Dear Colleagues

Today we have published new University-wide Guidance for sustainable business travel for staff and postgraduate researchers. The guidance is intended as part of our response to the global climate emergency; its development was one of the action points in “Glasgow Green” – the University of Glasgow’s environmental strategy.

The guidance identifies actions that we can take to help the University reduce its carbon emissions.

This was developed by a group of staff drawn from across the institution; the group was chaired by Professor Sally Wyke and the guidance was subsequently approved by the Senior Management Group.

I appreciate that business travel is not something that colleagues will be considering at this time.  However, we wanted to publish the guidance now so that members of staff have an opportunity to read and reflect on its implications for their own travel plans before any significant travel can actually take place.  We can also use the forthcoming weeks to clarify any individual points that may be identified.

We would like to stress that the guidance is just that – it is intended as a guide to how staff think about it and plan travel for business purposes.  Of course, we recognise that travel for business is essential to allow collaboration, research and the free exchange of knowledge and ideas.  It is for individual members of staff to decide how best they address it, but we hope that active engagement with the ideas in this document will lead to a reduction in the environmental impact of business travel over time. 

To this end, we are putting in place arrangements to monitor and report on business travel at an aggregate School / RI / Service level.  This will be overseen by the Sustainability Working Group, which includes academics, professional support staff and students.  We will also report on progress publicly.

Please read the guidance carefully, discuss in management teams, and come back to us as you consider how best to approach this important agenda.

With best wishes,

David Duncan

Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary

First published: 25 February 2021

<< 1 March 2021