Sustainability Week
Sustainability Week: 20 - 24 February 2023
Imperial College London’s Sustainability Week will take place will take place from 20-24 February 2023!
Over five days, staff and students will have the opportunity to hear from researchers about their work on the transition to zero pollution, find out what Imperial is doing to reduce its own environmental impacts and get involved in exciting workshops and interactive events.
Organised by Sustainable Imperial, the Global Challenge Institutes and the Imperial College Union, this year’s Sustainability Week centres on the themes of Climate, Energy & Waste, Biodiversity, Water and Air.
Highlights include panel discussions on climate justice, careers in sustainability, and the ecological crisis, an in-conversation event with Professor Tim Green, Imperial’s Academic Leader for Sustainability, and a Sustainability Fair on the South Kensington campus.
Check out our programme of events (continuously updated) and sign-up to attend via the links below!
Sustainability Week 2023 events
Monday 20 February: Climate crisis
12.00 - 13.00: Creating a sustainable university: where we're at and what's next? (in-person)
What is the College doing on sustainability and how can you get involved? To kick off Sustainability Week 2023, Tim Green, the new Academic Leader for Sustainability, will talk about the College's Sustainability Strategy and the next phase to create a sustainable university for the future and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.
15.00 - 16.00: Climate justice: fairness for a greener future (in-person and online)
Join our panel of experts to discuss the need to consider climate justice within and alongside climate science. Hear from Imperial experts on the just transition, loss and damage, inclusive public policy and youth voices alongside an external climate justice campaigner, all to discuss the narrative of inclusion in climate discussions and its practicalities.
16.00 - 18.00: Launch of Climate Anxiety Journal Club (in-person)
Join us for talks and a panel discussion with eco-anxiety experts, followed by the first session reviewing Our Changing World, a guided eco-anxiety journal from Climate Cares, designed “to help you process our changing world and take action on the environmental issues you care about most”.
18.00 - 19.00: London Student Sustainability Conference poster exhibition and networking session (in-person)
LSSC23 is a student-led conference, with students exhibiting their research and projects through presentations, posters and workshops, followed by a networking event in the evening. The day-long conference offers attendees the opportunity to find out more about the incredible climate and sustainability work and research being undertaken by students across the city of London.
Tuesday 21 February: Energy/Waste
10.00 - 16.00: Sustainability Fair (Sherfield Concourse)
POSTPONED: Room 101 Workshop: Tackling the unintended problems of the digital world
16.00 - 18.00: Building a career in sustainability (in-person and online)
Hear from Imperial alumni who have built their careers in sustainability. The panel will be sharing their insights and experience of working in a wide range of sectors both in the UK and internationally as well as their advice for current students wishing to take their first steps towards a rewarding and meaningful career.
10.00 - 12.00: Environmental Emergency: the scary story & and effective solutions (in-person)
Led by the student societies, join for a two-hour lecture & workshop on the environmental crisis and climate change. Hear from the President of Engineers Without Borders, Imperial and the Education lead at Imperial Climate Action.
Wednesday 22 February: Biodiversity
12.00 - 13.00: Solutions to save a dying planet (in-person and online)
Bringing together staff and student speakers from across Imperial's four Faculties, the event discusses the state of our natural world, why nature is so important to our mental well-being, how nature can help cities both mitigate and adapt to a warming climate, how greater financial investment in nature can be generated and what happened at the recent international biodiversity conference, COP15.
14.00 - 16.00: Environmental Society Secret Garden visit (outside Weeks Building in Prince’s Gardens, SK campus)
Come and visit Environmental society’s Secret Garden, a peaceful haven amidst the bustle of the Imperial College campus. Nestled within a private garden, it’s where we keep our bees and plant our vegetables. Staff and students are welcome, join us and meet some like-minded people! We will be revealing our new vertical garden which you can help us plant. We will be meeting you at 14.00 outside the Centre for Environmental Policy, Weeks Building in Prince’s Gardens, South Kensington campus.
16.00 - 17.00: A Changing Planet Seminar 'The Mathematics of Climate Tipping Points' (in-person and online)
In this talk, Dr. Ivan Sudakow will give examples of how nonlinear and stochastic theories are powerful tools that can be used to address questions around tipping points in the climate system. Ultimately this work will advance the representation of tipping elements in climate models, which will provide better predictions of the fate of Earth systems and the response of ecosystems.
18.00 - 19.30: Mock Climate Change Conference (in-person)
A fun, fast-paced role-playing event where “Global Leaders” from across society gather to negotiate and implement climate solutions.
10am-12pm: Environmental Emergency: the scary story & and effective solutions (in-person)
Led by the student societies, join for a 2-hour lecture & workshop on the environmental crisis and climate change. Hear from the President of Engineers Without Borders, Imperial and the Education lead at Imperial Climate Action.
Thursday 23 February: Air
12.00 - 13.00: What are the co-benefits of solutions to air pollution? (in-person and online)
Join our academics as they discuss the co-benefits of tackling air pollution for our health, the climate, and the economy.
17.00 - 18.00: Briefing paper launch: Tyre wear particles are toxic for us and the environment (in-person and online)
Join us at a panel discussion to launch a new briefing paper on the impacts of tyre wear particles on our health and the environment.
10.00 - 12.00: Environmental Emergency: the scary story & and effective solutions (in-person)
Led by the student societies, join for a two-hour lecture & workshop on the environmental crisis and climate change. Hear from the President of Engineers Without Borders, Imperial and the Education lead at Imperial Climate Action.
Friday 24 February: Water
13.00 - 14.00: Solving issues around Clean Water: A Global Challenge (in-person and online)
Billions of people around the world lack adequate access to one of the essential elements of life: clean water. In this panel event, we discover a variety of different research solutions that are being developed at Imperial from a range of departments across the college. From environmental management and public policy, the development of sensors for water quality assurance and the implementation of nature-based technologies in city designs we discover from our panellists potential solutions to the global challenge of providing clean water.
16.30 - 18.00: Sustainable networking event: conscious consumerism workshop & drinks (in-person)
Come celebrate the end of Sustainability Week with a fun sustainability activity & networking session. Whether you’re an expert or just starting your sustainability journey – this event is for you! Join this interactive workshop, with drinks available from the Union and snacks to be provided! Meet others interested in sustainability and get inspired!
10.00 - 12.00: Environmental Emergency: the scary story & and effective solutions (in-person)
Led by the student societies, join for a 2-hour lecture & workshop on the environmental crisis and climate change. Hear from the President of Engineers Without Borders, Imperial and the Education lead at Imperial Climate Action.