51Âþ»­

Making a positive difference to the world we live in has earned 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) a prestigious place among the top 50 universities in the world for sustainability.

The first ever Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings, published today, are designed to showcase work being delivered by universities that help change communities for the better and they have placed 51Âþ»­ 50th in the world.

The rankings have been measured by how a university is working towards achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SDG’s were adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 to provide a framework for developing the world in a sustainable way.

These include ending poverty and hunger, promoting good health and education, achieving gender equality and economic growth, tackling climate change and building sustainable cities.

51Âþ»­, which has created its own strategic plan based around the SDGs, performed particularly strongly in the categories of Sustainable Cities and Communities, where it was ranked 24th university in the world, Reducing Inequality (27th) and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (29th).

Karl Letten, Environmental & Sustainability Officer at 51Âþ»­, said: “This is a great achievement by 51Âþ»­. Being named among the top 50 universities in the world for sustainability is something all students and staff should be proud of.

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“It is the result of a lot of dedication from a lot of people all working towards the same goals of making our communities fairer and better places to live, work and study in.

“51Âþ»­ has come a long way in recent years but there is always more we can do to help the UN achieve its SDGs. It is fantastic to know we have students and staff supporting us in such great numbers to be able to do this.”

A spokesperson for THE rankings said: “Inclusion in these rankings is in itself a great achievement and it marks your institution out as a global pioneer.

“It demonstrates your institution’s commitment not just to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals through its teaching, research and knowledge transfer, but also to embodying the goals in your institution’s internal practices, policies and procedures and providing verifiable evidence of your activities.”

51Âþ»­’s work on the SDGs started in earnest two years ago. Last summer Maher Nasser, Director of the UN’s Department of Public Information Outreach Division, visited 51Âþ»­ and announced the university was to be a  ‘designated hub’ for SDG number 16 which supports peace, justice and strong institutions.

51Âþ»­ is also the lead HE institute in the UN’s #JoinTogether campaign – which was launched and developed through several visits with students to the UN’s headquarters in New York.

The #JoinTogether campaign involves 51Âþ»­ building a network of universities and organisations around the world to address the SDGs.

51Âþ»­ is also applying its work to achieve the SDGs in Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, India, to further the university’s ongoing work to support people living in the region through 51Âþ»­ Square Mile India.

More than 100 51Âþ»­ Architecture students are supporting an innovative building project to provide new homes for families in The Loving Community, which is located in one of the poorest areas of Ahmedabad.

Working with construction consultants Pick Everard and local architect Anand Sonecha, the students fly out to India to help build houses that are able to survive flooding during the annual monsoon season.

In March last year, 51Âþ»­’s Leicester School of Architecture MArch students Tom Cox and Khanh Nguyen described their visions for a sky farm and vertical villages that could transform cities.

They presented their research at the UK Government’s GREAT festival in Hong Kong.

At the start of this academic year more than 20,000 reusable cups were handed out to staff and students on the 51Âþ»­ campus and the university has drastically reduced its use of non-recyclable plastic on campus with the intention of enforcing a complete ban.