Dr Andrew Reeves

Job: Associate Professor

Faculty: Computing, Engineering and Media

School/department: School of Engineering and Sustainable Development

Research group(s): Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD)

Address: IESD, Queens Building,De Montfort University,Leicester,LE1 9BH, UK

T: +44 (0)116 250 6569

E: areeves@dmu.ac.uk

W: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/iesd

Social Media: https://andrewreeves.our.dmu.ac.uk/

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Personal profile

Andrew is a social scientist and educator with an academic focus on learning-based approaches to address the climate emergency and sustainable development within community and organisational settings.

Andrew is DMU’s Project Director for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and leads on the Environmental Sustainability theme for DMU’s ‘Universities for Leicester’ partnership with the University of Leicester.

His current research and knowledge exchange projects include the ‘Race to Zero Carbon Accelerator’ for Leicester, which is providing training and sustainability audits for SMEs to develop action plans to address climate change. Andrew is also co-ordinating a one-year Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) collaborative project to develop guidance on addressing sustainability issues within academic quality and student-voice processes for taught courses.

Prior recent research includes the Horizon2020 ‘eTEACHER’ project, which promoted energy-saving behaviour change in buildings across Europe via a gamified web-based app. Previous projects have focussed on capacity building for place-based climate change and sustainability initiatives in the Leicester area including “Communities Cutting Carbon” and Sustainable Harborough”. Andrew's PhD thesis explored the viability of achieving deep carbon emission cuts in existing social housing stock from an economic, social and technical perspective.

Andrew is module leader for "Leading Change for Sustainability”, which focuses on behaviour change and the practice of designing for pro-environmental change within social and organisational systems.

Andrew currently co-supervises five PhD students, each examining real-world sustainability initiatives in a range of contexts. These include the low-carbon retrofit of UK housing, sustainable housing and schooling in Nigeria and addressing sustainability in UK schools and universities. Previous supervised PhD research has addressed climate change adaptation in small island developing states, community-based sustainability, wellbeing through nature-connection and carbon footprint reduction through peer-to-peer support. All projects have drawn on cross-disciplinary approaches, focussing either on the UK or the Global South.

Previously at DMU, Andrew worked as a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Learning and Study Support (CLaSS), specialising in support for doctoral students and innovating in online and participatory approaches to teaching and learning.

Outside of his role at DMU, Andrew has co-founded several Leicester-based grassroots sustainability initiatives including Leicestershire’s first community energy co-operative, Greenlight festival and Leicester Carbon Rationing Action Group.

Research group affiliations

Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD)

