University of Bath introduces carbon literacy training to Welcome Week in UK first
The sessions, which are a formal part of the Welcome Week timetable, teach students about the environmental impact of their actions
New students arriving at the University of Bath this week are being taught more about climate change in a UK first.
So called climate literacy seminars have been formally added to the Welcome Week timetable in a move never made in the UK before.
In them students are taught about the impact of things like travel, energy use and our diets.
More than 5,000 students will then have the chance to complete extra training and earn a certificate as part of The Carbon Literacy Project Initiative.
The roll-out of the scheme to all new undergraduate and postgraduate students follows a successful pilot project last year involving around 100 students. Returning second year students will also be offered the chance to take the course.
Dr Steve Cayzer, Climate Action Learning & Teaching Liaison at the University, said: “We’re delighted to roll this out to all our new students with the Carbon Literacy Project after it was so well received in last year’s pilot.
“The idea came from the belief that every student coming to Bath should have a level of Carbon Literacy and that we wanted to weave that into the student experience and give everyone the chance to get involved."
The university says it forms part of its whole institution response to the climate emergency.
"We know that this is an issue that students care about passionately and is something that will have a bearing on the rest of their lives," Dr Cayzer added.
"By introducing Carbon Literacy right at the start of the University experience we begin to get people into that mindset and thinking straight away, as well as helping them develop knowledge and skills that will be valuable throughout their lives.”
The initiative is part of the University’s response to the climate emergency through its Climate Action Framework.
This commits the University to a series of climate goals, including total carbon neutrality by 2040, as well as giving all students the chance to learn about climate change and supporting the university community to enable carbon emission reductions.
Elsa Swetenham is a Natural Sciences student who took the course as part of the pilot last year. She said: “The Carbon Literacy course was a great way for me to get thinking about what problems the world is facing in terms of the climate crisis and how Bath is responding to these challenges.
"It really inspired me to find out what the university is doing and how I could personally get involved in climate action at the University.
"I found the course engaging, the right length and it came at a good time.
“The course also encouraged me to look at what career I could have and how I can incorporate climate into it.
"Overall, has made me a lot more climate conscious with most decisions I make."
After an initial session as part of their induction students will have the opportunity to complete further follow up training with The Carbon Literacy Project and earn a certification in Carbon Literacy for a £10 fee.
A subsidy for student on low incomes/from disadvantaged backgrounds will be available to mitigate the cost.
You can find out more about how the university is addressing the climate emergency here.