World-first for “carbon literate” students at Manchester Met

Manchester Metropolitan University is leading the world when it comes to teaching students to become “carbon literate”. Manchester Metropolitan University is one of the country’s largest universities, and this year came third in People & Planet’s University Green League.

Students from the Department of Food and Tourism Management have become the first in the world to gain a Carbon Literacy Certificate as part of their university course. Successful students have gained an accredited carbon literacy certificate in addition to their regular course study credits, which will help them impress employers in the future.

The students are studying Masters degrees in events, hospitality, food and tourism management programmes. The teaching programme was externally accredited, and the certificates are awarded by an independent low-carbon future charity, Cooler Projects.

“Hungry for knowledge”

Dr Chris Stone, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Food and Tourism Management at Manchester Metropolitan, said: “Students recognised the importance of learning about the carbon emissions and climate change imperative in the twenty-first century and were hungry for knowledge about the subject.

“Employers are seeking graduates with the knowledge and skills to address sustainability issues, and the award will provide a valuable addition to students’ CVs. The carbon literacy project will be further extended across the teaching programmes of the Department of Food and Tourism Management in 2015-16.”

Phil Korbel, Co-Director of the Carbon Literacy Project, said: “Manchester Met has been a long-time partner for our project and getting Carbon Literacy embedded in university courses is essential if we are to succeed in creating the world’s first Carbon Literate City. These graduates are real pioneers, the first in their fields to be Carbon Literate, and they will now go forward to generate and implement great ideas on how their sectors can make a real difference to a safer future for us all.”

The Carbon Literacy Project has contributed to Manchester Met’s work in embedding education for sustainable development across the formal and informal curriculum. The initiative will be integrated into the teaching programme of other Department of Food and Tourism Management units in 2015-16.