Students and staff at DMU are being urged to share their suggestions for a more sustainable future as the university launches a series of events to mark COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
The theme of "26 Ideas for COP26" aims to find new ways of working and innovations that could not only improve campus life, but also drive the conversation about climate change.
Seed Grants are available for students, staff and alumni to make green ideas a reality, while students can get involved with a range of projects that will make a difference to life at DMU, focused on energy saving and sustainability. There will also be the chance for students to work with DMU's Green Impact project and even get involved with DMU's work with the UN, as the only UK university to be a Sustainable Development Goals hub.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Katie Normington will introduce the 26 Ideas for COP26 on Wednesday 3 November, following which students and staff will be invited to share their ideas for a greener campus.
Events begin on Wednesday 13 October - click here for the full list. They have been put together by DMU's United Nations Academic Hub for SDG16, the Sustainability team and the university's Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) project.
COP-OUT
Amongst the programme of activities is COP-OUT, hosted by DMU's Youth Work & Community Development Team and aimed at students, young people, community activists, academics and interested citizens. The idea is to hold the powers-that-be to account on climate change and to give ordinary people a voice on the subject.
For this reason, the team is going beyond an academic conference and seeking direct input from young people, community groups, schools and colleges. All papers, workshops, performances, exhibitions or presentations should address an element of climate change and, ideally, offer solutions to it.
COP-OUT workshops
We would welcome suggestions for workshop provision on any aspect of climate change, climate activism or campaigning. Please forward your suggestions to sustainability@dmu.ac.uk by Wednesday 20 October at the latest, including a brief description of the workshop and its intended outcomes, how long you intend the workshop to be (this is negotiable) and the optimum number of participants.
A space and programme slot will be allocated by Monday 25 October.
COP-OUT conference papers
Abstracts should be submitted by Saturday 30 October to sustainability@dmu.ac.uk.
You will be informed by Friday 5 November if your abstract has been accepted; if so, you will have 10 minutes to present followed by a discussion.
Posted on Wednesday 13 October 2021