Wider sustainability at NTU

NTU is currently at the top of the People and Planet Green League published by the Guardian newspaper which ranks institutions according to their environmental sustainability credentials.

The EcoWeb website details much of the work which is being undertaken at NTU within the realm of environmental sustainability. The web pages contain information on purchasing and investments, energy, fair trade, waste management, transport and biodiversity. The pages also include links to NTU policies relating to environmental sustainability and a live webcam showing the nest of a family of peregrine falcons on the top of the Newton building, a building which has won awards for its economic, social and environmental sustainability credentials.

NTU has achieved Gold most recently from the EcoCampus Environmental Management System which is based at the institution. A detailed breakdown of the institution's achievement in the various areas of the award can be found on the EcoCampus section of the EcoWeb.

Future Factory is a project at NTU which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and supports local and regional small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to develop sustainable working practices using NTU expertise. Future Factory are currently embarking on a collaborative project to improve communication between businesses and students.

Schools, Community, College Outreach work to promote awareness of the opportunities that higher education can offer with the aim of raising the aspirations of young people and their families. Work includes Widening Participation events in collaboration with AimHigher Nottinghamshire, a partnership scheme which offers support and information on Higher Education to partner schools and colleges and volunteering opportunities for staff and students for example the Students in Classrooms project which includes a range of support for school children to support literacy and language learning as well as confidence and self esteem building.

The Initi8 volunteering project is a partnership between Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham Trent Students Union and New College Nottingham which provides a wide range of volunteering opportunities for students including one-day challenges, student-led community projects and ongoing volunteering projects with local organisations. Volunteering is usually extra-curricula however, it is included as an option on the BA Sociology programme.  This gives students the experience of putting theory into action and volunteering in a real world context.

The Nottingham Trent University Business Innovation Team through HEIF funding, has supported various sustainability-related projects for example the design and production of flooring panels using sustainable materials, the design and production of a low cost self-erecting flood barrier and the development of a commercially viable wave energy conversion device to generate electricity from the sea tide and waves.

For a report of how Nottingham Trent University contributes to wider society with as seen through the lens of a review on intellectual property see the report submitted to the Wellings Review team which contains information on NTU's support of public policy, community research and development, student community-based projects and volunteering amongst other areas.