Wales Institute of Sustainability

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (TSD) is the new university in Wales formed as a result of a merger between Trinity University College in Carmarthen and the University of Wales Lampeter.

The new University is building on a rich tradition of engagement with the ESDGC and wider sustainability agenda on both campuses.  With this legacy, the new university is already developing and offering a number of ESD related programmes – including  a BSc in Green Information Technology and a BA in Managing Civil Society Organisations - and  engaging in project activity around the sustainability agenda , for example  leading a Knowledge Exchange Partnership researching the socio-economic impacts of the development of Offshore Renewable Energy. An immediate and key strategic aim is to establish an Institute of Sustainability which takes a holistic approach to sustainability in all its manifestations , expands course provision and helps to embed ESD across the university.  Reasons for this are numerous but include the following –

a) The geographical and rural location of the two campuses together with their size and strong community links means that TSD is ideally placed for both teaching sustainability and exemplifying it through the way the university conducts its business. The strong tradition of Initial Teacher Training at Carmarthen means that it is in a good position to re-orientate education at the pre-service stage thus shortening the response  time to achieving sustainability.

b) The university has secured multimillion government investment to develop its campus and provision.  New capital projects – including refurbishment of the main administration building in Carmarthen and new teaching and learning block, have all been designed to incorporate sustainable building materials and alternative energy sources.  In this way the environment will be entirely conducive to making sustainability a reality for students studying at TSD.

c) In an increasingly competitive higher education environment, the university needs to ensure its own sustainability by offering courses that capitalise on its key strengths and appeal to potential students of all ages who are attracted to studying in South West Wales.  The key drivers of sustainability, encompassing as they do the social and ecological consequences of economic activity are entirely consistent and congruent with the locality in which TSD is based.

d) Even though TSD was only officially formed in November 2010, the new university has already taken a significant number of steps to establish itself as an institution that wants to show leadership in the area of Sustainability.  These include

  • The appointment of Peter Davies  (Sustainability Commissioner and Chair to the Climate Change Commission in Wales) as a Professor of Practice at the University
  • The  recent signing of a MoU between the university and RICS – endorsed by the Prince of Wales – to jointly work to enhance rural sustainability and landscape management in Wales

The vision of the university is to create a Wales Institute of Sustainability that attracts national and  international participation and acclaim.  Its very rural location, far from being regarded  as a disadvantage, would be seen as an ideal environment in which to carry out and embody such activity.  Building on current course provision –  for example, in Public Administration, Green IT, Cultural Heritage, Social Justice  – the Institute will act as a pathfinder for taking an innovative multidisciplinary approach.

Trinity Saint David’s vision of a dual sector university – bringing together HE and FE within the geographical region – means that the university is able to embed sustainability at all levels, in practice as well as theory. In addition, the proposed unification with Swansea Metropolitan University, with its specialisms in engineering, design and resource management will offer a far more holistic and multidisciplinary approach to learning.  A key objective in conjunction with its HE and FE partner institutions would be to incorporate the whole span of sustainability related provision and research  encompassing ecology and the environment, resource management, education and the economics of consumption and production as well as technology,  alternative energy and organisational and spiritual dimensions. Being at the beginning of this process creates unprecedented potential to develop and pilot innovative practices across the education spectrum, from Initial Teacher Training provision through FE and HE to adult learning, as well as via research and business and community engagement.

The potential to link this to Development Economics is also significant and, again in conjunction with ‘practicing partners’ such as, for example, The Soil Association, the Centre for Alternative Technology or Practical Action, open up this expertise to the international market.  New institutions in the Far East and the African subcontinent are already showing interest and the rural and community based infrastructure of the University makes it a highly relevant to those in developing countries wishing to engage in action learning.

The aims of the Institute of Sustainability will be twofold:

1. Providing leading curriculum development and delivery for students across the education spectrum from ITT to adult and continuing education that:

- ensures students at the University are provided with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will equip them for their future contribution to the economy, community and environment e.g.

  • Create healthier, safer communities where business, local organisations and government work together effectively to solve common problems
  • Build social justice and wellbeing into their own work by approaching problem solving from a holistic, connected, perspective
  • Use imagination and creativity to close the gap between what exists and what is needed

2. Establishing a leading research and development function that:

- develops south west Wales as a sustainable, low carbon economy through providing a focus for business development, innovation and research

- supports communities in the region and across Wales in the development of plans and actions to enable a transition to low carbon, sustainable communities

- creates a global centre with connections to similar institutions and development organisations