SDG Case Studies
These case studies demonstrate progress toward the UN SDGs, and are presented to support our submission to the THE Impact Ratings 2026.
Offer educational outreach activities for local or national communities to raise awareness about overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices
Historically, Africa’s small-scale fishers have resisted aquaculture, viewing farmed fish as less nutritious and less desirable than wild-catch fish.
Supported by the AXA Research Fund University of Glasgow academic Dr. Nwamaka Okeke-Ogbuafor is contributing to redefining sustainable fisheries management to avert hunger in coastal African communities.
More and more wild fishers are beginning to accept fish farming – not as a replacement, but as a supplementary source of income that relieves pressure on their declining wild stocks, tackles destructive fishing practices associated with overfishing, and helps secure food for the future. To guide this transformation, Dr. Nwamaka Okeke-Ogbuafor developed the Complementary Fisheries–Aquaculture Integration Model (CFAIM) – a practical research-backed framework built on coordination, strong regulation, and collaboration across sectors. CFAIM offers a lifeline to countries like Sierra Leone, where marine fisheries bring in 150,000 tons of wild catch each year – while aquaculture produces barely 140 tons.
Recognizing that the nutritional composition of farmed fish depends on their feed, the project is testing fish feed formulated from locally sourced ingredients – and early results are promising. This solution meets wild fishers’ expectations for aquaculture uptake; it will improve access to high-quality, nutrient-rich feed and make aquaculture a viable livelihood option in coastal communities.
“By 2030, our vision is to see aquaculture fully integrated into Sierra Leone’s national food systems, not as a competitor to marine fishing but as a complementary pillar supporting nutrition, livelihoods, and sustainability,” said Dr. Nwamaka Okeke-Ogbuafor. “To scale up, we are mapping out practical plans to pilot the CFAIM model in other African countries.”
Develop and support programmes and incentives that encourage and maintain good aquatic stewardship practices
Native oysters have declined across Europe due to several factors related to unsustainable use of natural resources, including over-fishing, but like many other shellfish played a key role in supporting coastal communities as a freely available source of food. Evidence of this role can be found in archaeological remains, but also in less tangible parts of human culture, such as place-names, sayings, songs and stories. Today, language loss threatens our ability to connect with those aspects in countries and regions where minority languages are declining.
The Gàidhealtachd, or the cultural community associated with parts of Scotland that were traditionally Gaelic speaking, is one such area, and similar to many indigenous communities worldwide, demonstrates a strong connection between people, nature and place. Stemming from an initial study into references of native oyster in place-names, stories, songs and sayings along the west coast of Scotland, the Eisirean (Scots Gaelic for Oyster) project aims to recognise the importance of traditional ecological knowledge in Scotland in understanding both the cultural values of oysters and shellfish in order to enact positive change in both nature restoration and stewardship as well as future policy making.
A cross-disciplinary team with researchers from ecology, education, geography and humanities, are working to create a set of low-cost citizen science tools that provide opportunities for people to connect past connection with the coasts with current ways of monitoring environmental change and aquatic stewardship practices as well as a primary schools educational workbook that embeds science lessons through outdoor learning alongside songs and stories about those key anchor species that connect people to place, both in today’s world and that of the past. We are pleased to be working with NatureScot, An Comunn Gàidhealach, Argyll & Bute Council, the Native Oyster Restoration Alliance and Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle to deliver this project.
Tha àireamh nan eisirean a-nis air crìonadh air feadh na Roinn Eòrpa air sgàth ghrunnd adhbharan a tha uile co-cheangailte ri mì-chleachdadh ghoireasan nàdarra, cus iasgaich nam measg. Ach aig aon àm agus coltach ri maorach eile, bha iad cudromach mar bhiadh a bha saor ’s an-asgaidh do choimhearsnachdan mara. Gheibhear fianais air seo tro obair arc-eòlais, ach cuideachd ann an ainmean-àite, seanfhaclan, òrain agus sgeulachdan. An-diugh, tha crìonadh mhion-chànain a’ ciallachadh gu bheil e nas duilighe greim fhaighinn air fiosrachadh a tha co-cheangailte ri cànan.
