Living Labs
The University of Sheffield is always looking at the ways in which we can use our research to benefit campus and the wider city using a "living lab" approach.
According to The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education (EAUC): “A Living Lab initiative hosts projects where participants from different backgrounds partner to collectively address real-world sustainability challenges and opportunities.” At Sheffield, we believe this is an important way of bringing research with global implications to the local; directly benefiting staff, students and local people.
Ongoing projects
The University is currently exploring various living lab opportunities. These include a sustainable food proposal investigating how we can improve the sustainability of the food consumed in Sheffield Students’ Union. We know that dietary choices have an impact on a variety of environmental factors. Our Institute for Sustainable Food, the SU and its outlets are working together to investigate what we can do as a catering provider to improve the environmental sustainability of food sold and impact consumer behaviour.
This proposal is just one of the living lab ideas that The University of Sheffield is looking at implementing over the coming years.