UWL was recently voted Corporate Sustainability Company of the Year at the West London Business 2024 Awards. Grace’s aim is to ensure UWL continues improving on its environmental impact and plays its part in delivering on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

It’s a varied role, so one day I could be focusing on how we can minimise waste and improve our recycling rates and then the next I could be working with Property Services colleagues on estate upgrades which can enable us to reduce energy consumption and emissions,”

she explains.

Grace’s passion for sustainability was first sparked when she was travelling and working in tourism. Spending time in Africa, she saw the impact of global inequalities first hand, and got involved in environmental conservation efforts.

She then decided to tailor her social sciences degree towards development studies and the environment. While working for a business development agency, she became increasingly interested in the crossover between business, the environment and society, and she went on to do a Masters in management in sustainability.

Before coming to UWL, Grace was Sustainability Manager for fashion brand Hush. Prior to this, she gained experience across both the public and private sector supporting businesses in developing sustainability strategies and plans.

Joining UWL appealed to Grace because of its strong sustainability credentials. She notes the way it has achieved Platinum Eco Campus status and holds a First Class rating in the People and Planet University League table.

It’s clear that sustainability is well embedded at UWL: there’s a robust governance structure, significant progress has been made to decarbonise the estate and sustainability is being woven into the curriculum,”

says Grace.

We need to continue to work on areas like behaviour change in terms of how we travel, what we use, and how we engage with the local community.

It is exciting to work in a culture of learning, innovation, and collaboration. You need fresh ideas and a learning mindset to propel sustainability because these are complicated problems to solve.”

• Read more about UWL’s sustainability teams and strategy
• Find out about the UWL Student Sustainability Network
• Contact Grace and her team with your ideas, questions, and suggestions at environment.sustainability@uwl.ac.uk