Seo an suidheachadh ann an Gàidhealtachd na h-Alba agus coltach ri coimhearsnachdan dùthchasach air feadh an t-saoghail, ’s e sgìre a th’ ann far a bheil ceangal làidir eadar dhaoine, nàdar agus dùthaich. Bidh pròiseact nan Eisirean a’ leantainn air sgrùdadh a chaidh a dhèanamh an toiseach air iomraidhean de dh’ eisirean ann an ainmean-àite, sgeulachdan, oràin agus seanfhaclan bho thaobh siar na h-Alba. ’S e amas a’ phròiseict dualchas eisirean agus mhaorach a thuigsinn gus an toir an t-eòlas sin deagh bhuaidh air an dà chuid a’ dèanamh ath-leasachaidhean air nàdair agus a’ dèanamh phoileasaidhean ùra san àm ri teachd.
Tha sgioba eadar-chuspaireil de luchd-rannsachaidh eag-eòlais, foghlaim, cruinn-eòlais agus nan daonnachdan, ag obair gus goireasan saidheansail poblach aig prìs ìosal a chruthachadh. Leis na goireasan seo bidh an cothrom ann ceangal a dhèanamh eadar dualchas na mara san àm a dh’fhalbh agus dòighean ùra gus atharraichean san àrainneachd a mheasadh. A bharrachd air seo thèid leabhar-obrach a dhèanamh airson bun-sgoiltean anns am bi leasanan saidheans a thèid a chumail taobh a-muigh na sgoile. Cuideachd san leabhar bidh òrain is sgeulachdan mu na beathaichean bunaiteach a bhios a’ ceangal dhaoine ri dùthaich, an dà chuid san àm a dh’fhalbh agus san latha an-diugh. Tha sinn toilichte a bhith ag obair còmhla ri ‘NatureScot’, An Comunn Gàidhealach, Comhairle Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bhòid, ‘the Native Oyster Restoration Alliance’ agus Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle gus am pròiseact seo a lìbhrigeadh.
Public Access to Green Spaces
The University of Glasgow’s three campuses are open and publicly accessible year-round. All three include an abundance of diverse green space, home to local wild-life, flowers and fauna. The Wildlife Garden on our Gilmorehill campus is a safe haven for wildlife in the West End and is sometimes used by Animal Biology students and staff to track animals.
The green space is home to a pond, trees, frogs, birds, squirrels, and lots of other interesting plants and animals. Anyone - staff, students, locals, visitors - are welcome to visit the garden.
Just four miles from our Gilmorehill campus is our beautiful Garscube estate. Spanning 200 acres, Garscube is home to Veterinary Medicine students, our Wolfson Hall of Residence and outdoor sports facilities which include both grass and synthetic pitches. The River Kelvin meanders through the campus, with walking paths and green space open to all.>
Our Dumfries Campus in south-west Scotland is set within 85 acres of historic parkland and surrounded by rich natural landscapes. This setting provides an ideal base for outdoor learning, fieldwork and research into global challenges in the fields of environment, sustainable development, tourism, and education, and is open and accessible by the public. The campus hosts our Teaching Garden: a hands-on outdoor classroom and green space. This garden is open to the public and local community, who are invited to help with planting or weeding, join the gardening club, enter competitions, or relax and enjoy the space. Herbs and veggies grown in the garden can be taken home by volunteers to eat.
Affordable Housing for Employees
Choosing to relocate to Glasgow is a big decision. There are numerous things to be considered, such as the costs of moving, the cost of living, and where exactly to relocate to.
The university webpages provide those relocating to work for the University with information on accommodation options available within the city and wider commuting area, this includes the affordability of different options.
Further, the relocation policy outlines the financial support available to those relocating to join the university. Section 3 stipulates that Accommodation Services can provide new staff who are having to relocate with information on inexpensive accommodation options, as well as refunding the cost of temporary alternative accommodation incurred when a member of staff joins without having completed the sale of a former home.