Publications and outputs

Feedback on Leicester City Council’s draft Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan
dc.title: Feedback on Leicester City Council’s draft Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan dc.contributor.author: Leicester Climate Emergency External Expert Commission; Reeves, Andrew dc.description.abstract: This document summarises feedback put forward by members of the External Expert Commission (EEC) to Leicester City Council on their draft Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan documents. dc.description: The EEC comprised members of staff at De Montfort University (DMU) and the University of Leicester (UoL) with professional expertise in responses to climate change. The membership comprised: Ljiljana Marjanovic-Halburd, Mark Lemon, Birgit Painter, Rupert Gammon, Andrew Reeves and Karl Letten (De Montfort University); and Sandra Lee, Chrispal Anand and Emma Kemp (University of Leicester). The report's lead author was Dr Andrew Reeves (areeves@dmu.ac.uk).
Education for Sustainable Development and Academic Quality: Principles and Processes for Higher Education Providers
dc.title: Education for Sustainable Development and Academic Quality: Principles and Processes for Higher Education Providers dc.contributor.author: Reeves, Andrew; Gwilliam, J.; Harrison, P.; Price, L.; Schantz, N.; Ribchester, C.; Hughes, T.; Gretton, S.; Strachan, S.; Logan, L.; Boxley, S.; Lengthorn, E.; Barrett, H.; Peres, S. dc.description.abstract: This document reports the findings and recommendations from the “ESD and Academic Quality” QAA Collaborative Enhancement Project. Led by De Montfort University, the project aimed to identify how Academic Quality (AQ) processes could support adoption of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Our project has been driven by a focus on providing insights of value to HEI practitioners, recognising the diversity of roles of staff and students with an interest in ESD, and the great range of contexts within HEIs which will shape viable and appropriate approaches. Three aspects to this work that we agreed were highly significant are: 1) Institutional and departmental context is a key driver of what is possible in a particular HEI. This includes the nature and degree of strategic commitments to sustainable development and capacity of staff and students. 2) Whilst strategic commitments to sustainability or ESD are increasingly frequent, explicit inclusion of ESD in AQ and SV processes is still rare. It is therefore timely to produce a report highlighting specific examples of what this can look like from a range of settings. 3) Although addressing ESD in AQ and SV processes is an important component of its mainstreaming across an institution, it is likely to be ineffective without a wider enabling environment, that motivates and empowers students and staff to understand the agenda and put it into practice. dc.description: This report is an output from a Collaborative Enhancement Project supported and funded by QAA Membership. The project is led by De Montfort University in partnership with Cardiff University, Coventry University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Students Organising for Sustainability (UK), University of Bath, University of Derby, University of Exeter, University of Leicester, University of Strathclyde, University of Winchester, University of Worcester. Find out more about Collaborative Enhancement Projects on the QAA website We are grateful to the contributions from colleagues from across partner institutions, including: Sophia Goddard, Dana Miles, Graeme Stuart, Tom Harrison, Laura Sanderson, Rebecca Thirlby, Manjeet Ridon (De Montort University); Alice Jackson, Kathryn Brennan, Katherine Taylor (University of Leicester); Loreta Newman-Ford (Cardiff University); Ali Bakhit, Lizann Bonnar (University of Strathclyde); Hannah Beck, Selina Fletcher, Stacey Jones (Coventry University Group); Steve Cayzer (University of Bath); Jus􀆟n Hinshelwood, Catherine Taylor, Helen Cameron (University of Exeter); Elaine Owen (University of Derby); Sarah Motram (Manchester Metropolitan University).
Household Energy Efficiency – why the older owner is stalled.
dc.title: Household Energy Efficiency – why the older owner is stalled. dc.contributor.author: Rowlatt, J.; Reeves, Andrew; Morton, A.; Brown, N. dc.description.abstract: Data shows continued failure to meet new-build targets which combined with low current retrofit works means UK housing stock consistently falls behind energy efficiency targets. The properties of concern are owned outright and occupied by pensioners. This briefing provides an overview, including the drivers, impacts and current research data finishing with clear policy advice to address the systemic causes. All the necessary infrastructure required to apply policy, regulatory and education levers already exist.
Measuring and Reducing Carbon Emissions from Consumption of Goods and Services: The City of Leicester
dc.title: Measuring and Reducing Carbon Emissions from Consumption of Goods and Services: The City of Leicester dc.contributor.author: Aqqad, Yazeid; Reeves, Andrew dc.description.abstract: Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that arise from the consumption of goods and services in cities can act as a significant contributor to climate change. A study conducted by the global C40 cities network found that in 80% of the cities examined, consumption-based emissions exceeded 50% of the city’s total emissions. Despite this, climate change governance and reporting typically follows a territorial-based approach, focussing upon emissions generated within a location. The UK follows this pattern, and for the City of Leicester, the quantified emissions in the city’s climate change strategy reflect scopes 1 and 2 (emissions directly produced in Leicester or arising from grid electricity used in the city). This report responds to a request from Leicester City Council to conduct desk-based research and modelling to help reduce ‘scope 3’ emissions from consumption of goods and services in Leicester by: 1. Calculating the consumption-based carbon emissions of the City of Leicester. 2. Proposing high-priority actions to reduce those emissions. dc.description: A report produced for Leicester City Council
Measuring and Reducing Carbon Emissions from Consumption of Goods and Services: Local Authority Operations
