EAUC

Who we are

Our vision is a world with sustainability at its heart. We exist to lead and empower the post-16 education sector to make sustainability 'just good business'.

 We believe

• that UK and Irish education should be a global leader in sustainability
• that educational institutions have a responsibility as anchors in their communities to be agents of change
• that education has a unique opportunity to transform lives and communities
• that education is at the heart of global sustainability
• that every student should have access to sustainability education
• that education should reflect best practice in operational sustainability
• in being flexible and adaptable to find solutions for a resilient future
• in the value of international collaboration

Our values

• Pioneering - driving sustainability through innovation
• Independence - our own unique voice
• Collaboration - together we go further
• Role model - leading by example
• Empowering - supporting and inspiring our members

The EAUC is the sustainability champion within Further and Higher Education in the UK and Ireland. We are a member association supporting tertiary education providers across the UK and Ireland as well as globally.

Over the last decade, there has been an increasing awareness within the Further and Higher Education sector of the need to address sustainability issues both operationally, as businesses, and within the curriculum. As a result, an increasing number of staff have been given responsibility to progress the sustainability agenda, either as dedicated advisors or as part of an existing post.

Membership of the EAUC has grown in number as a result. With around 300 institutional members and nearly 20,000 contacts, the EAUC is an influential voice within the sector. 

The EAUC was launched in 1996 with the aim of raising the profile of environmental management and to facilitate improvement of environmental performance in member institutions. The EAUC became a registered charity (Number: 1106172) and an incorporated limited company (Number: 5183502) in 2004.

The EAUC has developed its services over time to support its members in increasingly pressured jobs. We ensure that its members have access to important information relating to legislation, technologies, effective practice and research to enable each of its members to improve their sustainability performance.

We have an increasingly influential voice and are accredited with both UN ECOSOC consultative status and UNFCCC observer status. We regularly attend and speak at UN events, promoting our global initiatives.

The EAUC offer a wide variety of services, including:

• Training events, annual conferences and carbon literacy training
• Green Gown Awards – both in the UK & Ireland and internationally
• Sustainability Leadership Scorecard
• Carbon Coalition
• Consultancy services
• SDG Accord
• Race to Zero for Universities and Colleges

We have a turnover around £900k and currently receive funding from the Scottish Funding Council and the Environment Agency.

We are a home-based organisation.