Affordable Housing for Students
The university provides a broad range of housing options for students, from traditional halls of residence to studio and apartment style provision. Each year, we undertake a rigorous review of the university's offer within the context of the local market, to ensure we provide a range of affordable options by several different metrics. This results in our accommodation fees (including weekly rates and overall annual costs) being lower than that of private providers, offering our students the best value available in the city.
We also offer a range of financial support to our students, which can be used to cover the costs of accommodation. Further, we work with our widening access and participation team to ensure students who may face financial difficulties in taking up their place to study are able to access support with deposits and other upfront costs. A rent guarantor scheme has also been established to assist students in obtaining accommodation that would otherwise be inaccessible due to the inability to secure a UK-based Rent Guarantor.
General advice around private accommodation in the city is offered online, with students signposted to organisations (including the Students Representative Council) who can offer further tailored support and advice, including around affordability of provision.
Share sports facilities with the local community, for instance with local schools or with the general public.
Our UofG Sport community membership gives full access to our premium gym facilities, fitness classes, swimming pool, indoor cycle studio and more.
UofG Sport community membership includes access to:
- Group exercise classes
- 25m swimming pool with six lanes
- REVOLVE indoor cycling studio, Glasgow's best indoor cycling experience
- Pulse cardio suite with fully interactive equipment
- PowerPlay strength & conditioning suite
- Exercise studios free to use outside class times
- Sauna & steam room
- Squash courts & sports halls
- Wellbeing support
- Wide range of facilities available for hire, including tennis courts, exercise studios, grass/synthetic pitches and cricket oval
Further, over the past three years we have embarked on reciprocal arrangements with three local schools: Kelvinside Academy, Glasgow Academy and Hillhead High School providing access to our sports halls and swimming pool at the Stevenson Building during school hours for PE lessons in return for access to the school's sports halls and Hockey pitches for clubs in the evenings. The impact of this is that circa 2000 local school children benefit from free access to our facilities over the course of an academic year. On average we have provided 400 hours of facility access to schools per year for three years.
Provide a neutral platform and ‘safe’ space for different political stakeholders to come together to frankly discuss challenges
In 2024, the University of Glasgow introduced a new Government Relations Framework to ensure a structured, non-partisan and institution-wide approach to engagement with political and governmental stakeholders. The Framework positions the Government Relations Team as a central, neutral hub for political and government intelligence and engagement. The team is responsible for upholding University policies and procedures to safeguard impartiality and to create the enabling conditions for the University to host and convene political and government representatives in a consistent and trusted manner.
Since implementation and within this reporting window, the team has hosted over 40 political visits, collectively involving representatives of every political party in the Scottish Parliament and members of Cabinet in both the Scottish and UK Governments, alongside researchers from across the University. The University has also hosted UK Parliament Committee sessions on campus, enabling Members of Parliament to conduct formal evidence inquiries, as well as hosting MSPs as part of official Scottish Parliament Cross-Party Group activity held at the University. Each have created opportunities for researchers to contribute to national dialogue in safe, un-politicised spaces.
The Framework has also strengthened coordination between the Government Relations Team, communications, and knowledge-exchange leads, ensuring all engagement with political stakeholders is aligned with sound governance and the Principal’s Office and wider senior management. In this way, University colleagues are enabled and empowered to engage with stakeholders in a constructive way, enabling them to focus on areas of common interest and shared goals.
Actively promote conscious water usage in the wider community
While historically Scotland has been viewed as a nation with plentiful water supplies, climate change means that more frequent and severe incidents of drought are predicted in future.
Taking steps in the present day to help consumers and the wider community to be more conscious in how they use water can help to relieve some of the future pressures on the water environment. It may also help to offset some of the cost associated with building new infrastructure, such as reservoirs, dams, pipelines and water pumping stations.
