Student Sustainability Architects

As part-time paid positions, our Student Sustainability Architects work flexible hours to bring new ideas and a student perspective to our different sustainability projects across the University.  

The Student Sustainability Architects programme was highly commended at the Green Gown Awards in 2018. 

Over the academic year, Student Sustainability Architects work up to 100 hours on a flexible basis to deliver projects that align with the University’s strategic objectives and also provide support for student engagement activities, events, campaigns and initiatives. 

Past projects have ranged from supporting planting of Gair Wood, designing a forest garden with a local primary school, organising swap shops on campus, reducing single use plastics in labs and supporting the University’s Hedgehog Friendly Campus programme. Read more about different Student Sustainability Architect projects in our blog posts.  

Projects for the 2023-24 academic year include:

• Helping to drive biodiversity on campus and across student residences.
• Supporting the University Climate Plan by organising and delivering engagement activity around each principle.  
• Delivering a student project with the Faculty of Earth and Environment.  
• Supporting the Gair Wood project team to deliver outreach and engagement activity.  
• Supporting the Plastics Programme through researching Plastic Free Zones.
• Supporting the Sustainable Curriculum Climate Principle to develop sustainability module content within the suite of Discovery modules, evaluate student engagement in Welcome, Induction and Transition sustainability resources, enhance the staff Sustainable Curriculum SharePoint Resource and support the Sustainable Curriculum programme to build connectivity with student societies. 
• Building communications and engagement activity around sustainable travel, Leeds Living Lab, Sustainable Labs, sustainable catering and the Sustainability Service.
• Supporting the delivery of the Student Sustainability Research Conference 2024.
• Promoting and supporting students into careers in sustainability.
• Promoting circular economy initiatives within Residential Services.
• Coordinating community gardening projects utilising the Sustainable Garden and community circular economy initiatives.

Full details of the 2023-24 projects are available in the candidate brief and on application you can express an interest in specific projects. 

There are many benefits of being a Student Sustainability Architect – here are just a few. You will: 

• Gain invaluable paid work experience, working flexible hours around your studies and other commitments.
• Work with teams across the University to address common challenges and to create real change.
• Develop skills applicable in the workplace including event planning, running workshops, communication and presentation skills, teamwork and using initiative to solve problems.
• Help to deliver and embed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
• Contribute to the University’s commitment to addressing global challenges.
• Attend skills building and development sessions.
• Expand your understanding of sustainability.

We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. Our work with Student Sustainability Architects is linked to all of the SDGs.

Find out more about our impact on the SDGs.