In November 2016 the University’s environmental sustainability engagement programme for staff – 10,000 Actions – was launched. Since then, over 40% of our staff have engaged with the programme compared to the 3% who were involved with previous schemes such as Green Impact and Sustainability Enthusiasts. This signals a real change for the higher education sector and staff engagement around environmental sustainability. Since launching 10,000 Actions the following has been achieved:

• 23,509 actions have been pledged with 4,603 in progress or already completed.
• 351 members of staff who do not have access to a computer attended face-to-face sessions.
• 29 members of staff have completed the evidence required for their official Carbon Literacy certificate.

10,000 Actions is still open so staff who have not yet made an action plan can still do so at 10,000 Actions. If you’ve already made a plan, don’t forget to log back in to update it so we can see how many actions have been completed. You can also let us know what your actions are by using #10000Actions on social media and your action may be turned in to personalised artwork by local artist Hammo.

A giant 10,000 willow structure has appeared outside University Place this week to raise awareness of 10,000 Actions – the biggest environmental sustainability initiative in higher education, which the University launched to all staff today.

Many of the things our staff do in work are already contributing to a more sustainable society. 10,000 Actions will allow them to do even more by giving all 10,000+ staff the chance to take action on sustainability at the University of Manchester.

Through the programme our staff will be able to plan how they manage their environmental impact, track their progress as they complete their actions and celebrate their achievements. The more people do, the more we’ll all achieve together. In addition, for every action plan that is produced, £1 will be provided to support the planting of an oak woodland in Manchester, enhancing the local environment for communities and wildlife, and improving local air quality.

Environmental sustainability is a priority for the University as it’s central to our core goal of social responsibility. We’re the only university in the UK to have this strategic focus on making a difference as a core priority. 10,000 Actions will allow us to make a difference, individually and collectively, in tackling one of the world’s grandest challenges.

James Thompson, Associate Vice-President for Social Responsibility, said: “In September the University provided all 8,000 first year undergraduate students with the opportunity to take part in the Sustainability Challenge.”

“I’m delighted that we are now launching the UK’s biggest sustainability initiative for staff – 10,000 Actions. This means that within two months, over 18,000 of our staff and students have been encouraged to actively engage with environmental sustainability and make a real difference.”

Watch our video or visit 10,000 Actions to start the programme.

To follow our 10,000 Actions activities follow us on Twitter @UoMSust using the hashtag #10000Actions.

In November, the University will launch the biggest environmental sustainability initiative in the higher education sector -10,000 Actions.

One of the social responsibility signature programmes, this will provide every member of University staff with the opportunity to engage in a programme of positive action on sustainability. Key to the programme is learning and reflection, to lead to changes in behaviour related to environmental sustainability.

Many of the things our staff already do in work is contributing to a more sustainable society. 10,000 Actions will allow members of staff to do even more by giving them the opportunity to take action on sustainability. Staff will be able to plan how they manage their environmental impact, track their progress and celebrate their achievements. 10,000 Actions centers on videos exploring six themes: living campus, water, waste, energy, travel and responsible purchasing. These are all based on the University’s own research and they feature a number of our staff, fronted by Professor James Thompson.

After the videos there is an opportunity to discuss the issues with colleagues and find out more through a range of resources that have been collected. The programme finishes with an innovative action planning tool. This asks a series of questions about the individual’s role e.g. lab based, management, student facing etc., and then gives a range of actions which can be taken in that job role. 10,000 Actions is currently being piloted before launching to all staff at the University in November.