Sustainability Clinic
A hands-on interdisciplinary module for all students.
What is the Sustainability Clinic?
The Sustainability Clinic is an elective York Interdisciplinary Module (YIM) offered in partnership between Environmental Sustainability at York (ESAY), Careers and Placements, and the Department of Environment and Geography. The module brings together students and our local community to tackle pressing sustainability issues. Working in teams, students are given a project brief that has been co-produced with an organisation, business or charity, focusing on a sustainability challenge.
All projects are designed to develop students’ employability skills while helping local organisations find solutions to a real-life sustainability problem that matters to them. Problems focus on a wide range of topics, including: biodiversity; education; sustainable business, policy and regulation; and heritage and culture.
, 13,055kb)Key achievements
493 students
have taken part to date
1# Green Gown Awards
for student engagement
69 organisations
have partnered with the Clinic
Highly commended
International Green Gown Awards
27 projects
completed by students in 2023/24
Interdisciplinary
Students work in multidisciplinary teams to solve problems
CATE award winner for YIMs
Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence for our YIMs
Community
Community-engaged learning for students
Project spotlights
Since September 2023, our student teams have partnered with a wide range of local, regional, and national organisations, including the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, The Rugby Football League, Explore York Libraries and Archives, York Minster, Hollybank Trust, and North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
York Minster project
In 2024, two student teams were given project briefs that aimed to support York Minster in their advocacy and lobbying work with the national government.
Empowering primary school eco-council
A team of Environment and Geography students partnered up with a local primary school in York to empower young minds with sustainability knowledge and action.
Biodiversity at Crambe Grange Farm
A team of students focused on determining the biodiversity data of various fields at Crambe Grange Farm.
Our expert advisors
Our Sustainability Clinic Expert Advisors are available to support our student groups throughout the module, providing subject-specific expertise and general assistance to all staff and students engaged in the module.
Georgia Ramsay
Georgia Ramsay sits within the Department of Education. Her background is in geography education, where she has 23 years of experience teaching in secondary schools. Sustainability has become an increasingly important aspect of education, and through her work, she has developed a considerable number of links with schools and local communities around York.
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Dr Kelly Redeker
Kelly is a lecturer in the Department of Biology. He works on the implications of land-use change and management on ecosystem function and climate, specifically focusing on land-use change, climate change, biogeochemistry, metabolomics, and volatilomics.
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Dr Judith Krauss
Dr Judith Krauss sits within the Department of Politics and International Relations. With a diverse team of colleagues, Judith works on global value chains, conservation, and the Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting how environmental concerns such as limiting carbon and protecting biodiversity intersect with economic questions of who benefits, and socio-political issues of justice and decoloniality.
Benefits of taking the Sustainability Clinic
Collaboration and teamwork
The module encourages collaboration and teamwork among students from diverse academic backgrounds, which will develop students’ communication skills and the ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
Make a real difference
In the Sustainability Clinic, students work with a real partner organisation on a sustainability challenge that matters to them. This gives students the opportunity to make a real difference in the organisation they work with.
Critical thinking and problem solving
Through engaging with complex problems and developing innovative solutions, students on this module enhance their ability to analyse, evaluate and think creatively in dynamic situations.
Interdisciplinary skills
By working with students from different disciplines, students develop interdisciplinary skills crucial for addressing complex sustainability issues. It is also a great opportunity to bring their own degree expertise to the conversation.
Hands-on learning
The Clinic provides project-based learning, allowing students to engage directly with sustainability issues through research, data analysis, fieldwork, and practical problem-solving activities.
Networking opportunities
Students have the chance to collaborate with external organisations, experts, and community stakeholders as part of their projects, which provides valuable networking opportunities and potential pathways to future internships or employment.
Interdisciplinary in nature
This module is a collaboration between the Environmental Sustainability at York (ESAY), Careers and Placements, the Department of Environment and Geography, the Baroness Hale Law Clinic and York Environmental Sustainability Institute (YESI).
The Sustainability Clinic has also been embedded as a core module for all 3rd Year Environment and Geography students, enabling all students to experience real-life problem solving, teamwork and partnership working. The inclusion of the Sustainability Clinic within the department’s curriculum demonstrates a true commitment to advancing sustainability efforts within and beyond the University community.
The Sustainability Clinic on Campus West
In June 2024, we officially launched the Sustainability Clinic space on Campus West. Situated next to Nisa in Market Square, this space hosts our Sustainability Clinic module and serves as a venue for various sustainability and climate events and activities throughout the year for the University community.
The Sustainability Clinic space has already hosted a number of drop-in sessions during University Open Days, and is regularly hosting sustainability events and acting as a hub for the Play for the Planet network, co-led by Prasad Sandbhor who is a current PhD student at the University.
How to get involved
For departments
Looking to expand your sustainability options for students? Consider adding the Sustainability Clinic to your list of optional modules. Email esay@york.ac.uk to find out how you can include the module.
For organisations
Want to make your business or organisational practices more sustainable? Find out how the Sustainability Clinic can help by pairing you with a student team to tackle a sustainability challenge that matters to your organisation. Email esay@york.ac.uk if you would like to find out more and have a chat.
How to register for 2025/26
The Sustainability Clinic is part of our suite of York Interdisciplinary Modules (YIMs) available to choose as an elective module in 2025/26. It is available for 3rd Year undergraduate students to take in Semester 1 or Semester 2, and for taught postgraduate students to take in Semester 2.
For questions, please email esay
Applications for 2025/26 will open soon.
Please do not choose this module if you are a 3rd Year Environment and Geography student, as it has already been included in your list of module choices.