How to...

make your tutorials more sustainable

Tutorials tend to have a relatively small environmental impact, however there are always
opportunities to improve sustainability. The information in this sheet is not exhaustive but
aims to give you some ideas and pointers towards making your tutorials more sustainable.
The importance of sustainability education and awareness raising should not be underestimated.
Resources for incorporating sustainability into the subject of your tutorials are included in this sheet.
Some of the tips on this sheet may be for changes in areas beyond your control, however they could
form the basis of proposals to put to an estates department or an institutional or departmental
environmental committee.

Why bother? of these steps be improved? This activity could be

It is important to target behaviour and awareness
of waste and resource use at an early stage of
a scientist’s career. The challenge is to provide
students with an in-depth understanding of
sustainability and environmental issues1, giving
them a platform to integrate sustainability into
their own lives and future careers. As well as
teaching sustainability via theory, there is the
opportunity for institutions to ‘walk the talk’
by demonstrating sustainability in practice2. It
is about institutions operating to the highest
possible environmental standards. Tutorials
provide a unique opportunity for you to discuss
issues arising from certain topics and encourage
sustainable behaviour.
Getting the ball rolling
It is likely there are already structures in place
for reducing the environmental impact of your
institution. Assess if you are fulfilling all the
objectives laid out in the environmental policy3
of your institution in the preparation and delivery
of your tutorials. To identify areas that need
attention and to keep a record of improvements,
consider carrying out an environmental audit4.
Inspiring sustainability education
It is worth spending some time thinking about
how a tutorial subject fits into the global,
environmental, social and economic contexts of
sustainability. A number of sustainability teaching
resources are available online covering a variety
of topics, for example: carbon management5,
renewable energy6, sustainable use resources7
climate change8,9,10 and general sustainability11,12.
Most of these are not specifically designed for
undergraduate bioscience teaching but can be
adapted and could provide you with a starting
point to introduce sustainability concepts.
One activity could involve
looking at the lifecycle analysis13
of a certain object, material or
activity. What raw materials are
used? How are they extracted
or harvested? How far has it
travelled? In what way was
it processed? What is the
economic and social impact?
What are the environmental
impacts of disposal? Could any
adapted to, for example, dissect the sustainability
of bioscience techniques or comparing
methodologies.
Make some changes
Student involvement - students should be
encouraged to study in a sustainable way14,
for example by:
• using less paper and taking notes on reused or
recycled paper or notepads;
• borrowing library books rather than buying
new;
• giving or selling on purchased books to the
next set of students after finishing the course;
and
• travelling to tutorials by foot, bike or on public
transport.
Handouts - print handouts double sided
and on recycled or FSC certified paper15,
online teaching support and e-learning may
reduce the need to have paper copies16. Students
may print out copies of handouts themselves,
so ensure any copying facilities provided by
the institution and your department also use
environmentally friendly paper and print double
sided.
Location - hold tutorials in an appropriately
sized room for the number of students
attending, as heating and lighting a smaller
room is more efficient than a larger room. Hold
tutorials at a location that requires minimum
travel, you could consider perhaps travelling to a
location nearer to your students or holding online
tutorials to reduce travel.
Recycling - tutorials should not generate
too much waste but replacing waste bins
with recycling bins in tutorial rooms could
encourage people to recycle more. Provide clearly
labelled sorting containers for paper, plastics,
cans, glass and organic matter17.
Is it really rubbish? - if tutorial rooms
are undergoing a facelift, make sure that
desks, chairs, electrical goods etc. are re-
used or donated to charity or local school instead
of thrown in the skip.
 Energy efficiency - switch off electrical
appliances when not in use, and check
to ensure any power saving modes on
projectors, computers or any other electrical
equipment are switched on18. If replacing
equipment then consider buying low energy
models19. Make use of natural light by removing
anything blocking light from windows and, if
possible, arranging desks closer to the windows.
Switch to low energy light bulbs and compact
fluorescent tubes, and fit mirror reflectors on twin
tube fittings20.
Green purchasing - institutions represent
a large section of the consumer market,
and purchasing power can really make a
difference21:
• purchase reusable or refillable goods wherever
possible and avoid disposable items;
• buy recycled or reclaimed products, taking
their construction and ease of recycling at the
end of the product life into account;
• purchase as locally as you can, reducing
transport impact and supporting the local
economy; and
• if possible avoid products that must be
shipped from overseas.
Travel - encourage use of public transport
and minimise use of personal cars. Make
cycling in an attractive option22 by providing
secure lockups and pleasant changing facilities.
Install a transport notice board where car and
lift sharing opportunities between students, and
details of local public transport services, can be
displayed.
Tea breaks - vending machines are
wasteful in terms of energy, and produce
a large quantity of waste. If they must be
used collect the plastic cups for recycling, large
insulated thermos flasks are a good alternative.
Encourage fair trade23 tea and coffee, whole
foods and organic produce in canteens, and home
cooked food instead of highly packaged and
processed snacks.

Resources
1. Forum for the Future, Sustainability literacy: knowledge & skills for the future: www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/node/942
2. People & Planet’s Go Green Campaign: peopleandplanet.org/gogreen/
3. Envirowise, “How to write an Environmental Policy”: www.envirowise.gov.uk/Ref012
4. Defra, Establishing a Sustainability Management System: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/sustainable/educpanel/furthering/03.htm
5. Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management: www.eccm.uk.com
6. The Renewable Energy Centre teaching resources: www.therenewableenergycentre.co.uk/educational-resources/
7. E4S Environmental Teaching Resources: www.e4s.org.uk/
8. Defra Climate Challenge: www.climatechallenge.gov.uk/
9. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: www.ipcc.ch/
10. Defra Atmosphere, Climate and Environment resources: www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/resources.html
11. Towards Sustainability: www.towards-sustainability.co.uk/
12. The Environmental Literacy Council: www.enviroliteracy.org/
13. UNEP Environmental Management Tools. Life Cycle Assessment: www.uneptie.org/pc/pc/tools/lca.htm
14. Aberystwyth University, Sustainability for students: www.aber.ac.uk/ensus/courses/studentresources.htm
15. WRAP: www.wrap.org.uk
16. The Higher Education Academy, E-learning: www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/learning/elearning
17. Recycle More: www.recycle-more.co.uk/
18. The Energy Saving Trust: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
19. Defra guidance on the EU energy labelling scheme:www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consumerprod/energylabels/
20. Energy Conservation Group: www.savenergy.co.uk
21. Sustainable Purchasing for Universities: neupg.procureweb.ac.uk/environment.php
22. Sustrans: www.sustrans.org.uk
23. Fair Trade: www.fairtrade.org.uk

Take pride in your workplace and inspire others to make the same changes
This “How to” sheet has been compiled by Alzena Wilmot. How to sheets for; field trips, lectures,
practicals and offices are also available.
Funded and supported by the Centre for Bioscience and the Higher Education Academy ESD Project,
produced in collaboration with the Centre for Alternative Technology and Aberystwyth University

Available through the Centre for Bioscience, The Higher Education Academy
www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/esd/howto.aspx