TU Dublin is recognised as the first Centre for Sustainability Across the Curriculum in Europe
TU Dublin has been recognised as a Centre for Sustainability Across the Curriculum, and will be the first such centre in Europe, joining 15 other centres internationally. The recognition comes from AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education), which is the leading global association for the supporting and developing sustainability in higher education.
The centre will provide professional development and workshops in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to academic staff across Europe. TU Dublin has developed strong expertise in this area. The highly respected MSc in Sustainable Development was established over 25 years ago, and graduates from the BSc in Environmental Management and Planning are now leading sustainability initiatives across industry. More recent programmes include the Postgraduate Certificate in Global Sustainability Leadership, which is the result of a unique partnership between TU Dublin and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
Dr Brian Gormley, Head of Sustainability Education, noted: “In recent years, significant work has been done to integrate sustainability into other programmes in the University, such as Architecture, Engineering, Food Science, Tourism and Business. As a result, we have built up significant expertise in supporting academic staff to integrate sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals into their disciplines. Staff across Europe will now benefit from this expertise.”
Meghan Fay Zahniser, the Executive Director of AASHE, said: “I am delighted to welcome Technological University Dublin as the first European Centre for Sustainability Across the Curriculum. By increasing the availability and accessibility of faculty development opportunities related to sustainability, the centres play a critical role in helping to accelerate the infusion of sustainability content into curriculum. We are looking forward to this collaboration.”
TU Dublin is also the first Irish University committed to embedding sustainability as a learning outcome across all academic programmes, and in September 2023, as part of a new approach to student orientation, over 5,400 first-year students participated in practical, interactive sustainability workshops. By ensuring that every TU Dublin graduate is equipped with a sustainability education that is relevant to their discipline, the University aims to create beacons for sustainability across industry and society, that are empowered throughout their careers to challenge unsustainable and exploitative work practices.
