• University of Bath

Make an Impact: Sustainability for Professionals

Find out how to integrate a sustainable development strategy into your company with this free online course.

24,490 enrolled on this course

Sustainability for Professionals - University of Bath
  • Duration

    6 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

We’ll find out how and why businesses routinely incorporate sustainable development, via corporate social responsibility policies, product innovation and new business models.

We’ll explore the key drivers: standards; stakeholder engagement; governance; and innovation.

We’ll also examine international perspectives towards sustainable development and how these impact on business.

The course will help you assess each topic in relation to business, whatever sector interests you and wherever you are in the world, and explore how you can use your personal interests to influence sustainable development.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 10 seconds Welcome to the University of Bath, one of Britain’s leading universities.

Skip to 0 minutes and 38 seconds Our campus brings together academic expertise, with a wide range of international, industrial, academic, and stakeholder partners to carry out world changing research in sustainable development.

Skip to 0 minutes and 55 seconds Our research is making a real difference to the way we live our lives. Our engineers are exploring new ways of fuelling our future, from hydrogen storage, to the development of more efficient engines.

Skip to 1 minute and 10 seconds Our architects are changing the way we live, creating low cost homes from innovative materials that look great, are healthy to live in, and use less energy to keep warm.

Skip to 1 minute and 24 seconds Our scientists are developing better solar panels, and creating bio diesel from algae grown in the city’s famous Roman baths.

Skip to 1 minute and 37 seconds We are also influencing sustainability policy, from contributing to national environmental politics, to broadening the understanding of corporate social responsibility.

Skip to 1 minute and 48 seconds Having a sustainability strategy is becoming more and more important for all businesses today. For some organisations, it’s now part of their overall strategy to stay ahead and to improve their market share. Others are pushed into it through business requirements.

Skip to 2 minutes and 11 seconds My name is Dr Emma Patterson, and I’m the lead tutor of this course. I hope you’ll join us to discover more about sustainability, and how you can make a difference to your own organisation. We don’t expect any previous experience, just a willingness to actively take part.

Skip to 2 minutes and 35 seconds Over six weeks we’ll explore topics such as key drivers for sustainability, the importance of stakeholder engagement, and innovation for sustainability.

Skip to 2 minutes and 47 seconds You’ll be hearing ideas from University of Bath’s sustainability researchers, and from industry professionals. We’ll also be encouraging you to put forward your own ideas, and to be involved in group discussions with your fellow learners. Our researchers here at the University of Bath are setting a new path for the future, creating a more sustainable world. Join us. Develop your awareness of sustainability issues, and use your new knowledge to develop a sustainability strategy for your own organisation.

What topics will you cover?

  • What is sustainability and why is it important?
  • Key drivers for sustainability
  • Getting on and staying on track
  • Innovation for sustainability
  • How are we doing?
  • Be the change

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explain where the concept of sustainability comes from and describe how humans are at the centre of sustainable development issues
  • Explain how individual attitudes influence drivers, the way policy motivates behaviour and be able to recognise key drivers in business for putting sustainability on the agenda
  • Describe stakeholder engagement strategies and identify appropriate strategies for managing sustainability
  • Describe patterns and scale of technology and business innovation
  • Identify key standards, define metrics and indicators and apply a range of environmental assessment tools
  • Explore how, as an individual, you can influence organisations and society

Who is the course for?

No previous subject knowledge is required. You will be asked to get involved throughout the course, giving you the opportunity to think deeply about the topics covered and relate the teaching to your own experiences.

What do people say about this course?

"I would like to make a heartfelt "Thank you" to Emma and her instructional team as well as the curriculum design folks for a job well done. I enjoyed the course and the time I invested in it was well spent. This Sustainability course goes very well with the other FutureLearn MOOC: "Environmental Management -Social/Ecological Systems" (University of Leeds)"

"This has been such an experience. Not just learning about sustainability, but the links and comments of our colleagues are inspiring. I have now, a clearer idea/understanding of my surroundings, and how one little thing affects many others. My heart wants to drop every thing and start campaigning sustainability, my heart also aches for humanity and for what possibly lies ahead...I am grateful for this opportunity and blessed to be an individual with the capability to change, my self and hopefully others."

Who will you learn with?

I am the Lead Tutor of the 'Make an Impact- Sustainability for professionals' course.

Who developed the course?

University of Bath

The University of Bath is one of the UK’s leading universities both in terms of research and our reputation for excellence in teaching, learning and graduate prospects.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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