Dropping environmental data ‘opposite’ to public opinion

Motivation to make universities more sustainable is likely to fall to individual senior leaders after requirements to provide data on environmental progress become voluntary, according to a sustainability campaign group.

Hannah Smith, co-director for campaigns and research at student network People and Planet, told HE that the Office for Students’ decision to end compulsory data collection on university estates would leave it up to enthusiastic leaders to make progress on reducing institutions’ environmental impact.

Smith was speaking as the People and Planet University League was published on 16 July, the last to use UK-wide data on university estates. The league is compiled using information about sustainability on universities’ websites and the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s Estates Management Record.