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Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)

Building-change-hub

How does the built environment create value for people, nature and climate as demands on the sector grow?

With a reputation as one of the most environmentally burdensome industries which also has a fundamental opportunity to support healthy and resilient societies, the built environment sector needs to find a way to lead the transition to a sustainable economy.  

The operation, maintenance and construction of our buildings, towns and cities account for typically the largest – or among the largest – share of any country’s, and any individual's, carbon footprint and impact on natural resources; but also provide among our greatest opportunities to strengthen the resilience of our societies, maximise shared social benefit, and create safe, secure and enjoyable futures for all.

Experts agree that the sector's role in exacerbating global challenges and its potential to provide solutions to these challenges is of critical importance today. There is an urgent need to for radical change in the sector, and conversations about this seem louder today than ever.

 

Insights for built environment professionals


Sustainable real estate - a constellation of risks and opportunities

First published in The Lighthouse, this blog by Munish Datta
explores the constellation of risks and opportunities for
sustainable real estate.

Read the blog

Sustainable real estate - reflections and next steps

Building on the blog by Munish on the constellation of risks and opportunities in sustainable real estate, Lucy Bruzzone considers how and why stakeholders must make the transition to sustainable practices and gives recommendations for further reading

Read the blog

 

Collaborative leadership? It’s what a sustainable
future in the built environment sector requires.

Dr Tim Forman describes how 'shared leadership' was central to
the refurbishment of Entopia.

Read the blog

Building Entopia

Discover the story behind the world-leading sustainable retrofit of Entopia, CISL's new home in central Cambridge.

Read the case study

 

 

 

Education on a sustainable built environment


For over three decades, CISL has been at the forefront of sustainability education. We have a deep understanding of the changing global context and access to a wealth of world-leading research into sustainable business. Our programmes draw upon leading academics, practitioners and innovators to help inform business strategy and inspire action. 

Sustainable Real Estate: Creating a Better Built Environment 

For professionals who want to understand
the sustainability challenges facing the real estate sector.

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Postgraduate programme for the
built environment

Explore the importance of building
knowledge and leadership skills to drive
real change through collaboration.

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Executive Education (open application and custom)

Identify innovative and commercially compelling approaches to address sustainability challenges.

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Postgraduate student stories


Hear from postgraduate students on the Sustainability Leadership in the Built Environment courses how have shared their experience of the programme and detailed what an average day looks like for them during a residential workshop in Cambridge, UK.
 

 

"I am invigorated and stimulated by the discussions [...]. I challenge my beliefs and biases, and I am more intentional about actively listening"

Sonia Green-Browne, Principal Engineer, Graphite Engineering Ltd.

Read more

 

 

"I would be lying if I didn’t say that there
is a lot to take in on an average day! I feel like I am learning many new ideas and insights which I can reapply in my field of work."

Neiad Adams-Austin, Traffic Engineer, London Borough of Waltham Forest 

Read more

 

 

"The huge merit of the part-time course structure is the opportunity to apply what we have learnt to the real world immediately after we absorbed the lectures."

Emi Sugiyama, Sustainability Consultant, PwC Japan

Read more

 

 

Sustainable built environment innovation and collaboration opportunities


For over three decades, CISL has built individual and organisational leadership capacity and capabilities and created industry-leading collaborations, to catalyse change and accelerate the path to a sustainable economy. To discuss how we can work with you to support you in your transformation, please get in touch.

Find out more about CISL Canopy and Accelerator opportunities, which foster sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship through our community of founders, startups, corporate intrapreneurs, investors and systems change experts. 

 

Resources and research


CISL and the Corporate Leaders Groups respond to Glasgow Climate Pact

15 November 2021

15 November 2021 – On 13 November, a final COP26 agreement was reached within the Scottish Events Campus in Glasgow. The Glasgow Climate Pact will mean that all nations should formulate and publish updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement for 2030 by the time COP27 begins in Egypt. They should strive to align targets and plans with a 1.5C temperature pathway.

Risk Sharing in the Climate Emergency: Financial regulation for a resilient, net zero, just transition

28 October 2021

November 2021 – The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) launches a call to action at COP 26 finance day urging policymakers, financial regulators and industry to expand risk sharing systems at scale to tackle the Climate Emergency.

On the Borderline: The EU CBAM and its place in the world of trade

18 October 2021

October 2021 - The new CISL report ‘On the Borderline: the EU CBAM and its place in the world of trade’ shows unilateral action is risky but may be needed to achieve net zero by 2050.

The future of sustainability in the built environment - a Q&A with Munish Datta

27 September 2021

27 September 2021 - Munish Datta is director at UK Green Building Council where he is responsible for leading the organisations membership strategy and enabling the delivery of its mission to radically improve the sustainability of the built environment. As a Fellow at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, he also empowers senior business leaders & organisations to tackle critical global challenges.

Business Green Net Zero Festival Workshops

15 September 2021

Business Green Net Zero Festival 29 September 2021 - 1 October 2021: CISL is delighted to partner with Business Green on a series of workshops at this year's Net Zero Festival. Details of these sessions are available below. The Net Zero Festival will bring together some of the world's foremost thinkers on what it takes to...

Webinar series: Building Natural Connections

27 July 2021

Building Natural Connections: A series of three chaired talks in the run-up to COP26 that explore how the interdependence of nature, society and economy can be leveraged to provide solutions for a sustainable built environment. The series – hosted by Make Architects’ Future Spaces Foundation, in collaboration with the...

Targeting Net Zero: A strategic framework for business action

5 July 2021

Introduction A net zero emission economy will be essential to maintain a stable global climate. The private sector has a critical role in delivering this and there is a growing body of evidence to demonstrate that it makes good business sense to act. Business action on climate change can inform...

Achieving Zero

23 June 2021

The transition to zero is underway. The private sector has a critical role in delivering this transition and there is a growing body of evidence to demonstrate that it makes business sense to act. Forward looking companies understand this. They are harnessing climate action as driver of innovation...

UK business and policy leadership for net zero: analysis of progress to reduce emissions

21 May 2021

May 2021 – A new report from University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership analyses the progress the UK has made towards reducing emissions and meeting its 2030 targets, and looks at the role that policy and clear, sector-specific ambitions have played in supporting the transition.

The case for retrofitting

5 May 2021

5 May 2021 – Tim Forman, Deputy Course Director for the Sustainability Leadership for the Built Environment (IDBE) Master’s and Postgraduate Certificate, discusses the need for a radical shift in thinking and in preparedness to invest in the energy efficiency of buildings and built environments in order to achieve real impact.

Living Lab

Help us to achieve our vision of turning our award-winning sustainably retrofitted office and innovation hub into a Living Lab for sustainability innovation.

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Advisory Services

Find out how we help organisations build long-term resilience, gain competitive advantage and identify new opportunities
for value creation aligned with a transition to a sustainable economy.

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Canopy

A community of impact-led startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses accelerating solutions to global sustainability challenges.

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Webinar series - Building natural connections

In 2021, the Future Spaces Foundation (FSF) and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) collaborated to host three panel discussions on how the interdependence of nature, society and economy can be leveraged to provide solutions for a sustainable built environment. 

Learn more

CISL Conversations

Hear from global professionals tackling real-world sustainability challenges across business, policy and finance.

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