Leading the way in sustainability: top 5 in the People & Planet League

By jackiesimpsonJan 13, 20250 Comments
The University of Reading has once again proven it’s a true sustainability champion, earning fourth place in the 2024 People & Planet University League. Consistently in the top 5 for several years, Reading shows how serious it is about tackling environmental challenges. This latest milestone reflects the university’s passion for weaving sustainability into everything it does from daily operations to teaching and community outreach. What is the People & Planet University League? People & Planet is the UK’s largest student led organization for environmental and social justice, releases an annual league table that evaluates universities on their sustainability efforts. They…
Awards and Achievements
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Simpler Recycling across the country

By jackiesimpsonJan 13, 20250 Comments
New legislation has come into force in England that will affect the way that waste and recycling collections are undertaken from homes and businesses in the next few years. The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024 was brought into force in May 2024 and has been given the working name ‘Simpler Recycling’ by the Government, in order to publicise the details to the general public. The aim of Simpler Recycling is to make recycling easier; so, in theory, everyone will be able to recycle the same materials across England whether at home, work, school, hospital or university etc. and will no…
Behaviour Change, Waste and Recycling
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Reuse & Recycle Service: A Sustainable IT Equipment Lifecycle Solution

By jackiesimpsonJan 13, 20250 Comments
The Reuse & Recycle (R&R) Service is a free, environmentally friendly initiative designed to help departments at the University properly dispose of unwanted IT equipment, from working computers to damaged peripherals. Overseen by the Device Lifecycle team, this service ensures that outdated or nonfunctional devices are either reused within the University or responsibly recycled in compliance with environmental legislation. The Sustainability team have been working with the Device Lifecycle team over the last 18 months to develop and launch this service. What Does the Service Offer? The R&R Service is open to all University departments and allows them to request…
Waste and Recycling
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University of Reading ranked top 50 in the world for sustainability

By jackiesimpsonDec 19, 20240 Comments
We’re thrilled to share that the University of Reading has achieved a major milestone in the QS Sustainability Rankings 2025, securing a spot at joint 42nd place worldwide. This is a significant leap from 61st place last year, marking our third consecutive year of improvement in these global rankings. Out of 1,744 institutions worldwide, our rise highlights the ongoing effort and dedication across the university to make sustainability a core priority. Our progress isn’t just global, it’s regional too. We’re now ranked joint 26th in Europe (up from 30th last year) and joint 16th in the UK, improving from joint…
Awards and Achievements
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Take a break this Christmas and let your electronics rest too

By jackiesimpsonDec 19, 20240 Comments
The holidays are a time for us all to switch off, unwind and recharge. But while you are taking a much-needed break, don’t forget to give your electronics some downtime too. Shutting down unused devices over the festive period can help you save energy, reduce carbon emissions and save money. With the extended closure from 21 December to January 06, we have a great opportunity to prevent energy waste around the campus and accommodation. Did you know that turning off 1,200 computer monitors for the entire 16 days, rather than leaving them on standby, could save around £2,000? This is…
Energy and Water
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The University of Reading Named Times Sustainable University of the Year 2025

By jackiesimpsonDec 18, 20240 Comments
The University of Reading has been recognized as The Times and The Sunday Times Sustainable University of the Year 2025, a well-deserved celebration of its outstanding commitment to tackling climate change and driving sustainability. For years, Reading has been at the forefront of environmental efforts, achieving some truly impressive milestones. Since 2009, the university has slashed its carbon emissions by over 59.7% and reduced its waste by 35% a testament to how serious it is about making a difference. Whether its cutting emissions, saving energy, or finding smarter ways to manage resources, Reading has consistently shown that sustainability isn’t just a goal, it’s a way of life.…
Awards and Achievements
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Henley Business School leading the way in Sustainability with top 1 smallest carbon footprint in the UK

By jackiesimpsonDec 18, 20240 Comments
Henley Business School at the University of Reading has earned a remarkable recognition in 2024 by the FT master’s in finance ranking. It’s officially the UK’s business school with the smallest carbon footprint. The prestigious title is a testament to the schools ongoing commitment to sustainability and its role as a leader in shaping a greener future for business education. Our Business School has secured a place in the category for top 10 best business schools in the UK, coming in at number 6. Henley Business School is now 33rd in the world and 28th in Europe. A commitment to…
Awards and Achievements, Energy and Water
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University of Reading decarbonisation plan: winning the Energy Management Award (EMA) for its Business Travel Carbon Budgets

By jackiesimpsonDec 18, 20240 Comments
We’re delighted to announce that the University of Reading has been recognised for its ambitious business travel carbon budgets project that aimed to encourage schools and directorates cut their carbon emissions.  The University has long made sustainability a central priority. As part of its strategic plan 2020-2026, the University of Reading is committed to ambitious environmental targets, including achieving Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2030. One of the key components of this plan was to address the carbon emissions resulting from business travel. The University acknowledged that the business travel is an area often overlooked despite the significant impact on…
Awards and Achievements, Energy and Water, Travel and Transport
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Our sustainability year 23/24

By jackiesimpsonDec 16, 20240 Comments
Environmental sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do at the University of Reading. It’s one of our key strategic drivers, and we remain firmly committed to our institution wide approach to embedding sustainability across all of our activities. This ranges from ensuring that sustainable development principles are rooted throughout our teaching and research, that our research develops lasting solutions and that we spread our impact effectively across all spheres from local to global. Our latest Environmental Sustainability Report 2023/24 outlines the progress we have made. This report highlights the following areas of significant progress: 1st place ranking in…
Awards and Achievements, Compliance and Systems, Policy
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Reading students live at COP29

By jackiesimpsonNov 27, 20240 Comments
The Walker Institute has facilitated University of Reading students attending international climate negotiations for many years and this year we were lucky enough to hold a special event during Green Festival lives from the COP (Conference of Parties) 29. This event had insightful inputs from: students that attended the first week of the COP29 conference, students live in the COP (Conference of Parties) Climate Action Studio in Agriculture and with students actually at the conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. The chance to experience international climate conference is a unique experience for them, which they all agreed was incredibly valuable to see…
Energy and Water
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