dc.title: Measuring and Reducing Carbon Emissions from Consumption of Goods and Services: Local Authority Operations dc.contributor.author: Aqqad, Yazeid; Reeves, Andrew dc.description.abstract: Local authorities such as Leicester City Council (LCC) are responsible both directly and indirectly for generating carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gas) emissions through their operations. A previous analysis of council emissions from 2011/12 estimated that consumption emissions for the council were 1.4 times larger than operational emissions at the time. Despite this, these emissions are not currently quantified or reported for either the city or the council in their annual carbon footprints, due in part to the cost and complexity of doing so. This report was requested by Leicester City Council to inform the development of future action by the council to reduce its own scope 3 emissions from consumption of goods and services by: 1. Identifying existing approaches to measuring or estimating council consumption emissions on an organisational and/or category basis – including using the information to set targets. 2. Identifying successful approaches and actions to reduce those emissions, including how the approaches/actions might be targeted to maximise the impact. A parallel report focusses on consumption-based emissions for the whole city of Leicester. dc.description: A report for Leicester City Council by De Montfort University.
A Climate Emergency Action Plan Toolkit for Community Organisations: Pilot Study Results
dc.title: A Climate Emergency Action Plan Toolkit for Community Organisations: Pilot Study Results dc.contributor.author: Kerr, Daniel; Reeves, Andrew; Hill, Bethan; Alhawamdeh, Aroob; Elmishri, Saja dc.description.abstract: Leicester City Council (LCC) are encouraging businesses and organisations across Leicester to create their own Climate Emergency Action Plans, to play their part in the city’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. To support this, LCC are developing a standalone ‘Climate Emergency Action Plan toolkit’, which can be used by non-business community organisations in the city to develop their own action plans to reduce their carbon footprint (CF), and other negative environmental impacts through measures such as improved energy efficiency in buildings, modal shifts in transport or otherwise. This project aimed to aid development of this toolkit through piloting a small-scale offer of support and eliciting feedback on the draft resources.
Review of Leicester City Council’s Draft Climate Emergency Action Plan (2023-2028)
dc.title: Review of Leicester City Council’s Draft Climate Emergency Action Plan (2023-2028) dc.contributor.author: Leicester Climate Commission; Reeves, Andrew dc.description.abstract: This short report by members of the Leicester Climate Commission has been produced as a response to viewing and discussing an October 2023 draft of Leicester City Council’s 2023-2028 Climate Emergency Action Plan. The report comprises a summary offering overall feedback, a small number of specific Recommendations for enhancements to the Action Plan and a list of Issues to Consider which were raised by Commission members as feedback. dc.description: The Commission is a task-and-finish group, convened from members of the Leicester Environmental Experts Reference Group, chaired by De Montfort University (DMU) working with University of Leicester (UoL) and other local professionals with climate and energy-related expertise. The Commission members reviewed a draft of Leicester City Council's (LCC's) Climate Action Plan in October 2023, discussed the report and offered feedback to LCC Officers in an online meeting. This document is a summary of key points made in that feedback meeting and from notes compiled by reviewers. City Council staff have also been provided with the compiled annotations on the draft action plan document captured by Commission members. These notes include suggested minor amendments, such as addition of hyperlinks or queries of specific data presented which are not included here. This report has been drafted by Dr Andrew Reeves (DMU), drawing on inputs from: Dr Sandra Lee (UoL), Prof Heiko Balzter (UoL), Prof Ljiljana Marjanovic-Halburd (UoL), James O’Brien (Leicestershire County Council), Jose Hernandez (Pick Everard, Chair of Leicester Climate Partnership), Dr Andrew Mitchell (DMU), Prof Raffaella Villa (DMU) and Karl Letten (DMU).
Environmental sustainability of learning and teaching: Thematic Peer Group Report (Learning and Teaching Paper #14)
dc.title: Environmental sustainability of learning and teaching: Thematic Peer Group Report (Learning and Teaching Paper #14) dc.contributor.author: Reeves, Andrew; European University Association dc.description.abstract: This report provides an overview of the findings of the EUA Thematic Peer Group “Environmental sustainability of learning and teaching”. The group was tasked with discussing how learning and teaching can embrace and promote sustainability, and whether existing approaches to learning and teaching are sustainable. The report seeks to promote and guide action to enable the embedding of a holistic approach to sustainability in education and learning across higher education institutions. As the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) frame much of the existing activity and national and international debate in this area, the group chose them as the basis for its discussions. In addition, Education for Sustainable Development, a concept developed by UNESCO that acknowledges the central role of education in supporting sustainable development, guided the group’s work. In higher education, Education for Sustainable Development is not just an objective in itself, but also responds to many other objectives influencing the sector. Examples of such objectives include graduates developing creative approaches to address complex problems, institutions supporting social and economic development within their communities, and institutions instigating an adequate response to the global climate emergency. Sustainability agendas are reflected in multiple frameworks covering the higher education sector, such as the SDG Accord, the UN Academic Impact Initiative, and the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative and incorporation of sustainability issues into the activities of universities is sought by students (e.g. see National Union of Students Skills Survey) Further, the topic is also gaining traction at the European policy level, as evidenced by the European Commission‘s work on a Council Recommendation on Education for Environmental Sustainability. Because of the scope of action necessary to effectively incorporate the sustainability agenda into education and learning, the group argues that this cannot be confined solely to the “sustainability” remit of an institution. Rather, in order to achieve an effective and authentic delivery of sustainability in higher education, institutions need to engage their staff, students and partners in all areas of activity. This requires a transdisciplinary and cross-departmental approach, that aligns and embeds sustainability within all institutional strategic priorities, safeguarding against waning commitment, as for example has been witnessed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following realms in any institution must be strategically and practically engaged. • Sustainability as a value must be at the heart of all strategic activities and governance. • Sustainability must be acknowledged and effective as a framework for all educational activity, including all programmes, modules and extra-curricular activities. • Both the scope and delivery of research should be infused with the values of sustainability. • The management of the