“An individual who seeks to lead change in an organization to transform that organization into a smarter, more successful, and more sustainable enterprise. This individual may exist at any level within an organization and in any type of organization, from the Chief Executive Officer to administrative assistant, from Mayor to city staffer, from university president to student leader.” The Sustainability Dictionary
At present there are over 30 sustainability champions from 23 different Schools and Departments across the University who have taken on a voluntary role as the local point of contact for any sustainability issues within their department. They are also the drivers for local sustainable change and coordinate the department’s response and participation in Kent’s new behaviour change project, FutureProof.
At the University of Kent our Sustainability Champions are a vital part of our delivery of sustainability actions and projects, and since 2010 have delivered thousands of actions and ideas to help Kent improve its sustainability.
Any member of staff from the Department/School may volunteer (in the case of Schools, students may also act as the representative where there is a staff member that can support them), all we ask is that they have an enthusiasm for enacting change and have permission from their manager to devote some time to this.
Sustainability champions are supported by the Sustainability Team and they are provided with training, rewards and access to a network of likeminded people.
You can read more about what it is like to be a Sustainability Champion and the about the kind of activities they do here.
Sustainability Champion Role Description
To find out who your local champion is please email sustainability@kent.ac.uk