Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincolnshire is the latest further education to join Fossil Free Careers and exclude oil, gas and mining companies from all future events on campus.
It joins the University of Bedfordshire, the University of the Arts London and Wrexham Glyndwr University, who all ended recruitment ties with the fossil fuel industry in 2022, as part of NGO People and Planet’s Fossil Free Careers campaign.
“We are delighted to announce the implementation of our new careers policy in collaboration with people and planet, as part of Bishop Grosseteste University’s overarching commitment to sustainability,” said the university’s director of external engagement Allison Webb.
“The university remains dedicated to empowering its students to make informed decisions about their professional growth and future careers. By offering fossil-free pathways, we ensure that our graduates have access to opportunities that will contribute to a greener and more sustainable future.”
The student-led campaign has gained momentum across university campuses since its inception in 2021, with endorsements from fifteen student unions across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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Bishop Grossetse student union education vice-president Emily Allden said the introduction of the fossil free careers policy was “another positive step towards a sustainable campus”, adding that the union looked forward to “continuing to work with the university to make positive change”.
People and Planet climate justice officer Fergus Green said: “It is deeply encouraging to see Bishop Gorssetse University demonstrating climate leadership by being the first church-founded university in the UK to end oil, gas and mining recruitment.”
“A clear precedent is being set across the higher education sector, and we hope to see many more Cathedrals Group universities following suit soon. The climate crisis can’t wait, and neither can fossil free careers.”
As well as academic institutions, the arts world has also been dropping links with the fossil fuel industry – from the LGBT Awards to the British Museum, Tate and National Portrait galleries.
