Eva Craig
Hi! I’m Eva, one of six Student Fellows working for BILT this year on several interesting and important topics. My project is focussed on embedding sustainable development into the curriculum at the university. A significant task given the urgent state of the climate crisis and the need to systemically change our current practices in order to survive. The climate crisis is an issue of global importance, and it is this need to act that has led me to BILT, as way for me to make a small difference within the university that can contribute to practices that will ultimately make a big difference.
Having attended college in Brighton, you can probably guess that this is where I got my first taste of climate action, particularly during the School Strike for Climate. However, it wasn’t until I came to Bristol in 2019 for my undergraduate degree in Politics and International Relations that I became really interested in the climate emergency and related sustainable development issues.
During my second year at university, I became inspired by academia on climate justice and applied theory. From this, I went on to write my dissertation, based on a climate justice framework, analysing the COP26 corporate principal partners’ sustainability reports and whether they were meeting their responsibilities for a just response to climate change. It was this experience at conducting my own original research on the climate crisis and realising how empowered it made me feel, that made me consider how the university should be doing more to embed sustainable development into the curriculum. Therefore, this year I hope to contribute to equipping students with the tools to tackle the climate crisis in their studies and beyond.
I’m currently undertaking a Masters degree titled Society, Politics and Climate Change, a fantastic course new to the university this year, which has obvious links to my Student Fellow role. Outside of my studies, I am a keen member of the University of Bristol Badminton Club, which I have loved being a part of since my first year, often spending my Wednesday afternoons travelling to different universities across the South and competing for our prized BUCS points.
I’m hugely excited to begin my role at BILT as a Student Fellow and look forward to learning about, engaging with, and building towards a sustainable development strategy in education. If you’ve got a passion for sustainability and are interested in my project this year, connect with me on LinkedIn and let’s chat!