university and its facilities should reflect sustainability principles, such as the reduction of waste and efficient energy use. By doing so, the estate can serve as a “living lab”, enabling students and staff to experience and practically learn about sustainable lifestyles outside of the formal curriculum. • Institutional procurement strategies should incorporate a commitment to fair trade and to locally and environmentally sustainable principles. • Sustainability principles need to be embedded within civic engagement activities locally, nationally and globally. In order to achieve this ambition, the group argues that an institution must commit adequate resources, establish a common cause throughout its activities, develop the knowledge and skills of its staff, and be authentic in all its activities. Such a combination of high commitment and high capacity in implementing Education for Sustainable Development will lead to what the group terms “Integrated Impact”. dc.description: Composition of the Thematic Peer Group “Environmental sustainability of learning and teaching” (starting with the group chair and by alphabetical order of the country name) • Cardiff University, United Kingdom: Julie Gwilliam (chair) • Graz University of Technology, Austria: Andrea Bernhard • University of Côte d‘Azur, France: Natalia Timus • National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland: Pól Ó Dochartaigh, Michelle O’Dowd, Gesche Kindermann • University of Bologna, Italy: Elena Luppi • Utrecht University, Netherlands: Margien Bootsma, Karin Rebel • De Montfort University, United Kingdom: Jackie Labbe, Andrew Reeves, Ross Kelly (student) • Group coordinator: Helene Peterbauer, Policy & Project Officer, EUA
Editorial: The role of the human dimension in promoting education for sustainable development at the regional level
dc.title: Editorial: The role of the human dimension in promoting education for sustainable development at the regional level dc.contributor.author: Dlouhá, Jana; White, Rehema, M.; Petry, Roger; Reeves, Andrew; Lozano, Rodrigo dc.description.abstract: The Frontiers in Sustainability Research Topic “The role of the human dimension in promoting education for sustainable development at the regional level” is comprised of nine articles. This theme was developed in collaboration with editors representing Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) from different regions of the world. In general, RCEs provide a framework in which regional networks of higher education institutions (HEIs), public, private, and civil society organizations play the role of critical partners in the implementation of sustainable development appropriate to regional contexts. The RCE concept is internationally accepted and has been used since 2003. Currently there are 190 RCEs around the world that strive to bridge formal and non-formal education in their respective regions to create an integrated and contextualized agenda on how learning for sustainable development can be better implemented to achieve more sustainable societies and ecological integrity. The involvement of diverse regional actors within an RCE, and the nature of the learning processes that underpin their activities in practice, serve as a model for how to shape ESD in general. However, the growing network of these regional associations with its potential global impact raises many questions. Not only do RCEs offer a new approach to regional development, driven by the sustainability focus of the RCEs, but they also challenge the traditional role of HEIs in generating the knowledge necessary for development processes. To answer some of these questions, the papers in this Research Topic discuss the processes of learning in different regional contexts and their transformative effects. These processes have the potential not only to influence the current environmental, social, and economic situation in different regions, but also to bring innovation to the education system. The papers often focus on the agency of social actors (institutions, networks, and individuals), their shared visions, and their roles and activities carried out in a local/regional context to achieve desirable common goals—the social capital they collectively generate. The research in this Research Topic thus emphasizes the human dimension of these processes, where the exchange of ideas about the future and critical thinking are essential preconditions for change—as opposed to the (often overestimated) focus on technology. An important keyword is innovation: in a safe social environment with supportive relationships, new solutions to persistent problems can emerge, and new perspectives driven by creativity can provide space to ask fundamental questions. dc.description: open access article
Seeing the wood for the trees: a heuristic framework to enable the integration of sustainability education in higher education settings
dc.title: Seeing the wood for the trees: a heuristic framework to enable the integration of sustainability education in higher education settings dc.contributor.author: Gwilliam, Julie; Reeves, Andrew; Timuș, Natalia dc.description.abstract: This paper puts forward a conceptual framework to support the dual challenges of strategic and practical integrative action of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) across Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). There are numerous existing resources and toolkits providing appropriate actions, guidance or approaches to monitor and measure ESD engagement. Our intended distinctive contribution in this paper is to complement these with heuristic ways of thinking that offer clarity on the context and evolution of progress on ESD at an institutional level. Our proposals were developed through structured comparative discussions by ESD practitioners from seven European universities, leading to a consensus view on key contextual influences across a range of environments, embodied in our proposed heuristic metaphors. The resulting proposed framework, built upon a systems-based visual metaphor of a forest ecosystem of HEIs, proposes the use of the dimensions of capacity and commitment, to define an integrative framework with four positional scenarios: ”Pockets of Practice”, “Emerging Agenda” to ”Integrated Impact” and “Off the Agenda”. To illustrate its application, it is used to contextualize relevant steps to progress ESD associated with each scenario in the areas of strategy, staff development, formal education and extra-curricular opportunities. We argue that the adoption of such a framework by HEI practitioners could support day-to-day decision-making and strategic planning towards an integrated approach to ESD that engages with all areas of university activity. dc.description: open access article This work was developed from a European Universities Association Collaborative Enhancement Project, examining how environmental sustainability could be addressed in the curriculum for Higher Education Institutions. Project webpage: https://eua.eu/resources/publications/964:environmental-sustainability-of-learning-and-teaching.html

