Universities are constantly on the lookout for anything to give them an edge in attracting students. For a while it was campus nightclubs, then it was “one-stop shops” for student services. This year, many universities are trumpeting their green credentials.

Parts of higher education have always been in the vanguard of the environmental movement. Universities boasted some of the first truly green public buildings in the UK and, with some of their scientists producing world-leading research on climate change, there have been further developments out of a genuine commitment to the cause. The difference now is that green has become a selling point in prospectuses. A survey by Friends of the Earth found that 95 per cent of students thought climate change was important and felt that more should be done to tackle its causes. Universities are out to show that they are playing their part.

Bradford University was among the first to emphasise its green credentials. Its Ecoversity programme dates back to 2005, promising to “embed sustainable development” across the institution. The university had found that the state of its campus was putting off some potential applicants, so it set out to create more green spaces and to make any redevelopment more environmentally-friendly.

The first stage of a 1,000-bed “sustainable student village” is due to open next year in the city centre, and the university has extended the project into the curriculum and set about promoting behavioural change among staff and students. Applications for degree courses are up by more than 6 per cent this year, although it is too soon to establish to whether the Ecoversity programme should take any of the credit.

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At Gloucestershire University, the top institution in the Green League for environmental performance compiled by the student group People and Planet, applications are up by 20 per cent. There is no mistaking the university’s green agenda on its website or in the latest prospectus, which is made from recycled paper and designed to look like it.

Brian Miller, the university’s head of student recruitment, says: “At open days, students who might not have thought of us as one of their choices have said the prospectus is cool and taken it away with them. The green agenda is mainstream now for 18-year-olds — sustainability is something they expect, even if they do not choose a course on that basis.”

There are now numerous examples of environmental initiatives at universities. City University London, for example, has a “green travel plan” that encourages more cycling and walking, as well as use of public transport. Derby University runs a car share scheme for students and staff, while Hertfordshire University has a carbon management programme designed to reduce emissions by 20 per cent.

Lancaster University is planning to install wind turbines and has new “eco-residences” where students can monitor their energy consumption online and compete for a £600 prize. The London School of Economics sank a borehole to search for water to help to cool a refurbished former government building that now uses hot air from a lecture theatre to heat the atrium above. Some of the schemes are responding to national targets, others are designed primarily to save money. But all are expected also to win approval from increasingly environmentally-conscious students.

Nor is the green agenda likely to disappear in the near future, if events in North America are any guide. There, the green lobby on campus has become so powerful that Washington University in St Louis and the University of Winnipeg have both banned bottled water after pressure from students campaigning against the waste of resources involved in the bottling process. How long will it be before that movement crosses the Atlantic?

CASE STUDY

The Allotment Society stall caused quite a stir when it was first advertised at Gloucestershire University’s freshers’ fair among the more normal student concerns such as Amnesty International and the Poker Society.

But eight months later, 30 students are awaiting the first crops on what was a piece of scrub land leased by the students’ union, while neighbouring allotment-holders are offering tips to their youthful counterparts.

Sarah Taylor (pictured left), a postgraduate student in environmental policy and management who founded the society, says: “It was a field full of brambles, so it has taken a lot of hard work to get it into shape.

“Most of the people in the allotments are really interested in what we are doing and help us out by sharing seeds and giving us advice. We’ve had a really positive response from the community generally.”

The students have reciprocated by inviting local residents to workshops on sustainable living, composting and willow-weaving. Sarah is full of praise for the university’s environmental efforts, but says that students still have work to do: “Engaging students on a day-to-day level is still a challenge.”

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