On Friday 6 March, Harris Manchester hosted a student-led Net-Zero Summit to develop practical actions to help shape the College’s sustainability strategy. The event brought together students, College staff, Fellows, and sustainability experts, to brainstorm and put forward recommendations to help Harris Manchester achieve net zero across scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. They were joined by members of the wider University who brought their own insights and experience of implementing effective sustainability strategies in a collegiate University – in many cases across ageing estates and facilities.
The Summit kicked off with keynote speeches by College Principal Professor Beth Breeze, who highlighted Harris Manchester’s commitment to achieving net zero; Robin Nuttall, Partner at consultancy firm McKinsey and Company and an expert in environmental, governmental and social issues, went on to provide a practical outline of what is meant by the term “net zero”; the audience then heard from Wolfson College Bursar Richard Morin on his college’s journey to becoming the UK’s first higher education institution to achieve net zero following an acclaimed decarbonisation project, which it completed in 2023.
A highlight of the day were the collaborative brainstorming sessions that followed, which were divided into four key areas: energy, food and operations, and student engagement. Each group then reported back on its findings, rounding off the event.
The sessions underlined once again the breadth of life experience found among the student body at Harris Manchester, the University of Oxford’s only college dedicated solely to mature students. Staff members joined students with career backgrounds in areas such as project management, engineering and energy management to consider actions the College can take to reach net zero.
Indeed, the event organiser, Henry Philpott, who is studying for a PGDip in Theology and Religion, was himself formerly a management consultant specialising in energy management.
He commented: "As I stated at the Summit, if you see an opportunity to do good, don’t wait around; take action and go for it. It was incredible to bring together university leaders and students interested in solving such a complex and challenging problem. This was the kind of event where all the decision makers are in the room, driving meaningful actions. Now, as a college, it’s our turn to act on the contributions and ideas we have collectively created. Thank you to the College, our incredible student facilitators, and everyone else who made this event possible."
Professor Breeze, commented: “It was a joy to participate in this student-led initiative to chart the path to Net Zero, which – as I set out in my comments – is a goal shared across all parts of the Harris Manchester community. The leadership of Henry Philpott and the excellent input and facilitation of a large group of students made this a very productive and enjoyable gathering with a strong sense of purpose. I would also add my sincere thanks to Richard Morin, Bursar at Wolfson College, for generously sharing insights and learnings from their successful efforts to become the first net zero higher education institution in the UK”.
