Learning, teaching and study
We are committed to embedding sustainability across our learning and teaching experiences, supporting learners to understand and address the environmental, social, and economic challenges facing society and the wider world.
Our Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) activities aim to enable students to develop the knowledge, skills and values required to actively co-shape a more equitable and sustainable future. This involves facilitating learning experiences that address and tackle key sustainability challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity, social justice, sustainable production, resource depletion, over-consumption, and waste. You can learn more about our strategic commitment to ESD on our sustainability policy page.
Training and resources for promoting sustainability within the curriculum
Sustainability is a core theme in our Education Development Toolkit, which includes information and resources such as:
- key definitions
- an overview of sustainability in higher education and its alignment with international, national, and Cardiff University strategic goals
- practical guidance on embedding sustainability in learning and teaching across disciplines
- case studies from diverse subject areas demonstrating ESD in action at Cardiff University and beyond
As such, sustainability features are within a number of the courses that we offer. Find out more below:
Living Lab projects
Living Labs at Cardiff University bring together our campus spaces, operations, and partnerships as a testbed for real‑world sustainability learning.
By turning the University into an active environment for inquiry and innovation, we create hands‑on opportunities for students, researchers, and Professional Services staff to collaborate on environmental and social challenges. This approach connects teaching, research, and operational practice, helping to generate practical solutions that benefit both the university and the wider community.
You can learn more about Living Labs that we have run below:
Understanding Urban Pollinators in Cardiff (2025)
This project explored how different plant traits influence the diversity of bee species found across urban areas of Cardiff. Using images and records submitted through the Spot‑a‑Bee app, the study analysed which pollinators visited which flowers, alongside features such as flower colour, shape, scent, and seasonality.
The project found that urban bees were especially attracted to purple flowers and preferred compact flower structures such as spikes and globes — patterns that differ from those typically reported for rural bees. The study also developed a database of more than 125 flower species found across the city, creating a useful resource for future pollinator‑focused projects.
These findings contribute to a better understanding of how planting choices in urban green spaces can support healthy pollinator communities.
Master’s Dissertation: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Urban Green Roofs in Cardiff (2025)
This Master’s project investigated the biodiversity and ecological value of previously unstudied green roofs across Cardiff. The study assessed plant and invertebrate communities while also measuring key ecosystem services, including water retention and carbon dioxide sequestration.
The findings showed that Cardiff’s green roofs support diverse species and that invertebrate communities are shaped by different factors — with vegetation‑dwelling species reflecting plant composition, and ground‑dwelling species influenced more by substrate type. The research also highlighted that species richness on green roofs does not follow classic Island Biogeography patterns but is instead driven by design choices such as planting schemes.
While no single roof maximised all ecosystem services at once, the study provides valuable guidance for enhancing green roofs to support biodiversity, climate resilience, and sustainable urban design. It also offers evidence to inform future management and potential installation of new green roofs across the University estate.
Planetary Health Master’s Module (2025)
This Living Lab pilot was carried out with students on the new Planetary Health Master’s Module in the School of Social Sciences. As part of their assessment, students worked with Estates teams to explore real sustainability challenges on campus, focusing on biodiversity and waste.
The project ran in three stages:
- Introducing the Issues: Estates staff presented current projects and challenges to the students during a lecture session
- Research and Engagement: Students selected a topic, reviewed background literature, and met with Estates teams to gather further information and data where available
- Policy Brief Development: Students produced a policy brief for the University, applying Planetary Health concepts and considering both ecological and social dimensions of their chosen issue
The pilot helped students understand campus sustainability in practice and highlighted the value of cross‑department collaboration. Reflections from the module leader noted strong student engagement with policy topics, while also identifying opportunities to strengthen support for understanding the social and ecological links within Planetary Health.
The School aims to build on this work through future Living Lab collaborations, including a larger undergraduate module.
Our Park Place: a Collective Vision (2025)
This project involved two co-design workshops aimed at defining design themes that integrate biodiversity, architecture, and user experience for the front areas of University buildings 39–45 along Park Place. Using a co-creation approach:
- the Discover + Design workshop explored how users perceived and experienced the space, focusing on local flora and fauna through mapping and site appraisal activities
- the Dream + Deliver workshop engaged participants in identifying design themes and creating a collective design vision for the outdoor spaces of Park Place through a hands-on model-making exercise
The workshops were led by two PhD students with relevant expertise. Participants included university staff and students who have a connection to the project site, as well as representatives from relevant university departments and local community groups.
Master’s Dissertation: Urban Bioacoustics and Avian Diversity in Cardiff (2024)
Conducted in association with Cardiff University’s Ecosystem Resilience and Biodiversity Action Plan, this study examined how passive acoustic monitoring and automated classifiers can be jointly used to assess bird diversity and community structure across five urban sites in Cardiff, Wales. It also evaluated the detection range and confidence thresholds of the tools used. The findings highlight the vital role that small, high-quality habitats play in supporting distinct avian communities within urban environments. The impacts of the project include:
- improved understanding of bird species richness and activity on campus
- greater collaboration across university departments and locations
- laying the groundwork for long-term urban biodiversity monitoring in Cardiff