Skip to 0 minutes and 8 seconds For most of human history, the world has experienced sustainability without development. But since we’ve moved from foraging to farming, we’ve seen development without sustainability. Growth and world population has come as a result of advances in science and technology. Societies have adapted to these changes, but now population growth threatens to outrun technology. And the material resources required to support unrestrained development are no longer available. Sustainable development is one of the greatest challenges of our time. In this course, we’ll learn about the fundamental concepts and ideas that underpin sustainability on a global level.
Skip to 0 minutes and 57 seconds Universities especially have a major role to play in sustainable development not only through education, but also through their example. Here at Leicester, we’ve put this at the heart of what we do. The new centre for medicine is the UK’s largest nonresidential Passivhaus building. Here the green wall and roof planting promote biodiversity, whilst the building itself has the highest standards of air tightness and temperature control. The building’s intelligence systems include a subsoil heat exchange system to prewarm or precool the incoming air. There are heat recovery mechanisms within the ventilation system and automated blinds to keep rooms cool in summer.
Skip to 1 minute and 45 seconds The large array of solar panels on the roof and the connection to a heat and power district energy scheme means that the building is largely carbon neutral. Our values of sustainability extend into all facets of our university life. The University of Leicester aspires to develop students who can think and act sustainably. Sustainable development is not just a difficult practical problem where we all do our bit for recycling and turn off unnecessary lights. It’s also a conceptual, political and moral problem. In this course, we’ll look at what this means. How it implies there are no simple answers to the issues of sustainable development and on the other hand, how an understanding of the complexities can help shape approaches to solutions.
Skip to 2 minutes and 42 seconds This course raises fundamental issues about the fair use of resources, which will investigate why some countries are less developed than others and the interplay between development and technology. At the University of Leicester, our commitment to a sustainable future for all will cause long term thinking and socially responsible behaviour. Sustainable development isn’t just one part of the curriculum in higher education, it’s all of the curriculum in one aspect. We aim to develop the talents of our students. In this way we hope to encourage our students to grow as individuals and to contribute to their communities in positive and sustainable ways.
Skip to 3 minutes and 31 seconds In this course we concentrate on the large scale picture and hope to provide a deeper understanding of what it means to be a global citizen.