A cultural shift towards a common acceptance of the value, and the finite nature, of water in Scotland is necessary for consumers to be engaged in a move towards more sustainable consumption of water. To achieve this there is benefit in learning from the experiences of other countries who have been concerned with water insecurity for longer and developing an understanding of which policy interventions worked, which were less effective, and why.
University of Glasgow researchers Professor Jude Robinson and Dr Anthony Kadoma worked with Consumer Scotland to review evidence and make recommendations around how to better promote conscious water usage in the wider community.
The work identified existing research on consumer knowledge, behaviours and attitudes in relation to water use and disposal in the home. The researchers undertook a systematic review and at the same time looked at smaller-scale studies, studies using qualitative and mixed research methods, and grey literature such as reports and web pages. Their review aimed to give special attention to ‘what worked’ in order to ensure that lessons learned could be captured and applied. The researchers also remained sensitive to intersectional issues of socio-economic and geographic inequalities and vulnerabilities when studying the impact of water scarcity on households.
Recommendations for Scottish Government, Scottish Water and SEPA include: co-ordinated public messaging around ‘common sense’ water saving behaviours, including tackling the misconception that high rainfall leads to abundant water supplies year round; integration of the water sustainability agenda within housing developers and councils plans and standards; and a focus on Scottish Water maintaining their role as credible messenger for household water conservation.
Participate in policy making at local, regional, national and/or global level to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions.
The University of Glasgow through its world-leading research engage with policymakers in Scotland, the UK and around the world on the issue of poverty alleviation, and the impact such programmes and policies can have on a range of social, economic and health related outcomes.
The College of Social Sciences Spotlight podcast brings together UofG researchers with policymakers, charities, NGO’s and other stakeholders to discuss how research can be used to address social and economic problems, often including or related to poverty.
Specific examples focussed on policymaking and poverty include: a discussion of the UK Government Budget, and its impact on UK families facing poverty with Chris Birt from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Professor Morag Treanor of the University of Glasgow; and an episode with Prof Graeme Roy and Dr David Waite introducing Doughnut Economics and Community Wealth Building, exploring how these models can alleviate poverty and promote inclusive, sustainable cities.
Specific research examples include work led by academic Dr Anna Pearce in the School of Health and Wellbeing – supported by funding from the National Institute for Health Research – is exploring which schemes to reduce child poverty are the best for improving children’s health in Scotland and whether they can be improved to increase their health benefits even further.
Children who live in poverty in Scotland are more than four times as likely to experience poor mental wellbeing and more than three times as likely to have ‘fair’, ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’ general health. Children who live in households which are food insecure (where the mother reports being affected by food costs ‘more than a little’) are almost four times likely to be an unhealthy weight throughout childhood.
The project seeks to gain a better understanding of the prevalence of child poverty, looking at how child poverty varies across Scotland and if some population groups (e.g. lone parent families, or families with lots of children) are more likely to experience poverty than others. Further, the study is looking at the health impacts of some poverty reduction schemes, comparing how health (measured in surveys or in health records) has changed before and after the schemes were introduced, or whether health varies between areas of Scotland that did and did not have the scheme. We will work with members of the public, child health professionals, children’s charities, and those in charge of local and national decision-making, to make sure the work is as helpful as it can be.
Globally, academics from the the School of Health and Wellbeing are working across Brazil and Ecuador to understand the relationship between poverty alleviation policy and health outcomes.
In an attempt to reduce the impact of social conditions such as poverty, governments sometimes have introduced policies such as providing small cash payments to or building houses for the very poor. While such policies may have health improvement as the primary target, they may still have a notable influence on health. The work of the unit focusses on discovering whether these policies, when implemented, had any impact on health, whether they had a bigger impact on disadvantaged groups (defined by income, ethnicity, sex, geography, migrant status and deprivation), and the extent to which the health impacts have been modified by the provision and organisation of health services, particularly regarding coverage, access and quality.
