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Evaluation of the Revolving Green Fund
An independent report looks at progress, evidence gathered, some lessons and good practice.
Sustainable development
We want to make sustainable development a central part of our strategy for the future development of the higher education (HE) sector. Our vision is that, within the next 10 years, the HE sector in England will be recognised as a major contributor to society's efforts to achieve sustainability - through the skills and knowledge that its graduates learn and put into practice, its research and exchange of knowledge through business, community and public policy engagement, and through its own strategies and operations.
Strategic statement and action plan 2008
We have published an updated strategic statement and action plan on sustainable development in the HE sector following feedback received on our consultation.
Three consultation seminars were held as part of the consultation process. These provided a forum to discuss our forthcoming sustainable development action plan. They were also an opportunity to share experiences of sustainable development and discuss the roles and opportunities open to universities.
The revolving green fund is supporting institutions to reduce their carbon emissions. Carbon performance will be a factor in future capital allocations.
In developing our 2008 update to the strategic statement and action plan for sustainable development in HE, we have formally assessed its impact on the HE sector in terms of regulatory burden, equality and diversity, and sustainable development.
Sustainable development steering group
A sustainable development steering group was set up in 2006 to provide strategic advice to HEFCE on sustainable development.
Sector impact assessment of sustainable development in higher education
[ Download Sector impact assessment of SD in HE as Adobe PDF 41K | Download Sector impact assessment of SD in HE as MS Word 109K ]
Sustainable development strategy 2005
We published our first sustainable development strategy 'Sustainable development in higher education' (HEFCE 2005/28) in July 2005 following public consultation. It set out our approach to promoting the sustainable development agenda and included a strategic statement and action plan.
As part of our strategy we undertook a light touch strategic review of activity relating to sustainable development in the sector, while facilitating the building of best practice. Our sustainable development resource guide provides a directory of resources and organisations online for those in higher education who are dealing with sustainable development issues.
HEFCE's internal operations
We are also continuing to embed sustainable development within HEFCE.
For more information on sustainable development contact Joanna Simpson, tel 0117 931 7411, e-mail j.simpson@hefce.ac.uk.
Last updated 13 August 2010