Case Studies

Sage Hill, a 3.5 acre area of land on the UCLA campus has been transformed into an outdoor learning space for teaching and undergraduate research. Restoration is possible through engaging students in restoration efforts, starting first with basic site access and safety improvements and expanding to six courses annually, with research grants and scholarships which specifically support undergraduates in on-site research. Student surveys showed that 70% of undergraduates are interested in conducting outdoor field research, indicating a broad range of interests that could be explored including ecology and restoration, conservation biology, botany, health and wellness, psychology and environmental justice. This has been part of UCLA's Biodiversity Section of their Sustainability Plan.

The "Adopt a Species" advocacy competition was an engaging event held during Praakrit'25, the annual fest of the Environmental Studies department. Students were encouraged to adopt a species and advocate for it through storytelling, posters, impactful speeches, or any other creative medium they preferred. Students participated enthusiastically, advocating for important species such as the Ganges River Dolphin, Great Indian Bustard, Pygmy Hog, and many more. Their efforts included vivid posters, body painting, reel making, poetry, and video stories. The event was successful in educating students about the importance of different species and fostering discussions about our role in their conservation.

The Dream Garden Labor Education Practice Base helps enhance the environmental awareness and sustainable behaviors of the community, providing participants with opportunities to learn skills such as gardening, land management, and environmental protection. The Dream Garden is not only a beautiful green space but also a multi-functional community education and interaction center, constantly promoting the sustainable development of the campus and community participation.

To assess their scope 3 nature impacts and identify their position on the roadmap for the Sustainable Procurement Action Plan, the University of Manchester published a detailed report on 1,000 of its suppliers. The data was collected through the Supplier Engagement Tool they have developed with NETpositive Futures, which converts spend data to social, environmental and economic impact data and designs action plans for suppliers based on the risks identified. The supplier engagement prompted over 11,000 action commitments of suppliers, of which 1,985 had already been completed by the time the report was published.

As scope 3 emissions account for 90% of their carbon footprint, the University of Manchester is implementing a Sustainable Procurement Action Plan and roadmap using benchmarks like the Flexible Framework and ISO 20400. The Supplier Engagement Tool they have developed with NETpositive Futures established a baseline and informed commitments and targets. Through reviewing and updating the supplier selection process and contracts to reflect these commitments, implementation of strategies which reduce scope 3 carbon impacts and improving staff awareness, they aim for Net Zero scope 3 emissions by 2050. Continuous monitoring and reporting are essential in evaluating their progress.

WUR’s Material Flow Management collects data from the purchasing system (inflows) and outgoing material flows to identify potential circular improvements. These opportunities are explored at ‘field labs’ throughout the campus. For example, understanding that 18% of all residual waste came from tissues led to the implementation of a pilot for hand dryers at one such field lab. Its success will be evaluated, with the prospect of being implemented across campus to meet the ambitious material use goal.

The Ecology Erdem Club, a student club at National University of Mongolia led a campaign to protect the Great Gobi, A Strictly Protected Area from the environmental threats posed by reopening the Naransevstei border point. They raised public awareness through social media, media articles, and an online petition. They educated students via school presentations and organized art and writing competitions focused on the unique biodiversity of the region. Their advocacy included engaging with experts and local authorities to push for sustainable policies. This collective effort aimed to preserve the fragile Gobi ecosystem and inspire future generations to champion conservation.

Named after the Confucian principle "Zhixing Heyi" (Unity of Knowledge and Action), this project aims to transform the area into a vibrant green space for: • Beautification: Enhancing campus aesthetics with native plants and sustainable design. • Education: Serving as a living lab where students apply ecological knowledge through hands-on care (e.g., planting, watering). • Community: Fostering teamwork and environmental stewardship.

The Universidad del Norte were the 2023 winners of the International Green Gown Award in the Nature Positive category for their conservation of 10 hectares of tropical dry forest on their campus. Tropical dry forests are of great importance for the conservation of biodiversity in urban environments, due to the range of species that inhabit them and since 2020, the university has been running forest tours to encourage a relationship between students and nature. In 2022, the university started an investigation monitoring the behaviour of nocturnal mammals through camera traps, and as a result have identified animals such as armadillos and ocelots that haven't been seen in the forest before, as well as three new insect species. Through this project, The Universidad del Norte have highlighted that they aimed to preserve the relic of tropical dry forest, encourage students to consider the cultural and ecological importance of biodiversity, and recognise the importance of integrating colleges and universities to create a territorial ecological culture.

At the beginning of 2024 the Estates Department were kindly gifted 50 ancient oak saplings from Windsor Great Park’s natural woodland nursery, home to the largest collection of ancient veteran oak trees in northern Europe. The trees, which are typically home to some of the rarest species of insects in the UK, will help the university regrow their ancient classified woodlands and will fill the spaces cleared by their continuing removal of invasive shrubs from the estate. As the first sapling was planted, Briony Hughes, one of the English Department’s PhD candidates, and co-curator of the "Words from the Wild: The Nature of Poetry" exhibition, read a poem that she’d written based on her time spent in Windsor Great Park and across the University’s grounds.