School: Veterinary School
Program: Veterinary degree programmes (veterinary science and veterinary nursing).
Units: Introduction to Sustainability
How is sustainability included in these units? How did you decide what was appropriate?
Sustainability has been integrated through a structured, curriculum-wide approach aligned with a formal curriculum review process. Besides adding specific lectures on sustainability, the Veterinary School has also reviewed teaching lecture by lecture and ILO by ILO, assessing where sustainability could be meaningfully included. This process was guided by the six Veterinary Sustainability Goals developed by Vet Sustain, which translate the UN Sustainable Development Goals into a veterinary context. For each lecture, the sustainability working group reviewed whether aspects of these goals could naturally align with existing content and be included and reflected in the ILOs. Suggestions were offered to lecturers, but adoption was voluntary, allowing staff to embed sustainability in ways that suited their subject matter and teaching style.
If it uses any unusual/original pedagogy or assessment approaches to do this, what are these?
One of the most distinctive approaches is the Sustainability Deep Dive, delivered as a one-day academic conference for Year 2 students. Students research a veterinary-relevant sustainability issue, considering environmental, social, and economic dimensions, and present their findings in short conference-style presentations. In this, students are required to create a creative piece that represents their chosen sustainability issue. These have included games, books, videos, sculptures, and art installations. This creative component encourages curiosity, systems thinking, and deeper engagement, helping students explore sustainability beyond technical framings. It also provides a means for students to think about communicating their work in an engaging and creative way. This combination of academic research, presentation, and creative expression has supported students in embedding sustainability into how they think about their future clinical practice.
What are the challenges you have faced in embedding sustainability practices within the curriculum?
One major challenge is that there’s no room in an already demanding curriculum. Time pressures and concerns about curriculum overload make staff hesitant to introduce new material. Another challenge is the assumption that students are not interested in sustainability or that they do not think it is relevant to clinical competencies.
What sustainability-relevant ‘takeaways’ would you expect students to gain?
Students develop a strong awareness of the central role veterinarians play in sustainability, covering animal health and welfare, livestock systems, environmental protection, and public health challenges such as antimicrobial resistance.
They learn to understand sustainability as a complex, interconnected issue and to think critically across environmental, social, and economic perspectives. In addition, sustainability becomes embedded in their professional identity, shaping how they approach clinical practice, decision-making, and ethical responsibility beyond graduation.
How can other schools learn from your school practices in embedding sustainability?
A key lesson is the value of embedding sustainability during a formal curriculum review, when programmes are already open to reflection and change. Taking a systematic, lecture-by-lecture approach helps ensure consistency while respecting differences in disciplines. Progress in the school has also been driven by collaboration and gentle encouragement rather than mandates, allowing staff to take ownership of sustainability in their teaching. Furthermore, this experience shows that sustainability can be meaningfully embedded through teamwork, practical frameworks, and a clear focus on professional relevance.
Key Contact Person for Sustainability: Ben Lecorps
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