Kingston University has seen a drastic drop in its sustainability ranking.
In the latest league table of 153 universities released by People and Planet, the university has fallen from 60th place last year to an all-time low of 94th.
This drop places Kingston in the lower half of universities nationally, with an overall sustainability score of just 43.1%.
This low ranking also positions Kingston University below the average among London universities, ranking 18th out of 34. The complete performance is summarised as the university being categorised as a 2:2 class university in terms of sustainability.
The news of the rankings elicited a range of reactions from students and staff.
Karis, a first-year student studying forensic psychology, was surprised by the London ranking, expecting the university would have been much lower. Before being informed of the People and Planet-approved ranking, Karis commented, “I feel like it might have been better in the past, possibly.”
However, Nate, a first-year psychology student, was taken aback by the news. Nate believed Kingston had “a good sense of sustainability,” commenting about “the different recycling bins for different types of rubbish,” and there being “lots of them all over.”
He was shocked when informed of the university’s UK and London ranking: “A 2:2 puts us as just average,” he said. “I think it changes the way I view the university now.”
When asked about potential causes for the decline, he suggested the “lack of regulating” as it led to “the misuse of the bins.” He added: “There’s probably a lot of food wastage” contributing to the low score. He placed the responsibility on the community itself. “It’s also about how we the students and staff choose to use the bins because we shouldn’t need to be regulated,” he said.
Mark is a groundsperson at the Penrhyn Road campus. He told The River: “We [the university staff] had been very successful in maintaining the area around the campus and recycling the rubbish.” Upon being informed of the ranking, he believed “we should be higher because we do a really good job, we try our best to do as much as we can.”
A Kingston University spokesperson said: “The University has a deep and longstanding commitment to sustainability … Our efforts are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and we are signatories of the United Nations Accord.”
They continued on to say, “Our comprehensive sustainability strategy ensures we manage resources efficiently, comply with legislation and strive to continuously improve our performance. It enables us to identify environmental impacts and opportunities, as well as setting clear objectives for improvement.”
Mark’s concerns lay with the student body, suggesting a need for greater awareness and discipline. “The younger generation needs to think more about what they can recycle and what they can’t, and keep the area proper and dispose of rubbish the right way,” he said.