Environmental Sustainability is everybody’s responsibility at Royal Holloway
As such, we include Environmental Sustainability in our staff inductions, have launched a new Environmental Policy, and offer termly guided tours of our Living Campus – helping all colleagues to realise how they can get involved in our work.
We have also recently (as of November 2024) launched our new Environmental Sustainability Plan for Operations.This new two-year plan will help us to achieve our ambition (outlined in the University's RH2030s strategy) of being one of London's most sustainable universities. Specifically, through our objectives to achieve net zero; reduce our waste; improve water efficiency; and increase biodiversity and climate resilience across our campus.
Our governance
Supported by our central Sustainability Programme Team, the majority of our Operations Environmental Sustainability Plan is delivered by operational teams across Royal Holloway’s Professional Services and Academic Schools.
Our Environmental Sustainability Working Group (ESWG) is made up of representation from these teams and provides strategic coordination for this work and monitors and reports our progress.
In turn, the Environmental Sustainability Working Group reports to the Senior Leadership Team and University Council through the chair (also the University’s Executive Lead for Environmental Sustainability) and deputy chair.
The University’s Vice Chancellor and Principal, Professor Julie Sanders, and Independent Council Member, Tim Mitchell, are also accountable for Environmental Sustainability at their respective tiers of governance.
About our Sustainability Programme Team
Based in the Estates Department and sharing resource with a number of other teams, our core Sustainability Programme Team supports colleagues across the entire University. The team is responsible for central planning, data management, communications and engagement, and also leads a number of energy, waste, water and biodiversity initiative.
Head of Sustainability: Mark Berry
Data Management: Anastasia Holley
Communications and Engagement: Emma Kay
Project support: Linda Hooper
About the Environmental Sustainability Working Group
Led by chair Professor Klaus Dodds, Executive Dean of the School of Life Sciences and the Environment and member of Royal Holloway’s Senior Leadership Team, and deputy chair Mark Berry, Head of Sustainability, the Environmental Sustainability Working Group (ESWG) is a strategic body that ensures consistent reporting and a cohesive approach to core activities like communications and data management.
The ESWG's Terms of Reference can be found here.
The group meets quarterly, and, as well as the secretariat, membership extends to environmental sustainability representation from across the University:
Group Leadership and secretariat
- Chair – Klaus Dodds, Executive Lead of Sustainability
- Deputy Chair – Mark Berry, Head of Sustainability
- Secretary – Linda Hooper, Estates Assistant
University representation
- Estates – Mike Berry, Director of Estates
- Commercial Services – Darren Coventry, Head of Catering
- IT Services – Ben Hawkey, Technical Architect
- Finance – Rachel Burgess, Interim Executive Director of Finance
- Procurement – Mayele Yambila, Operational Procurement Manager
- Strategic Planning – Gill Beech, Head of Strategy implementation & Anastasia Holley, Data Analyst
- Student Journey - Phil Simcock, Head of Careers
- Green travel – Piers Long, Deputy Director of Estates (Projects)
- Living Campus – Jonathan Howe, Head of External Spaces
- Communications – Stephanie Irwin, Deputy Director of Marketing & Emma Kay, IT Communications and Digital Content Specialist
- Academic Schools – Professor Dell Olsen, Professor of Poetry and Poetics
- Students’ Union – Sharanya Sivarajah, Students’ Union President
