Student Engagement

If you have a passion for sustainability, climate change and social justice, you can gain new skills and experiences – not to mention earning money during your studies – as a sustainability ambassador. It’s a role that puts you alongside other passionate students, helping deliver a range of campaigns and initiatives across the year.

Recruitment takes place from Welcome Week in September each year – you can now express your interest. Project-based roles will also be recruited throughout the year and can be found on Jobs4Students.

We created several paid positions for our students to create social media content which was posted through the University’s social channels to create awareness of sustainability campaigns and topics. We did this for Plastic-free July, and for Earth Day where our ambassadors filmed and produced video content, and planned and delivered their own awareness stalls on-campusas part of Go Green Fortnight.

You can now apply for funding up to £250 to undertake activities that deliver and support our joint vision to be a leading sustainable university that contributes to the agenda for sustainable development.

We can’t wait to see your ideas. Find out more information and apply for our Sustainability Fund.

We create paid opportunities for students as auditors and focus group members to help develop our education for sustainable development framework as part of the Responsible Futures accreditation.

Teaming up with SOS UK, we create training and knowledge share opportunities. 

Key areas of sustainability are audited by students who are paid as part of working groups and evidence is gathered to present sustainable development across the Univeristy. These audits are then used as evidence to create smart action plans that help inform our strategies, statements and policies.

We support intern positions annually to assist with the development of our sustainable engagement plan, which includes paid project work.

Climate Action Week (formerly Go Green Fortnight / Climate and Social Action Week) is a week of action led by students and staff at Manchester Met.

We are planning the delivery of a climate action week for the 2023/24 academic year and whilst keeping the dates flexible, we hope we can go ahead with a good mix of on-campus and virtual activities.

Please email the Sustainability Team if you’re interested in supporting this project. Or if you’re interested in co-creating our programme or delivering your own activity, staff and students can apply for up to £250 to deliver events and workshops through our sustainability fund. Check out our mailing list to keep up to date with progress.

This year we supported two student-oriented sustainability action weeks/festivals:

• The Union with Go Green Week where they had a successful launch of their ReThink Waste campaign.
• We also supported the launch of an academic Sustainability Mid-Summer Festival that brought together multiple workshops and speakers.

We created paid opportunities for our student ambassadors to deliver Fairtrade stalls and activities which contributed to student and staff awareness of ethical and fair trade issues - such as fair pay and working conditions. This year we offered students a chance to attend multiple events where they could learn about Fairtrade and feedback on how we could incorporate Fairtrade products at Man Met.

Our site features a range of biodiverse areas, including a community orchard, wetland area, wildflower area and community woodland areas rich in biodiversity.

Working with students, staff, local community and our local partner Hulme Community Garden Centre, we deliver horticultural, fruit tree maintenance and urban foraging workshops in the orchard and woodland areas at our Birley site to help you develop skills for local food production and caring for and conserving the natural environment.

Visit our events and workshops page to find out when the workshops are taking place.

Watch out for British Heart Foundation pop-up shops taking place across campus throughout the year – an opportunity to buy a range of pre-loved clothing items, homewares and books, whilst contributing towards raising funds for lifesaving treatment and research.

Visit our events and workshops page to find out when the next pop-up shops are taking place.

Sustainability is woven into every aspect of The Union – from how they run their building to what they sell in their commercial outlets. Carefully considering the natural and social environment with every decision made.

The Union and University have been a Responsible Futures accredited partnership since 2015, reflecting our commitment to embedding environmental sustainability and social responsibility in both the formal and informal curriculum. Through our continued collaboration with The Union, we aim to stay at the forefront of the sector in this area. Find out more about The Union’s sustainable commitments.

The Big Fashion Swap. Our fashion students formed a Responsible Fashion Society called BOYCOTT to bring staff and students a Responsible Fashion Swap Shop. We teamed up with them to support the event, providing and funding event materials, equipment and resources.

Rise gives you the opportunity to tailor your studies and get involved in a wide-range of experiences throughout the year that will help you to learn new skills, earn credits towards your degree and shape your future career.

You could complete a short course at your own pace, take part in one off events or explore more intensive activities to learn a new skill, take up a placement and much, much more. Rise gives you the chance to add something truly bespoke to your degree. There are plenty of opportunities that will help you develop skills and knowledge for sustainability.

Carbon Literacy develops your understanding and knowledge to cut your carbon footprint, and the confidence to talk to others about the vital issues.

We offer training to all students, including train-the-trainer courses - which means you will be part of delivering Carbon Literacy to other students as a paid opportunity whilst you study at Manchester Met. 

Becoming a certified Carbon Literate citizen is an opportunity to equip yourself to make positive change for yourself, for Manchester Met and for the planet. To find out more, visit our Carbon Literacy web pages,  or register to participate in a Carbon Literacy course by visiting our events and workshops page. 

Find out about our annual calendar of sustainable events & workshops that you can register for here.