Insight from this work will support policy makers across Latin America to understand the effectiveness of poverty alleviation policy, and where changes can be made to further alleviate poverty and its impact, with a specific focus on health-related outcomes.
Provide women’s access schemes, including mentoring, scholarships, or other provision
The School of Humanities in the College of Arts and Humanities runs a mentoring scheme for women.
The scheme aims to address gender-biases as well as under-representation of women in many subject areas. The Women-in-the-School-of-Humanities mentoring scheme aims to:
- Increase self-confidence and reduce isolation of women students and staff members
- Encourage more women to continue within their subject area
- Provide women opportunities to discuss the problems they face
- Offer women informed advice about their personal career development
- Raise the profile of women in the School of Humanities
Woman who are undergraduate or postgraduate students in the School of Humanities, can join the scheme and be assigned a mentor. Mentors can help with:
- Identifying relevant skills and experience that would enhance mentee’s employment prospects and finding ways to acquire them
- Identifying vulnerabilities, needs that may require targeted advice or help
- Getting and acting on advice concerning publication, applying for graduate programmes, jobs, etc
- Improving the presentation of mentee’s CV, application materials in general
- Provide advice on an ad hoc basis with a range of other issues, e.g. problems with colleagues and/or students, etc.
Further, the university provides several scholarships to support women's access at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level – for home and international students. Examples include The William Wilson Scott Scholarship for undergraduate students looking to study for a degree in either computer science or engineering, or the British Council scholarship for international students looking to pursue master’s studies in the fields of Sustainable Energy, Climate Change and Health.
National Centre for Resilience:
The National Centre for Resilience, hosted at the University of Glasgow and directed by Professor Fabrice Renaud, works in partnership Our steering group ensures close working ties with academic institutions, government and resilience professionals from regional and local authorities, the third sector and wider resilience communities.
The NCR is an academic research hub, using evidence to inform policy and practice. Hosted at the University of Glasgow and directed by Professor Fabrice Renaud, the centre helps bridge the gap between academia, policy and practice by promoting cross sector partnerships, encouraging each to learn from the other to improve resilience when planning for, responding to and recovering from natural hazard events.
Active members include Met Office, British Geological Survey, ClimateXChange, Ordnance Survey, The Natural Hazards Partnership, South of Scotland Resilience Partnership, The Scottish Government, Scottish Flood Forum.
The centre works collaboratively with NGOs, charities and third sector bodies to utilise existing knowledge and commission new projects to address real life issues faced by resilience practitioners and communities.
Our students are engaged in the programmes of work we do and volunteer in support of it. For example, as part of the development of the gaming project, students have volunteered to trial the game ahead of the project being rolled out. In addition, students will regularly volunteer in support of the events programme that is a key part of the NCR engagement activity.
This year the National Centre for Resilience has awarded funding to seven community-based projects, with the goal of enhancing community resilience across Scotland. Funded through the centre’s grant program, which was open to applications from across Scotland and the UK, the projects aim to improve flood resilience, bolster community emergency preparedness and support sustainable local supply chains to improve food security. This year’s project call included a ‘Third Sector Community & Practice’ fund with a focus on place-based resilience building open to applications up to £15,000. New for this year the call included a Community Councils Fund with a focus on supporting communities to develop their own resilience planning with smalls grants of £500.
The successful projects include Meigle and Ardler Community Development Trust (MACDT) who have received funding for a multi-faceted resilience project with a focus on improving flood resilience.
The project will support the local community with improved flood resilience measures, training and communications whilst working to develop sustainable, nature-based solutions through the community and local environment.
Another recipient of this year’s funding is Propagate Scotland for their ‘Dumfries and Galloway Sustainable Food Partnership’ project. Their work focuses shortening food supply chains and enhancing community resilience by fostering stronger connections between producers and consumers.
The Dumfries and Galloway Sustainable Food Partnership is bringing together organisations from across sectors: Public sector such as the Local Authority and NHS, representatives from food business networks, farmers, community and voluntary sector and education. The project aims to work together for a fairer, healthier, and more resilient food system.
