Action plan


In 2011, a ‘sustainable development’ team took on the task of tracing the history of sustainable development at the university’s seven locations. Two years of hard work, research and interviews recorded past successes and failures, took an inventory of the present, and found promising initiatives for the future.

First observation: Sustainable development is in UCL’s DNA. ‘Soft mobility’, integrating and respecting biodiversity, living together in cultural diversity – since its creation the university has cultivated a sustainable development mindset.

Second observation: Both individually and in small groups, the university community has long since taken concrete action. UCL itself has engaged in many sustainability initiatives without having labelled them as such.

Strategic brainstorming followed, with the help of three key references:

These useful references guided UCL in drafting its own sustainable development plan in 2013. The plan is not only a solid foundation for affirming its sustainable development policy; it’s the bold, living charter behind the university’s focus on four strategic areas and nine projects. Thus, as of today, both the plan and its actions have already been largely put into practice.