Guest Blog: Jade Monroe, Senior Project Manager, Engagement, for SOS-UK

Guest Blog: Jade Monroe, Senior Project Manager, Engagement, for SOS-UK

Spearheading student action on sustainability across the education sector

SOS-UK is a student-led organisation which empowers students and educators to build a better world. In the last year the not-for-profit engaged over 600,000 students, worked with more than 2,700 organisations and supported over 7,000 staff on sustainability projects.   

As a sector partner, TEC supports the work of SOS-UK and helps share insights and knowledge about the higher education sector’s energy consumption and goals. We sat down with Jade Monroe, SOS-UK’s lead on student engagement, to find out how the charity is shaping the future of sustainable education. 

How do you engage both students and higher education staff on sustainability?  

We aim to get students to act, lead and learn on sustainability. Our role is to support students with the resources they need to put their ideas into practice. Green Campus Revolution (formerly Student Switch Off) supports students with their first steps in sustainability, particularly in halls of residence. The campaign has involved 1.6 million students to date.   

We also engage directly with academic staff, supporting them to green their institutions and think about how sustainability is embedded within their teaching and curriculum work. Our Learning Academy helps to educate students and staff on a range of topics from carbon literacy to food and farming. We also work in schools and communities too, as well as with some National Health trusts, local authorities and museums. 

How are the financial challenges facing the education sector affecting the work of SOS-UK?  

We understand that it is a challenging environment for the sector. We haven’t seen that filter through quite as much as I think we were fearing. We are fortunate that a lot of organisations view us as an additional resource and as capacity building. So even if their staff teams are being cut, working with us is a cost-effective way to continue work on their sustainability projects. Whilst some of our work is directly paid for by the institution, we also have a range of projects that are grant-funded, which can be hugely beneficial. Conversely, one of our biggest areas of focus is fuel poverty, and this has benefitted from increased funding recently, as energy prices have gone up.  

Are students becoming less interested in sustainability issues? 

Our latest Impact Report showed that in 2023-24 we engaged more students than ever before – over 600,000. We have been tracking students’ opinions on climate change since 2014, and respondents have consistently shown high levels of concern about this topic. Whilst there are peaks and troughs in viewpoints, and levels of concern, our experience shows that sustainability remains a key issue. Furthermore, a recent survey we carried out showed that 89% of higher education students want where they study to incorporate and promote sustainable development.  

How can TEC members support or get involved with SOS-UK? 

There are so many ways we can work with universities so the starting point is to get in touch and see how we can support them. We have extensive expertise across a range of issues – from driving curriculum change on sustainability, to bringing nature back to campus grounds, to improving overall wellbeing on campuses. 

Working with sector partners is important to support and amplify our message. Over the years TEC has been a candid friend to SOS-UK. Insights from TEC on universities’ energy use and management are hugely useful to us. TEC also shares their perspective on the sector, which can help shape our messaging. This is particularly relevant at the moment given the sector’s current financial challenges and strong commercial focus.   

What are SOS-UK’s priorities in 2025? 

There is always so much going on at SOS-UK! We are excited to be part of the Great British Energy Net Zero Accelerator Community Energy project, which helps communities to generate their own green power. Student Energy Action for Life is a new campaign which focuses on energy efficiency in student rented housing. This will bring together students, students’ unions, universities, housing providers and policymakers to transform the student housing landscape.  

Our work isn’t just limited to the UK but has a global reach.  Green Impact supports environmentally and socially sustainable practice within UK and Australian organisations. Responsible Futures is an international programme, which embeds sustainability through all aspects of teaching and learning. The initiative has worked with 48 institutions so far and is delivered in partnership with university students. 

What is the one high impact low-cost action students can take to make a difference? 

For students, I would say the most important thing is to make sure that people around you know that you care. There was this surge of environmental activism by young people in the run up to COVID but then the pandemic hit, followed by Brexit, and all the different conflicts around the world. Thinking about the climate crisis can potentially seem not so urgent and then you risk it falling off the national agenda. So, I’d encourage students to use their voice to show that they still care.  

To find out more about the work of SOS-UK visit their website.