Sustainability

Hello, I'm Ineke De Moortel, Professor in Applied Mathematics and Master of the United College.

I am also the institutional lead for our sustainability team here at the University of St Andrews.

I am proud to be part of a community that is deeply committed to shaping a sustainable future.

At the University of St Andrews, we are more than just a place of learning, we are a community committed to shaping the future.

Our vision is guided by five strategic pillars: World leading, Diverse, Entrepreneurial, Digital and Sustainable.

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do.

Through focused efforts in research, education, community engagement, estate management and operational adaptation we are driving meaningful change across the University.

We are advancing cutting edge research on sustainability, reducing the carbon footprint of our academic activities and ensuring that our findings have a practical real world impact.

In education, we are integrating sustainability into every programme, preparing students for green careers and making sure they are equipped with the skills needed to tackle the environmental challenges ahead.

Our students and the wider community are also key to our strategy. We are empowering students to reduce their carbon footprints, building local partnerships for sustainability and connecting with global initiatives for lasting change.

We are optimizing our campus estate making buildings smarter and energy efficient and transitioning to renewable energy sources.

All while enhancing biodiversity and addressing environmental challenges.

Operationally, we are improving sustainable procurement, promoting green travel options and advancing digital solutions to lower our carbon footprint.

As part of our team, you'll be at the forefront of these efforts, working in an environment that values innovation, inclusivity and sustainability.

Together, we will build a better greener world.

Ready to make an impact?

Join us at the University of St Andrews and help drive our sustainability strategy forward.

I'm Steven McKay.

I'm the catering manager here at the University of St Andrews.

So, as a catering manager at the University, my role is predominantly to provide food to the students in catered halls and on catering packages.

And support the commercial team in their activities putting on functions like graduation or conferences in the summer or other events like weddings or Burn's Night, that just recently happened.

Part of that role is about sourcing food, which is very important from a sustainability point of view. And we're very proud of our connections with local farmers and producers.

The menu that we have in the halls is predominantly plant-based, with 70% of all the food that's available from a plant source.

And we try where possible to get this seasonally and from local farmers.

The most recent project on that one is that we now get seasonal broccoli and cauliflower from Barnsmuir Farm, which is about 11 miles up the road towards Anstruther.

The work that I do is very satisfying, in the sense of, I get to see initiatives through from concept to completion.

And also building great relationships with local suppliers, with the students, with other departments and really having a sense of fulfillment when these, you know, initiatives come to pass.

The best opportunity I think we've had, and the one that I'm most proud of recently, is the Barnsmuir Farm initiative where we are going to get that local broccoli and cauliflower.

I mean, it's, you know, getting excited about broccoli and cauliflower is a good thing, I think.

And it's a great news story that one, where we're actually using broccoli 'seconds' which are the small heads that you sometimes see that are pre-prepared in supermarkets.

And we're taking them off the farm, instead of them getting frozen.

So, if they get frozen they get taken from the farm near Anstruther, all the way down to Norfolk, get frozen and then come back to go into supermarkets.

So, rather than that 200- or 300-, if not 400-mile, round journey plus a freezing process, we're just taking them 11 miles back here and serving them directly to students.

So, I think when that happens that's a real good, you know, level of satisfaction and fulfillment when that happens.

I'm also a member of the Food from Fife Group.

I'm a board member of Food from Fife and they are wholly focused on supporting local products and local producers.

And we support every one of them where we can.

We also do outreach events with them.

So, this weekend, actually, at Bowhouse on the coast up near Elie, we have one of our chefs doing a demonstration with local foods and also one of our commercial team who's doing an award-winning cocktail using some of our local spirits.

I think Tayport is involved in that and they will be on show this weekend doing that.

So we support in all areas where possible to showcase what we can do.