Click here to view a full listing of Andrew Reeves' publications and outputs.

Key research outputs

Sowing Seeds and Promising a Harvest: Learning from the Delivery and Evaluation of a Local Sustainability Transition Initiative in the UK
Reeves, A. and Mitchell, A. (2016) Sowing Seeds and Promising a Harvest: Learning from the Delivery and Evaluation of a Local Sustainability Transition Initiative in the UK. Paper presented to International Energy Policy and Programme Evaluation Conference (IEPPEC), Amsterdam, 7-9 June 2016.

Exploring Local and Community Capacity to Reduce Fuel Poverty: The Case of Home Energy Advice Visits in the UK
Reeves, A. (2016) Exploring Local and Community Capacity to Reduce Fuel Poverty: The Case of Home Energy Advice Visits in the UK. Energies, 9 (4), pp 27

Jump-starting transition? Catalysing grassroots action on climate change

Reeves, A., Lemon, M. and Cook, D. (2014) Jump-starting transition? Catalysing grassroots action on climate change. Energy Efficiency, 7 (1), pp. 115-132

Making it viable: exploring the influence of organisational context on efforts to achieve deep carbon emission cuts in existing UK social housing.
Reeves, A. (2010) Making it viable: exploring the influence of organisational context on efforts to achieve deep carbon emission cuts in existing UK social housing. Energy Efficiency, 4 (1), pp. 75-92

Modelling the potential to achieve deep carbon emission cuts in existing UK social housing: The case of Peabody.
Reeves, A., Taylor, S. and Fleming, P. (2010) Modelling the potential to achieve deep carbon emission cuts in existing UK social housing: The case of Peabody. Energy Policy, 38 (8), pp. 4241-4251.

Research interests/expertise

Education for Sustainable Development

Sustainable Communities

Energy Efficiency

Conservation Psychology

Permaculture

Social Enterprise

Learning Development

Action Research

Areas of teaching

Module Leader: Leading Change for Sustainability (MSc Energy and Sustainable Development).

Qualifications

PhD Energy and Sustainable Development (De Montfort University) 2006-2009

MMath Mathematics (four-year masters degree, 1st class, hons) 1996-2000

Membership of professional associations and societies

Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)

Consultancy work

Current research students

John Rowlatt -1st Supervisor (promoting low carbon housing retrofit through persona modelling)
Abi Okoya - 1st Supervisor (innovation in education and sustainable development in Nigeria)
Huraira Umar Baba - 1st Supervisor (compressed earth blocks as a sustainable building material in Nigeria)
Sarah Thomson - 2nd Supervisor (barriers to Service Learning in UK higher education)
Tasnina Karim - 2nd supervisor (gender issues influencing sustainability education in secondary schools)

Professional esteem indicators

Chair of the East Midlands Regional Centre of Excellence (RCE) for Education for Sustainable Development (2019-)