Advancing sustainability at the University of Nottingham

Throughout the month, we will feature thought leadership articles exploring different sustainability topics, while giving you updates on our collaborations with local partners in Nottingham to co-create solutions for different sustainability issues. We will spotlight case studies exploring how our researchers are working with different partners and across different sectors to solve different sustainability issues.

In the same vein, we will be hosting different public events to learn how to live sustainably and contribute to a greener, fairer Nottingham. These events offer hands-on activities, exhibitions, workshops, and opportunities to engage with some of our current initiatives.

This is not all! The University will be having a dedicated week of activities and events for staff and students during the Sustainability Action Week 2025, highlighting some of the environmental and social issues we face across our campuses and how we are taking action to resolve these issues.

At the University of Nottingham, advancing the SDGs is a cross-cutting priority, from embedding responsible and sustainable practices across our campuses to addressing global sustainability challenges through transformative research and partnerships. As a global university rooted in its local context, the University plays a pivotal role in bringing together researchers, communities, businesses, policymakers and creatives to explore bold solutions to sustainability issues. Our conversations and activities this month will reflect this commitment.

Here is a summary of all our initiatives and activities you can engage with this month

Forest Castle exhibition

This spring, FOREST opens at Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery. This exciting exhibition brings together a powerful new collection of contemporary artworks inspired by the mystery, beauty, and symbolism of trees and woodland life.

As part of this exhibition, the Institute is proud to support a unique collaboration between artist Caroline Locke and four faculties at the University of Nottingham to model the Major Oak tree in Sherwood Forest.

Visitors will learn about this captivating tree through a four-screen video installation by artist and filmmaker Georgianna Scurfield. Created with sound, film, and data captured across four seasons, this piece offers a rich, sensory experience that brings the tree’s story to life through art and science. We invite you to join us for the public preview at the Nottingham Castle on Friday 23rd May, from 6–8pm.

Sustainable Growth Assembly: Growing a sustainable and inclusive economy in Nottingham

Coinciding with UoN's Sustainability Action Week, the Institute for Policy and Engagement and Green Hustle CIC are hosting a Sustainable Growth Assembly, a one-day, invite-only event in May.

This gathering will bring together a diverse mix of the city’s academic, civic, industry and community leaders to shape a shared vision for a just, inclusive and community-driven transition to net zero.

The event recognises that the impacts of climate change are global, but the solutions must be local. The assembly creates space for these localised voices and perspectives to influence how change happens, ensuring the benefits of a low-carbon future are shared fairly and inclusively. 

Outcomes from the assembly will directly inform a collective call for policy change that enables this shared vision to become a reality. This call to action will be shared at this year’s Green Hustle Festival held at Nottingham’s Old Market Square on Saturday 31 May, where the wider public will have the opportunity to engage, respond, and contribute to these ideas.

Green Hustle

Building on our conversation at the Sustainable Growth Assembly, we will continue the dialogue at this year’s Green Hustle Festival. The festival is a free, one-day celebration in Nottingham city centre that brings together community, creativity, and climate action under the theme Growing Together.

At this year's edition, we will be sharing key outcomes from the assembly and inviting the public to reflect on and respond to the ideas that emerged. This is a chance to shape the next steps in our collective journey toward a fair and inclusive transition to a low-carbon future.

Overall, the Institute for Policy and Engagement is proud to participate in this fantastic festival in two key ways:

1. Come learn about how gardeners are helping with mapping urban biodiversity

Dr Samuel Booth, Teaching Associate at the School of Geography will be at the University of Nottingham’s stand at the Green Hustle Festival. Using fun and interactive methods, he will be showcasing insights from the Citizen-Monitoring of Urban Agriculture Biodiversity (CUAB) programme to participants.

Dr Booth's showcase includes early findings from the St Ann’s Allotments pilot and an interactive 3D visualisation of the site using the Projected Augmented Relieve (PARM) model.

Be sure to stop by and discover how citizen science is bringing people, places, and the planet together in meaningful ways!

2. We also invite you to come explore our big illustration and tell us what challenges or opportunities you see for making this transition fair and inclusive for everyone. Come and chat to us in ‘The Listen Inn’ talk tent!