February 2022 - Dr Kate Parsley
2021 marked the 25th Anniversary of the Corporate Partnership Programme, and the launch of a series of blogs focused on sustainability and the environment. As we enter 2022, Corporate Partnership Manager Kate Parsley reflects on the Climate Rescue series and also looks forward to focusing our attention on Environmental Engagement and Leadership.
Last year, the Corporate Partnership Programme celebrated our 25th Anniversary and we used the opportunity to launch a monthly blog with a focus on Climate Rescue. This topic was introduced by the Master and myself, discussing how businesses and Cambridge together can meet the challenge of our changing climate. The 25th Anniversary blog series included contributions from Pembroke Fellows (Mike Hulme, Simon Learmount and Anil Madhavapeddy), and Pembroke undergraduate students (James Miller and the team behind the Parmee Prize entry Cascade). We also included thought-leadership articles from our Corporate Partners, including Penny Guarnay from BT and Barry Varcoe from Open Society Foundations, and a previous William Pitt Fellow, Peter Matthews. We were grateful to receive contributions from others within the Cambridge ecosystem with an interest in sustainability, including Nicola Buckley from the Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP) and Luke Kemp from the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk.
Linked to the blog series, our annual William Pitt Seminar asked ‘What should come from COP26?’, and a virtual Round Table with our William Pitt Fellows discussed ‘What can the government, science, and business do for the environment?’. In addition, several of our Corporate Partners developed activities in response to the challenge of our theme – including one who looked at improving their ways of working in an online environment, and one who hosted a deep dive into their sustainability strategy to inform their real estate programme.
As we now enter 2022, we are planning to continue to provide interesting and varied invited blogs, keeping our brief on sustainability but shifting our focus from Climate Rescue to Environmental Engagement and Leadership. Our first blog of the year from Joel Gustafsson introduced what Pembroke College is doing to decarbonise heating for our new Mill Lane development. For the rest of the year we will be demonstrating the power of engagement and knowledge exchange to tackle difficult issues such as the climate, and highlighting impactful examples of leadership.
The Corporate Partnership Programme is also supporting the development of a proposed new student-facing programme, Leadership, Enterprise and Adventure at Pembroke (LEAP). The LEAP Programme aims to provide students with the skills and confidence they need in their careers post-Pembroke. Seed-funded by an alumnus, LEAP will support students with mentorship, leadership skills and internships. It is interesting to note that when we surveyed the students to gauge their interest and receive their input into the development of the programme, many mentioned that we should consider sustainability as part of the programme. Although not the main objective of the programme, we are keen to support this ambition.
The subject of the climate is as relevant as ever and in these continuing uncertain and difficult times, it is vital we continue to consider the environmental impact of our actions and take steps to inform, engage and ultimately bring about positive change – however that may be delivered.