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Be sustainable

Illustration of two people walking against the University of Salford campus backdrop

To achieve the objectives of our Sustainability Strategy and become a more sustainable university, we need to support our staff and students to have an understanding of sustainability issues. We need to engage with them to enhance their knowledge of how to be more sustainable in their lives and encourage them to take action and adopt positive behaviours.

Our Communications and Engagement Strategy is currently under review. It highlights our target audiences, communication channels, how we keep up-to-date with sector best practice, details of our main initiatives and programmes and related documents. It also contains a matrix of our current events and campaigns, an action plan and a campaign planning template.

Explore the areas below to find out how you can get involved, make a difference and ‘Be Sustainable’.

Get involved

Green Impact

Green Impact is our sustainability engagement programme and is run internationally by SOS-UK. It’s a simple, fun and flexible way for staff departments to improve their environmental performance and promote sustainability at the university, whilst receiving recognition for their efforts and impact.

Taking part benefits the university, including providing opportunities for students to gain valuable skills by volunteering as Green Impact Auditors.

Go Green Salford

Go Green Salford is one of our sustainability engagement programmes, each year we run a series of events and activities. We aim to raise awareness of the importance of sustainability and encourage positive change amongst our students, staff and the local community.

Go Green Salford will be back in March 2025, from 10 to 22 of March for 2 weeks of sustainability events!

Our Green Campus

We have established a Green Campus Group, which is open to staff, students and the local community. The purpose of the group is to share information and engage with the University community about the current and future use of outside spaces at the University of Salford and how they will and could be developed and enhanced.

Looking to get involved in volunteering out in nature and on our campus?

  • We have a Community Growing Space on campus, which you can help us grow and maintain. If gardening's your thing, please get in touch via eps-sustainability@salford.ac.uk and check out our Food page for more information.
  • With Peel Park on our doorstep, why not get involved with activities there? They hold regular volunteer sessions and events – check out Friends of Peel Park on Facebook for more information.
  • The Salford Ranger Team also host lots of events and activities in Peel Park and further afield in Salford, have a look at their Salford City Council Ranger Team to see how to volunteer.

Hedgehog Friendly Campus

The Hedgehog Friendly Campus campaign aims to turn university campuses into habitats where hedgehogs can safely live and thrive. It’s a chance for our community to come together to make real changes for the local wildlife. 

Anyone can join the Hedgehog Friendly Campus Working Group - it's open to all staff and students, regardless of department, age, level of knowledge or ability. There are opportunities to become a Hedgehog Ambassador or Champion, as part of which participants receive CV references and digital badges. 

Cycle User Group

Staff and students who cycle to the university, or are thinking about it, can join the Cycle User Group Teams site, where you can share tips, routes and ask any related questions.

University of Salford Students' Union (Salford SU)

The Sustainability Team have collaborated with Salford SU a number of times to educate our student community about sustainability. The SU have supported projects such as the Salford Swap Shop, shared sustainability related content via their communication channels, and are taking part in the SOS-UK Responsible Futures supported change programme in partnership with the University of Salford.

Student-led projects

The Sustainability Team have funded and supported a number of student-led projects, including the Salford Swap Shop, Salford Climate Cafe, as well as several wildlife and sustainable art workshops.

Curriculum

The Sustainability Team work with academics to provide student briefs for live projects or dissertations and also deliver guest lectures and workshops. Let us know if this is something you would be interested in for any of your modules.

Induction

Our interactive environmental sustainability induction is now available. All new starters should and existing staff are strongly encouraged to complete this. The course will be available in your modules menu on the e-learning platform (university staff login required).

Quick tips for being green

Check out our 10 tips to be sustainable on campus:

  1. Travel sustainably – could you walk, cycle or use public transport to get to university? Or could you use our car share scheme as a driver or passenger?
  2. Think before you print – it takes nearly half a litre of water to produce 1 sheet of A4 office paper. Could you access materials online or use projector facilities? If you do need to print something, print double sided and two pages or more on one sheet and avoid printing in colour.
  3. Use reusable crockery, cutlery and water bottles and use a reusable cup when buying hot drinks – by doing so you can save money on your drinks at Salfood outlets and at the Students’ Union.
  4. Reuse non-confidential scrap paper, envelopes, bags and anything else that could be used again, either in the same or a different way.
  5. Recycle right – cans, tins and plastic bottles (no other plastics) go in the green mixed recycling bins, paper and thin card in the blue paper recycling bins and other items in the general waste (including coffee cups, plastic yoghurt pots etc.). Our recycling page details what to do with other items such as electronics and books.
  6. Switch off non-essential lights, screens, computers and other electrical items when not in use (Ricoh printers should be left on as they need to communicate remotely and they do go into a low energy mode). Think about specialist equipment and also other ways to save energy and water, such as only boiling as much water as you need in the kettle.
  7. Buy responsibly and sustainably - Is the purchase really necessary? Could you fix your current item? Could you borrow or rent something instead? Could you reuse items rather than buying new goods? If you do need to buy new items, could you get something made from recycled content or that is energy efficient? Consider whole life cycle costs including disposal.
  8. Eat green – evidence shows that eating a more plant-based diet is better for the environment. Could you have more vegan or vegetarian meals? Also think about buying local and seasonal produce or Fairtrade products
  9. Look after and enjoy green spaces – being outside is good for you in so many ways and we are lucky to have Peel Park on our doorstep. If you are particularly interested in the outside spaces on campus, then join our Green Campus Group
  10. Get involved and help spread the word! Join in with initiatives on campus and talk to others about the importance of living sustainably. If you are a member of staff, could you embed sustainability into your teaching? If you are a student, could you do piece of work that incorporates sustainability?

More information

We also have ad hoc opportunities to get involved throughout the year. To stay up to date, you can sign up to our Sustainability Newsletter mailing list. And don't forget to look out for our stalls and events during Welcome Weeks.

If you have any questions or suggestions for events and campaigns we could run or support, please contact eps-sustainability@salford.ac.uk.