Plymouth University sustainability pioneer awarded prestigious National Teaching Fellowship

A world-renowned academic has been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy in recognition of his pioneering work to promote sustainability education. Professor Stephen Sterling, Head of Education for Sustainable Development at Plymouth University, has worked over many years on an educational response to the global issues of sustainability which are increasingly characterising our times. He has worked as a lecturer and teacher, been deputy director of a national educational body, and served as a consultant (particularly to WWF-UK), building a substantial reputation as one of the most eminent leaders on the theory and practice of sustainability education. Professor Sterling has also spearheaded Plymouth’s drive to become a sustainable University, which has seen it ranked among the national top two in the People & Planet Green League, and among the global top 10 in the UI Green Metric tables. The Students’ Union also recently received the highest award possible from the National Union of Students (NUS) in recognition of its green efforts. “It is very heartening indeed to get this personal recognition,” Professor Sterling said. “But I also see it as an acknowledgement of the importance of the work to bring educational thinking and practice to bear on the issues that will increasingly affect the lives of our graduates in an uncertain world.