As part of this project, there is a D&G Local Food Gatherings event which is now in their 3rd year. The Gatherings are for people involved in food in different ways: Farmers and Growers, food business and hospitality, educators, health workers, policy makers, community food activists, food citizens and more.
Following a successful introduction of the ‘Community Council Fund’ the NCR will be funding 5 Community Councils across Scotland to undertake resilience planning.
The centre is also delivering a game project that will launch on this year – helping young people to learn about natural hazards and preparedness. This will be distributed for free into schools across Scotland.
National Centre for Resilience Awards Funding to Seven Projects Across Scotland
TransiT:
The TransiT project is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at decarbonising the UK’s transport sector through advanced digital twin technology. This project, which began with a significant consultation phase in 2023, is led by a consortium of eight universities, including the University of Glasgow, focuses on creating virtual models (digital twins) of real-world transport systems, such as roads, railways and maritime networks. These digital twins collect real-time data from sensors and simulate various scenarios to identify the most sustainable, cost-effective pathways to decarbonise transport across different sectors, including road, rail, maritime and aviation.
The use of digital twins allows researchers to model and test potential solutions without the need for time[1]consuming and costly real-world trials. This is crucial, as the transport sector accounts for nearly a third of the UK’s carbon emissions. The digital twins also provide insights into future transport systems, including electric road systems and alternative fuels, enabling logistics companies to plan more sustainable routes, and policymakers to anticipate the consequences of their decisions.
Supported by £46 million from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council and industry partners, the project is also exploring new business models and policy frameworks to support Government and industry in the transition to a zero carbon future. The project is poised to deliver significant contributions towards the UK’s climate goals, serving as a blueprint for other sectors and nations to follow. The project is an example of one that makes an effective contribution to both local and national progress and policy development toward the ambition of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly on SDG’s 7, 9, 11, 13 and 17.
Jo Shanmugalingam, the Second Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport, visited the University’s Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre to learn more about TransiT.
“It is fantastic to see the TransiT research hub become a reality thanks to collaboration between government, industry, and academia. This is an important step toward realising the potential of digital twins in decarbonising transport and the Department looks forward to continuing working closely with TransiT.”
TransiT - Digital Twinning for the Decarbonisation of UK Transport
Water Quality and Discharge:
We ensure that we adhere to Scottish Government guidelines and legislation in relation to water discharge and extraction, to uphold water quality and protect ecosystems, wildlife, and human health and welfare. We work with Scottish Water as our partner who responsibilities include maintaining and improving the quality of all fresh and marine waters in Scotland and ensuring that water resources are managed and supplied responsibly.
Where possible, as part of new developments like the Western Campus, clean surface water is separated at source, stored and discharged slowly direct to the River Kelvin. This allows any action to be taken in the event of pollution or accidental discharges. In the case of the Western Campus in Glasgow, this is achieved through an innovative ‘rain garden’ system that combines rainwater attenuation, micro treatment and biodiversity enhancement. The design enables students, staff and our local community to enjoy the gardens as part of an overall sustainable urban design programme.
The University works closely with Scottish Water, the organisation responsible for the supply of potable water and for treatment of wastewater in Scotland. Most notably, as part of a pre-market engagement exercise for an imminent Low Carbon Heat Solution tender, we have worked with Scottish Water Horizons to explore the feasibility of using innovative technology to capture waste heat from the nearby sewer pumping station at Partick in the West End of Glasgow.
Last Updated: 2025
Supporting the transition to Net Zero:
Our energy system faces a significant transition in the coming decades, as we move toward the various targets being set by local and national governments across a range of vectors. For example, the Scottish Government has a challenging net zero emissions target, an ambitious target to continue to generate the equivalent of 100% of electricity from renewables sources, and to see hydrogen and carbon capture technologies help advance our transition to a less carbon intensive future. The University of Glasgow aims to use our research excellence to support, advocate and provide a platform for dialogue around the challenges and impacts of such a change. By using our convening power, we bring together policy makers, academia, industry and our community to meet these challenges in partnership.
