December 2024

University College Birmingham in 2024: A year of sustainable growth

By Sean Madden

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It has been a transformative year at University College Birmingham, as we laid strong foundations for sustainable development and reaffirmed our commitment to building relationships with key stakeholders across the sectors.

Our students have been at the forefront of these efforts. Culinary arts students were crowned sustainability champions at the Zest Quest culinary competition. Meanwhile, the Business School demonstrated leadership by hosting a prestigious National Tourism Convention, integrating sustainability into key industry discussions.

Looking ahead to 2025, we are thrilled to send 20 sixth form students to Singapore for a two-week trip to explore sustainability in the international education sector.

New leadership roles have driven significant progress. Our construction department welcomed an Innovation Practitioner with expertise in green building, while Ashlea Mallett was appointed Head of Sustainability and Campus Services, bringing fresh direction to the University's strategy.

A sustainability coordinator has also been recruited to support further progress. Sixth Form Principal Rebecca Tigue was also named Chair of the Sustainability Steering Board and Executive Management Sustainability Lead, reinforcing our commitment to sustainable growth.

Hosting the prestigious Tourism Management Institute Annual Conference

Finally, in December, we partnered with and hosted SUSTAIN's first Midlands Sustainability UnConference .

This innovative event provided a platform for sharing best practice and successes, collaboratively problem solving on issues of sustainability and addressing challenges across sectors.

After an exciting and rewarding year of progress, University College Birmingham remains committed to engaging all stakeholders in building a future aligned with net-zero goals, and the development of a greener and more sustainable community for all of our staff and students.

Read more about our journey to sustainability.

Find out about our international postgraduate sustainable development award.

"We’re delighted to end the year by recruiting our new sustainability coordinator to support further progress, and can't wait to find new opportunities in 2025."

Ashlea Mallett Head of Sustainability and Campus Services