University to Host #ZeroCarbonTour Bus En Route to COP26

The University of Worcester is hosting the #ZeroCarbonTour bus next week as it makes its way through the UK to COP26 in Glasgow in November.

The tour bus is part of the Planet Mark’s Zero Carbon Tour, which will see Planet Mark’s fully electric powered carbon battle bus visit 30 towns and cities across the UK. The Tour began in Cambridge and will finish in Glasgow for COP26.

It will arrive at the University of Worcester Arena on September 20 at 12 noon until 2pm and then move on to the St John’s campus until 4pm, during which time local businesses, staff, students and the wider community are invited to go along and find out about impactful projects to reduce their carbon emissions and hear four inspirational ‘carbon stories’ including the University’s current path to net Zero carbon. You can book tickets online at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/worcester-roadmap-to-net-zero-zero-carbon-tour-tickets-167287460297

Katy Boom, Director of Sustainability at the University, said: “Having the bus visit on the first day of teaching is just great. Students and staff work so hard to develop projects and integrate the climate emergency and sustainability into their teaching and research.  It reinforces the learning they will have undertaken by taking an open book sustainability literacy test on enrolment and gives them a chance to be inspired for the forthcoming year learning more about both what’s happening on campus and in the community.”

The #ZeroCarbonTour is being brought to the County in partnership with Worcestershire LEP and will discuss the concept of net zero carbon and why it is critical for businesses in this #DecadeOfAction.

Planet Mark – a leading sustainability and net zero certification group that usually works with companies like Centrica and Charles Trywhitt – and forms part of the UN-backed Race to Zero and Together for Our Planet campaigns – will be hosting workshops for local businesses.

Planet Mark’s team will demonstrate to Worcester businesses how they can set their own credible carbon reduction targets and implement plans to achieve them in line with the Race to Zero’s rigorous minimum criteria. The event will empower local firms and their employees to become part of a greater national effort to protect our environment by demystifying what is needed to achieve net zero. It will also highlight the good work many companies are already doing to address their carbon output. 

Steve Malkin, founder and CEO of Planet Mark, says: “We are delighted to be collaborating with the University of Worcester and Worcestershire LEP on this Zero Carbon Tour flagship event as part of the Together For Our Planet campaign in the build up to COP26. We look forward to gathering in-person and online with the Worcester community to talk about how all businesses and organisations, no matter their size, can contribute to the fight against climate change by committing to net zero carbon. Through the critical Race to Zero we can all play a part in our planet’s future.”

The University of Worcester has a long-standing record on sustainability and was named Sustainability Institution of the Year at the 2019 Green Gown Awards, going on to be Globally Highly Commended at the International Green Gown Awards, at the United Nations in New York. The University, which has committed to cutting carbon emissions to net zero by 2030, is ranked 5th in the UK’s greenest universities in the People & Planet University League, in which it has been among the ‘First Class Honours’ ranked universities for more than 12 years.

The University was recently once again ranked in the top three UK universities for Quality Education in the prestigious Times Higher Education’s global University Impact Rankings, which highlight the contribution made by universities towards the international Sustainable Development Goals.

In 2019, the University of Worcester and Worcester Students’ Union both signed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Accord, pledging officially to work towards a more sustainable future and supporting the United Nations’ internationally agreed 17 SDGs. 

In a continued mark of its commitment, the University recently launched a BSc (Hons) Environmental Management and Sustainability degree course, due to start in September 2022, providing students with the knowledge and skills needed for roles within the environmental and sustainability sectors.

To discover more Zero Carbon Tour events, or to make your net zero pledge, visit www.zerocarbontour.com