Criteria theme guidance & resources
Recommended resources for each criteria theme
Baselines & Benchmarks
- Embedding Sustainability within the Curriculum: Curriculum Audit Methodologies and Good Practice guidance
- SOS UK Sustainability Skills Survey research
- Case study: SOS UK Sustainability Skills Survey Distribution (from University of Strathclyde and Strath Union)
- Case study: Sustainability curriculum mapping (from University of Chichester and Students’ Union)
Partnership & Planning
- Template: SMART action plan
- Case study: Climate Conservations and Cake - 3Cs (from UWE Bristol and the Students’ Union at UWE)
- Case study: Embedding ESD in institutional PGCert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (from Aston University and Students' Union)
- See further examples in the slide deck from the Jan 2025 cohort call
Leadership & Strategy
- Case study: Leadership in Sustainability Strategy (from Manchester Met and The Union)
- See further examples in the slide deck from the Mar 2025 cohort call
Policy & Commitment
- Template: Students' union policy commitment
- Example job descriptions for ESD roles:
- Example "Blueprint for Success: achieving long-term sustainability goals within the context of a Students' Union" (University of Worcester Students' Union)
- Case study: Engagement with the University’s Careers and Employability Service (from University of Derby and Union of Students)
- Case study: Education for Sustainable Development and Academic Quality (from DMU and De Montfort Students’ Union)
- Case study: Sustainability Student Initiatives and Student Officers for Sustainability (from University of the Built Environment)
- Case study: Empowering students by recognising their time and efforts (from University of Exeter)
- See further examples in the slide deck from the Apr 2025 cohort call
Interventions
- Case study: An integrated approach to systematically embed Education for Sustainable Development (from Ulster University and Students' Union)
- Case study: Student and staff engagement on sustainability in Further Education (from City College Plymouth)
- Resources and case studies: Sustainable Development Goals Teach In Resource Bank
- Guidebook: From Art to Zoo Management - embedding sustainability in UK Higher and Further Education (from the UK National Union of Students)
- Seed Library: A collection of support for educators in integrating sustainability into different disciplines (from Faculty for a Future)
- See further resources in the EAUC collection of blogs, case studies, reports, tools, and more for integrating sustainability into post-16 education (from The Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges)
Impacts & Outcomes
- Case study: Alumni sustainability surveys and engagement (from the University of the Built Environment)
- QAA project and guidance: Monitoring and evaluating ESD in Higher Education (project led by the University of St Andrews and several partner universities including from the RF cohort). The link includes a template M&E logframe, student competencies survey and several guidance videos
- QAA guidance: Education for Sustainable Development 2021 (from the Quality Assurance Agency and Advance HE)
- Discipline-specific resources for integrating sustainability (from Anglia Ruskin University)
- Impact report for the Responsible Futures programme 2014-2024
Outreach
- Case study: Responsible Futures reciprocal audit (from University of Worcester and Students' Union and Coventry University and Students' Union, 2024)
- Guidebook: Yorkshire Universities good practice guide on engaging students with sustainability through service learning (2024) - recommendations and examples of integrating sustainability into collaborations between universities and local communities
Self defined criteria
- See examples of what colleagues have submitted for this category in the slide deck from the Aug 2025 cohort call
.png)
