Elizabeth May is Swansea Metropolitan University’s Environment Manager. Since she has been in post the University has improved its sustainability.
Supported by her Vice- Chancellor, and by the University’s staff and students, Elizabeth leads a team made up of the South West Wales Higher Education Partnership Sustainability Project; the SWWHEP Energy Coordinator and the SWWHEP Resources Officer. This group works across three universities, SMU, Swansea and Trinity University College to improve resource use, reduce energy and water usage and gain environmental management certification.
She lectures on the university’s most sustainable courses on biodiversity and environmental management as well as giving guest lectures across the University.
She is the University’s Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Champion, and the Sustainable Procurement Champion.
Elizabeth is a member of many local, Welsh and UK sustainable groups. For example, she is an active member of the Swansea Environment Forum Executive, the local Biodiversity Action Plan Partnership, the local wildlife trust committee and the Welsh branch of the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges. She is a Sustainable Swansea award judge
“I literally walk the talk – I walk to work every day, I have given my car away and I do not use aeroplanes; going to Prague by train on a recent holiday. I recycle and I have turned my home thermostat down. When my daughter got married this year, I wore a recycled outfit from a recycled dress shop matched by shoes from Oxfam. My carbon and ecological footprint are low!”
Elizabeth’s enthusiasm has helped the University achieve the lowest energy usage for any university in the UK. She has helped increase recycling from 31% to 49% in the last year, and actively promotes sustainable travel both for the university and locally by work with Swansea University, other colleges and with the local NHS and council.
Elizabeth has ensured that the university curriculum has been greened with 60% of courses presently contain sustainability. She runs across two universities a sustainability module; Living Sustainably which promotes the application of sustainability. This came second in the UK Green Gown Awards. She runs the Higher, Further, Adult education and Lifelong Learning group of the Swansea Environmental Education Forum which won a Cyfanwyd award.
Elizabeth May
Swansea Metropolitan University,
Mount Pleasant Campus,
Swansea.
SA1 6ED
Tel: 01792 481143Email: elizabeth.may@smu.ac.uk
