Jordan Weir, SU development officer

Jordan Weir, SU development officer
It has been a long time coming but we have finally made it! The University has committed to a strategy that ignites a beacon of hope for sustainability within the city of Sheffield and further afield. I am immensely proud of the hard work that our students and staff have put towards both writing and pushing for this strategy. It shows that student activism is essential to instigating real changes that make a difference. Our determination to make positive sustainable changes has resulted in this strategy and it is something that we should rightly be proud of. The previous SU Development Officers have helped impact this strategy over the last four years and below they share part of their story on our involvement and grassroots activity to work on protecting the future of our planet.
We must stay focused on the task at hand and ensure that the strategy promises are fulfilled, and that this isn't the end game for further ambitious proposals. The strategy sets out a clear vision of sustainability and is a bold step taken by the University of which we support. Fundamentally, we must continue to strive for better and continue the activism that got us to where we are now.

Meg McGrath, SU Development Officer 2017 - 2018
“After years of work by various SU officers, the initial meetings steering the creation of the University's Sustainability Strategy began in my year in office. Through representatives from the Sustainability Committee and I, the voices of students were embedded into the initial stages of strategy. During my term, students voted the environment the global issue most important to them, so conveying both the necessity of the University taking climate action and the strength of student feeling was incredibly important. It was also through these initial meetings that the University successfully committed to affiliating to the Electronics Watch Consortium after years of work from student activists in People and Planet. This helps protect human rights in the University's electronics supply chain, and was a welcome commitment to not only tackling the environmental but social inequalities in our society too.”

Mel Kee, SU Development Officer, 2018 - 2019
“When I started in the role of SU Development Officer we finalised and published the Year One draft strategy. This then formed the basis of developing the full strategy. We created groups, led by the relevant member of university management, to develop the sections of the strategy. We had student leads on each group and hosted various student consultations to make sure we included a range of student views. With my fellow officers we also successfully campaigned for curriculum reform, including embedding sustainability - a key part of the Year One draft strategy. We also supported the brilliant sustainability committee to push the Sustainability Delivery Group to switch to a clean energy supplier. Finally, we made sure we secured buy-in and regular engagement from senior leadership of the university to ensure sustainability and the strategy was prioritised. It's really exciting to now see the strategy launch after such hard work from all involved!”

Harry Carling, SU Development Officer 2019 - 2020
“My most important objective from my year in office was to do justice to the role of “Student Lead for Sustainability”. The University respected and trusted my views and voice on important campus issues, and I tried my best to speak on behalf of our student body - many of which care greatly for the future of our planet.
Throughout the year, I regularly attended the University’s Sustainability governance meetings, and always tried to be the most ambitious voice in the room when it came to reducing the institution’s carbon emissions, and the publication of the institutional-wide Sustainability Strategy and action plan which I am thrilled to hear is now published!
The highlights of my year in office included:
- Giving a presentation in front of all Heads of Faculties, Departments and the University Executive Board on the topic of the student concern for the climate crisis;
- Delivering the Plenary presentation at the University’s Learning & Teaching Conference on the importance of embedding Education for Sustainable Development across all degree course curriculums;
- Negotiating with the University to switch to 100% renewable electricity across all buildings on campus!”
“It’s great to finally see the strategy published after the hard work of students, officers, academics and staff over the past few years. The rest of Sustcom and I are making the strategy accessible and understandable to the wider student community. We are mobilizing students so they understand what the university is pledging to do, and can hold them accountable to this. This year, Sustcom is campaigning for structural change within the university for a more sustainable and ethical education and campus. The strategy is definitely a step in the right direction for all of us.”

“Right towards the start of our year, myself and several other members of the Sustainability Committee helped draft the Year One Strategy, which set out the process and timeline of developing the full strategy. Student voices were embedded in every part of that process, and SustCom helped to organise several consultations to make sure students' views were well represented. Along with the Development Officer, I regularly attended the Sustainability Delivery Group meetings, holding the university accountable on its commitments and pushing for greater transparency and communication of the group’s decisions.”
During this time, SustCom also created and coordinated the Clean Energy Switch campaign. With a dedicated group of student campaigners, and working with the officers team and key university staff, we were able to lobby the University to commit to 100% renewable electricity the following year. This is just one example of how some of the most ambitious commitments in the new strategy came directly as a result of student voices, a testament to the passion and capabilities of our students which I’m truly proud of. I’m excited to see the strategy now being published, and look forward to seeing the changes in the upcoming years to make our university truly sustainable.

“As the first chair of the Sustainability Committee, my role was to help kickstart the strategy campaign with the student union. My team and I started with a sustainability petition. One of our campaign officers, Holly, worked towards covering sustainability issues in the curriculum. Ruby, our other campaign officer, met with the university management to propose the changes. Our event officers arranged multiple events that enabled students to express their views on sustainability issues on campus. I oversaw the progress and presented the student views. By the summer, I was invited to participate in the steering group to bridge the student views with the university management. When I handed the committee over before my graduation, the sustainability strategy was the only thing I was concerned about. Over the years, I have been thrilled to see the amazing work the new committee members have accomplished. Now, since I heard about the launch, I have been excited and relieved. I want to thank Tim, all the former and current members of the sustainability committee who helped make it happen!”