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Meet Roan Chavez, our Sustainability Intern!

17 November 2017

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We are pleased to introduce you to our Sustainability intern, Roan Chavez, a former UCL Chemistry student.

Roan has been working on embedding Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into UCL’s curriculum as well as reducing traffic congestion on campus. See what she's been up to below.

Education for Sustainable Development

Education for Sustainable Development is defined by the Higher Education Authority as:

" The process of equipping students with the knowledge and understanding, skills and attributes needed to work and live in a way that safeguards environmental, social and economic wellbeing, both in the present and for future generations’

With the global challenges we face, it is no wonder that companies and organisations are seeking more globally aware graduates who can tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

We asked Roan to tell us about her ESD project

" Over the summer I have carried out a review of a selection of UCL’s curriculum to find out an estimate percentage of modules which incorporate sustainability topics. I also looked at the strength to which sustainability is embedded into them, and found that 50% of the modules I surveyed currently incorporate ESD. Students also have the opportunity to gain education in Sustainable Development through UCL’s Living Lab project, the Global Citizenship Programme, Green Impact and through the UCLU volunteering service. Alongside this I have done a review of how other universities are embedding ESD into the curriculum, to see how UCL can further improve its programmes.”

100% of students in Roan’s survey agreed or strongly agreed that universities should educate students on sustainability issues. UCL is committed to continuously improving its programme.

Consolidating UCL’s deliveries

Due to UCL’s large population, there is a high volume of deliveries entering the Bloomsbury campus. From analysing procurement data, Roan has found that almost 300 vans from one stationary company alone enter UCL every week to deliver items such as stationary and equipment. The aim of Roan’s project is to work with our procurement suppliers to ensure that deliveries are consolidated onto fewer vans. This will help reduce air pollution around campus and make it a healthier, safer place to work and study.

We thank Roan for all her hard work and hope she enjoyed the internship!