tertiary education networks in attendance represent global and regional organizations from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America.  Representatives agreed that we are more effective when we collaborate, and, in building a more collective voice, we can put our member universities, colleges and students at the heart of the international challenge to address sustainability. This meeting in Leeds represents the next step toward developing a global alliance, after the success of the collaborative work for Rio+20.

The overarching aim of the alliance is to connect sustainability networks in the tertiary education sector and provide a collective voice to contribute to global developments such as the Paris COP21 taking place in December 2015.  Each network has a unique and valuable perspective to contribute. This global alliance will work in line with United Nation´s activities like UNEP’s Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability (GUPES).

As this is a collaborative effort, other tertiary education peer groups are invited to join the dialogue and contribute toward a shared vision, planned to be published in September 2015.  Please contact GLOBALALLIANCE-request@jiscmail.ac.uk if you represent a sustainability network and want to be added to the discussion.

Networks and Representatives Participating in the Leeds Meeting, March 2015

AISHE Network, NETHERLANDS, EUROPE

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), NORTH AMERICA
www.aashe.org

Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS), AUSTRALASIA
www.acts.asn.au

Copernicus Alliance (European Network on Higher Education for Sustainable Development)
www.copernicus-alliance.org

University Educators For Sustainable Development (UE4SD), EUROPE
www.ue4sd.eu

Ecocampus Belgium, EUROPE
ecocampus.lne.be

Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), UK, EUROPE
www.eauc.org.uk

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability (GUPES), GLOBAL
www.unep.org/training/programmes/gupes.asp

Campus Responsables, FRANCE, EUROPE
www.campusresponsables.com

International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN), GLOBAL
www.international-sustainable-campus-network.org

EMSU and International Journal of Cleaner Production, GLOBAL
www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-cleaner-production/

Mainstreaming Environment and Sustainability in Africa – MESA, AFRICA
www.unep.org/training/mesa_conf/

Nordic Sustainable Campus Network (NSCN), NORDICS, EUROPE
nordicsustainablecampusnetwork.wordpress.com

Regional University Consortium Asia Pacific, ASIA
unep-iesd.tongji.edu.cn

rootAbility, EUROPE
www.rootability.com

Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI), GLOBAL
sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdinaction/hesi
www.sustainabilitytest.org

Campus Sustainability Network (CAS-Net), JAPAN, ASIA
www.esho.kyoto-u.ac.jp

UK Youth Climate Coalition, EUROPE
www.ukycc.org

National Union of Students, UK, EUROPE
www.nus.org.uk

Studenten voor Morgen (Students for Tomorrow),
NETHERLANDS, EUROPE
www.studentenvoormorgen.nl

Alianza de Redes Iberoamericanas de Universidades por la Sustentabilidad y el Ambiente
ARIUSA, SOUTH AMERICA
http://ariusa.net/