Scotland Beyond Net Zero is a landmark initiative which has been launched to bring together Scottish universities to address the climate emergency. Scotland Beyond Net Zero (SBNZ), founded jointly by the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, aims to help the country meet – and go beyond – its ambition of achieving net zero by 2045.
The collaboration will catalyse action and empower government, policymakers, organisations and industry to make informed change to help Scotland reach its climate targets. The new venture will combine world-changing research, innovation and expertise in climate science and sustainability. It will address key challenges linked with the climate emergency, including clean energy, storage, decarbonisation, green transport, community empowerment and climate justice.
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, said: “The climate emergency demands that all of us - academia, business, government and third sector organisations - step up our efforts to work more closely together. Scotland has immense potential to innovate to solve the stubborn challenges associated with achieving a fair and just transition to net zero, and in launching this coalition today we hope to encourage partners across the nation to join us and get involved with SBNZ.”
Scotland Beyond Net Zero will include a number of outreach events and workshops to build support across the academic sector, government and industry for the Net Zero Transition and the adoption of renewable and low carbon energy options. The electricity sector in Scotland already delivers renewable electricity equivalent to 100% of demand, and our research and advocacy helps to ensure this transition is technically, socially and economically beneficial, and that learnings can be adopted in other sectors.
About Scotland BNZ - Scotland Beyond Net Zero
The Centre for Sustainable Energy sees energy as a service to human development, and believes energy provision must be sustainable and accessible to all, avoiding unintended environmental and societal consequences. By taking a holistic, whole-system and life-cycle approach to energy, we can help tackle global sustainability challenges where the energy vector has a key role to play in supporting sustainable pathways to 2050 and beyond.
The Centre works closely with local communities, local authorities, charities and NGOs, national and international professional organisations, governments and industry, acting as a neutral platform for progressive dialogue among key stakeholders, facilitating advancements towards timely implementation of sustainable energy solutions at multiple scales. The Centre recently hosted Chris Stark, the UK Government’s Head of Mission Control for Clean Power 2030, at a strategy workshop which aimed to help shape the University’s future approach to research and collaboration in the field of sustainable energy.
University of Glasgow - Research - Research units A-Z - Glasgow Centre for Sustainable Energy
Our Centre for Public Policy also recently held an event, in collaboration with the Academy of Social Sciences and the International Public Policy Observatory, to discuss where we stand in the UK and internationally on the transition to net zero.
UofG approach to Net Zero emissions:
Glasgow Green outlines the context in which we are operating, reviews progress to date in reducing carbon emissions and sets out a route to ‘net-zero’ carbon emissions by 2030. In the final section, we identify a series of practical actions under five headings:
- Engaging and Empowering Our Community
- Promoting Efficiency
- Governance and Policy
- Continuous Improvement Initiatives
- Building Resilience through Partnerships
Engaging the University community more effectively is central to this strategy. We believe there are huge opportunities – people at all levels are treating the issue of climate change with a heightened sense of urgency and are willing the University to act. A second theme relates to the University’s place in the world – rather than being inward looking, we want to use our influence and expertise to address key challenges and inspire others to action.
At the same time, we need a strategy that is affordable and achievable – one which allows the University not only to fulfil its primary objectives, but to make sustainability an essential element in those objectives.
The strategy draws on discussions at Senior Management Group, Senate and the Student Experience Committee, consultation seminars with staff and students, and a wider survey. These discussions demonstrated that all sections of the University community agree that we need to go further and faster in addressing the climate emergency; there is also a consensus that we should monitor the impact of our actions and make our data public in an open and transparent manner. We have shared our climate plans and reports with our strategic partners across the city, including Glasgow City Council, and are members of Sustainable Glasgow. The University Director of Sustainability, Roddy Yarr, is also the Clyde Mission Net Zero lead, working in partnership across the City Region.
