Dear Esteemed Colleagues,

The University of Plymouth is committed to writing and adopting a sustainability policy. The background work for this process is being lead by its Centre for Sustainable Futures (also known as the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Education for Sustainable Development. CETL ESD). The centre is compiling a list of all the university sustainability policies we can find and gathering lessons learned from the process of drafting such a policy through to implementing it. The full report of all this research will be made public on our website.

We have found sustainability policies for the following universities:

• Glasgow
• Edinburgh
• Sussex
• Sheffield Hallam
• Middlesex
• Newcastle
• Duke University
• York
• Birbeck, University of London
• Gloucestershire
• St Andrews
• Aberdeen
• Strathclyde

..and we are contacting them to find out more information.

Does your university have a sustainability policy? If so we would like to hear from you.

Specifically we would like to have a digital copy of your sustainability policy and if possible responses to the following questions:

• What was the basic process undertaken to write the policy?
• Where did the motivation come from to have a sustainability policy?
• Was the policy modelled on a policy elsewhere? A sustainability charter?
• Was it difficult to have the policy formally endorsed?
• What lessons can you offer for those trying to write and endorse a sustainability policy?
• Has the policy had an effect on the operations (including teaching and learning) of the university? If so, what?
• What clauses in the policy have been most useful and/or used?
• What is missing from the policy? or, What clauses do you wish were included?

Please respond by email or call the number below and we can talk over the phone.
Again, the complete results of this information gathering will be made public and a report can be sent directly to you if you wish.
Any related suggestions or linkages are greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your time.

James.

Dr. James Gray-Donald
Post-doctoral research fellow
Centre for Sustainable Futures
University of Plymouth
Kirkby Lodge
Drake Circus
Plymouth  PL4 8AA
United Kingdom

desk: (0)1752-238895

cell: (0)7815191501
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www.plymouth.ac.uk/cetl/esd

'Drop a word in the ocean of meaning and concentric ripples form.
To define a single word means to try to catch those ripples.
No one's hands are fast enough.'     -Robert Bringhurst