Abstract

There has long been an understanding that in order to achieve meaningful progress against sustainability challenges, action is required at multiple scales and at a range of levels. With regard to education initiatives these levels range from macro-level international agreements and activities such as the United Nations Sustainable development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education, meso-level influences such as the role of national bodies supporting sustainability in higher education, and micro-level influences such as the commitment of individual Universities or Departments. The decision makers are individuals however, and the development and delivery of such initiatives requires decisions and actions at the scale of the individual, as do the implementation of recommendations within organisations. . This paper explores the impact of scale on University-level business education aimed at addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The paper explores one educational initiative carried out in the United Kingdom where students conduct a carbon footprint of an organisation and recommend measures to reduce the company’s greenhouse gas emissions. The total recommended greenhouse gas emissions savings from two years of the project are 507, 435 kg CO2e, averaging over 10 tonnes per organisation and 2 tonnes per student. If this project was scaled up over 5 years and taken on by an additional educator, the recommended reductions increase to 2,562,418 kg CO2e. It demonstrates that action undertaken at the micro-level can be effective at the macro-level should scaling up initiatives be supported and encouraged.