On Tuesday 17 September, over 5,000 first year undergraduates took part in the Sustainability Challenge – one of the biggest events in the University calendar and a social responsibility singnature programme. The event which aims to create more socially responsible graduates had a record-breaking number of students take part this year and was delivered with the help of hundreds of staff.

The students took part in an interactive challenge, in interdisciplinary groups in over 100 classrooms, to develop a new campus for the fictitious University of Millchester. They had to incorporate factors such as costs and energy efficiency, while considering the needs of the local community and wider society.

The Sustainability Challenge is the first step towards achieving the Stellify Award, The University of Manchester’s most prestigious extra-curricular accolade. It also forms part of the University’s signature Ethical Grand Challenges programme, which engages undergraduates with key global issues.

If students missed the Sustainability Challenge, they can still attend a catch-up session. Watch our short video to see what students have to say about the Sustainability Challenge.

For further information, visit the Signature programmes webpage.