Sustainability
Champions

Sustainability Champions are SU student-staff who work within their academic departments in partnership with staff and other students to embed climate justice-orientated sustainability (environmental + social justice) into the curriculum and academic experience.

These students are employed and managed by the Students’ Union, and are funded by a variety of departments including the Schools in which the students work. This programme forms an important part of the University's Education for Sustainable Development strategy, the Climate Action Plan (CAP) programme run by the University's Sustainability Office, and more widely, for delivering on the University of Bristol’s commitment to embed sustainability as a cross-cutting theme. 

Sustainability Champions' primary responsibilities are to: represent student voice and students' academic interests with courage and integrity; work in partnership with academics and staff to embed and embody sustainability across programmes; collaborate with student leaders including our Full Time Officers, Academic Reps, Liberation networks, student societies, BILT Student Fellows, Race Inclusion Advocates, and others; uphold the SU's values in their work (EDI, wellbeing, sustainability, community, and fun).

If you would like to get involved in the Sustainability Champion programme please contact Shandin Rickard-Hughes, Education for Sustainability Lead. Opportunities include:

• Appointing a Sustainability Champion to work within your School or Faculty. Please note that appointing a Sustainability Champion within a School/Faculty requires financial sponsorship, and whilst we endeavour to recruit Champions for the Schools which pledge support, we cannot guarantee appointable applicants. Applications for 2024-25 roles will be advertised in summer 2024 to enable Champions to begin working by mid-October. The funding call for 2024-25 is now closed. 
• Supporting the Sustainability Champion programme. Support could mean funding, helping to promote/communicate our activities, partnering with us on projects, delivering workshops, or other opportunities. We are happy to work with student groups, staff networks, internal departments, and University/ SU educational partners. Note that we are not open to external commercial sponsorship.

Internal and external media/comms enquiries should be made to Shandin Rickard-Hughes.

Meet our 2023-24 Sustainability Champions below. The 2024-25 cohort will be listed by December!

Shandin Rickard-Hughes

Education for Sustainability Lead

I am honoured to be leading the team of Sustainability Champions for Bristol SU. Most universities in the UK don’t have paid student staff roles to work on sustainability, challenging the status quo and bringing democracy into their learning and research experience. This is such an exciting time to be working at the University of Bristol and in the SU, charged with potential to make real impact and change within HE.

Find out more about me

My remit is to guide the Sustainability Champions in their work across disciplines and levels (UG/PG), ensuring that we represent inclusive student voices in our change-making efforts. Get in touch with me if you have questions about the Sustainability Champion programme, or would like to work with us: shandin.rickard-hughes@bristol.ac.uk

I am specialised in education for sustainable futures, with my work falling in the better-known fields of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Decolonisation. I am particularly interested in higher education leadership and transformative change in education, as well as in the concept of futures, prescribed and potential, and the power of imagination and narrative to create a healthy and just future for people and planet.

Matthias Mitra

School of Medicine

Hi! I’m a third-year medical student and the Sustainability Champion for the Medical School!

As Sustainability Champion, my duties mainly pertain to acting on the Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC), an international scoring system used to assess the sustainability of medical schools.

Find out more about me

Having witnessed the amount of waste the healthcare sector generates, I am passionate about finding ways to further implement sustainable development into our medical curriculum. I also help the Medical School itself identify areas in which it can make its practice more sustainable.

If you have any questions or would like to reach me, please don't hesitate to email ua20479@bristol.ac.uk.

Ritah Pavin Nakanjako

Cabot Institute for the Environment

As one with a background in climate science and passionate for the environment, I realized understanding different climate risks, hazards and challenges is not enough, adaptation and mitigation is one step to making a difference. Climate Change adaptation creates avenues of creativity in tackling climate issues in prospects of creating sustainable futures for the ones after us.

Find out more about me

This year I will be creating a community of different researchers using different tools but with similar goals to make a difference towards understanding and practicing sustainability both within and outside Cabot Institute. Bringing the environmental experts and enthusiasts at the fore front of change.

If you have any questions or ideas you'd like to discuss, please email ritah.nakanjako@bristol.ac.uk.