Our researchers also work work in partnership with Glasgow City Council to create transformation projects across the city and embed sustainability into the wider socio-political system. GALLANT builds on the Green Recovery Dialogues, a series of discussions between the University, Glasgow City Council, businesses and community groups. As a result of those conversations, we were able to identify areas for urgent action in the recovery from Covid toward achieving the city's net-zero climate resilience objectives.
GALLANT Community Collaboration – Community action for climate change mitigation
Finally, our Carbon Management Plan (CMP) sets out The University of Glasgow’s carbon reduction targets and objectives for 2020/21-2030/31. Our carbon footprint is assessed and compared to future projections to produce realistic goals. The CMP will act as a focal document, highlighting interventions which will deliver emissions reductions, and help us to reach our carbon footprint target of 27,000 tonnes of CO2e by 30/31. In addition, we commit to being net zero for carbon emissions by 2030.
University of Glasgow - MyGlasgow - Sustainability [for students & staff] - Carbon Management Plan
Arts & Music Events at University of Glasgow:
The University of Glasgow has a rich programme of events that cover a range of disciplines and interests. Our upcoming events page lists around 90 individual events that are programmed for the next 3 months.
University of Glasgow - University events - Event listings
One area where we a significant programme of activity is within music. Extra-curricular music making is an integral part of life on campus. Undergraduates, postgraduates, alumni and staff all contribute to the rich musical life of the University. If you want more information or wish to join one (or more) of the groups then a good first point of contact is the Music Club representative at the annual Freshers' Fair. With rehearsals of many open to the public, and numerous events that are free and open to public audiences, the number will be well in excess of 30 per annum. Examples of the ensembles and groups are set out below.
- University of Glasgow Big Band - Classic big band sounds, funk, latin, blues and soul. There are no formal auditions. Rehearsals are on Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00pm.
- Cecilian Society - The University's foremost musical theatre society. The Society produces two shows per academic session. Both shows have an open chorus and there are auditions for principal parts.
- University of Glasgow Chapel Choir - An auditioned group of around 30 singers, for which all members of the University community are invited to audition. The Choir sings at 6:00pm on Tuesday evenings and rehearses on Sundays.
- University of Glasgow Choral Society - The University-wide choir, ideal for people with some experience of singing in choirs, and a basic ability to sight-read. Rehearsals are on Thursdays from 5:15-6:45pm, on Zoom.
- Community Choir - The University's no-experience-required, life-enhancing choir! Wide repertoire including folk, pop and music from around the world. Rehearsals are on Wednesdays, 5:30-6:45pm, on Zoom.
- Kelvin Ensemble – A student-run symphony orchestra providing the opportunity to learn and perform a wide variety of music in amazing venues. Auditions are held following an open rehearsal during Freshers’ Week.
- Madrigirls - An inclusive, upper-voice choir whose large and varied repertoire includes early, traditional and contemporary music. Madrigirls has around 40 singers and holds auditions in October.
- University of Glasgow Opera Society - A student-run society who aim to increase accessibility to opera for both performers and audiences.
- Music Club Folk Group - The largest student music society is an umbrella organisation comprising 10 student ensembles. All groups are non-audition, with the focus on the enjoyment of making music. Groups include: Brass, String, Percussion, Flute and Saxophone Ensembles, Wind Band, Jazz Society, Folk Group, and 2 choirs.
University of Glasgow - University events - Music in the University - Ensembles & Groups
The University also has a significant programme of Arts based events, many of which can be found at our College of Arts and Humanities webpage. These include short film series, performances, book readings etc..
University of Glasgow - Colleges - College of Arts & Humanities - About Us - Events
A further example, is the school of Social & Environmental Sustainability, who held an event to celebrate the film premiere of ecological filmmaker, John Wallace’s “Coastodians”, a short film made during a period of community engagement exploring how people connect with their marine and coastal environment. This work is part of an ambitious project called SCAMP (Solway Coast and Marine Project). SCAMP being developed by Dumfries and Galloway Council’s environment team with partners including the Solway Firth Partnership.