Following last year’s success, the University has been named as one of the top three universities in the UK for 2023/24. Areas which Bedfordshire scored highly include water reduction, carbon management, and providing sustainable food.

Bedfordshire has held a stable position as one of the Green League’s top-scoring institutions since 2018, largely in thanks to ongoing work around sustainability and ensuring campuses help not only the future of students but also the future of the planet.

Professor Andrew Church, Pro Vice Chancellor and lead for sustainability, said: “It’s very pleasing to be placed third in the 2023/24 People & Planet University Green League. This really hones in on our student and staff willingness and commitment to living and learning sustainably. Universities and other educational outlets play a key role in influencing change and communities around important issues such as the environment, climate change and sustainability. The University of Bedfordshire will continue to work with stakeholders and influencers to ensure positive outcomes for future generations.”

In the past year, the University of Bedfordshire has hit one of its key aims – to generate one million kilowatt hours of energy from the social panels incorporated across its campuses. Alongside this, the University has been able to save a whopping 700 tonnes (or 52 single-decker buses) worth of CO2 and reduced energy usage by 2.7 million kwh.

People & Planet is the largest student network in the UK which campaigns for social and environmental justice. Each year, the People & Planet University League measures a number of environmental areas including carbon and water reduction, use of alternative energy sources, sustainable food and recycling.

Adam Higgin, Head of Sustainability at the University of Bedfordshire, commented: “Hot on the heels of the Global Conference on Climate Change, COP28, this sustainability league table position is the culmination of more than 10 years’ work. As an institution ‘sustainability’ is one of the key goals in our Transforming Bedfordshire strategy, and this result has helped us achieve both our key strategic goal and our sustainability value that commits the University to having a strong and evidenced commitment to sustainability.”

For further information on how the University of Bedfordshire is committed to sustainability, click here.