May 2024 Summit aims to accelerate sustainability across region

Taking place over two days, Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 May at the University’s Waterside Campus, the theme for this year’s summit is “Harnessing the power of Innovation in attaining our shared Sustainability goals under the Northampton Sustainability Accord.”

Organisers received a boost this year after Graf UK Ltd, the country’s fastest growing water management specialists, signed up as headlines sponsors for the summit.

Dr Ebenezer Laryea, UON’s Associate Professor in Sustainable Development Law and Chair of the planning committee, said this year’s Sustainability Summit is a great opportunity to take stock of the collective progress that has been made over the last year in pursuing the sustainability goals set out in the Northampton Sustainability Accord.

He added: “The pace of this progress has been rapid and demonstrates our clear and shared determination, as a stakeholder group, to not just say the right things when it comes to Sustainability, but to put our words into action and to walk our talk.”

Callum Vallance-Poole, Marketing Coordinator for Graf UK, said: “At GRAF UK, we understand that the journey towards sustainability is not a sprint but a marathon of continuous innovation and collaborative effort.

“As headline sponsors of the University of Northampton’s Sustainability Summit, we are committed to advancing the goals outlined in the Northampton Sustainability Accord.

“By sharing our expertise in sustainable water management systems, we aim to contribute to the development of actionable plans that address industry challenges.

“Together, we can turn the tide towards a more sustainable future for West Northamptonshire and beyond.”

The objectives for the summit are:

• Provide a deliberative framework which enables a collective assessment of the progress that has been made so far in attaining the sustainability goals set out in the Northampton Sustainability Accord.
• Introduce an Innovation strand into the Summit & Northampton Sustainability Accord framework to further accelerate collaborative efforts in attaining shared sustainability goals.
• Identify innovative sustainability solutions and develop relevant action plans to address industry challenges.
• Enable sharing of knowledge and best practice between academia and industry on innovative approaches and tools to address sustainability challenges.
• Highlight and exhibit the high value of sustainability projects being undertaken by organisations across Northamptonshire and the Midlands region.

Places at the summit will be limited and those wanting to attend are asked to register in advance. The fee for registration is £80 per delegate, but anyone registering before Friday 29 March will receive a 25% early-bird discount – register for the 2024 Sustainability Summit.