Sustainable solutions in the spotlight during London Student Sustainability Conference at Kingston University

More than 250 students from across London gathered at Kingston University to share creative solutions and present projects at the eighth annual London Student Sustainability Conference (LSSC).

Held across Town House and the John Galsworthy building at the Penrhyn Road campus, there were opportunities for students, academics, professionals and partners to connect, collaborate, and be inspired at the student-led event.

Coordinated by ten London university sustainability teams, 130 selected students presented sustainability research and projects related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals through posters and talks.

There was also a chance for those in attendance to network and share their future‑focused ideas showcasing insights into cutting-edge sustainability work that aimed to address the world’s most pressing environmental and sustainability challenges.

The conference promoted knowledge, recognising that today’s environmental and social challenges require collaboration across disciplines. Throughout the day, there were twelve themed student presentation sessions, while academic posters were on display in the Town House foyer. The creative programme featured sustainability-focused games and a documentary. 

Kingston University was well represented at the conference with 12 projects and posters exhibited from students across several disciplines, including engineering, life sciences, business and art and design.

 Among them was PhD student Edward White, who presented his research on fake news and sustainability and was awarded a certificate for most inspiring presentation project and presentation abstract. 

Reflecting on the event, Edward spoke about the positive impact conferences such as these can have. “It's such a wonderful experience seeing all these brilliant insights from clever and unique minds talking about different aspects about sustainability. What's very intriguing is there's not just one answer, there's multiple solutions.”

Master’s students Neeraj Sahu, Rayan Bhuyan, Vidhi Bhusare who study game design, game development and computer animations, won the award for Best Overall Creative Project with their computer game Project Rebirth – a gamified version of a reforestation project that guides the player on how to implement proper practices required before beginning a reforestation project. 

Rayan talked about the conference and what the experience has meant to him and the team as computer and gaming students. 

“We’ve met a lot of people who have different ideas of sustainability,” he said. “As game developers and game designers, we wanted to look at how to make sustainability representative in games. We've seen people doing cinematography, documentaries, posters, projects – the takeaway was that you don’t have to think of sustainability the same way as everyone else.”

Product and furniture design master’s students Cloudy Nguyen and Hajnalka Gólya designed and created medal sets made from steel and a bio-plastic composite derived from coffee grounds. The medals were presented to winners at the award ceremony, demonstrating the potential of reusing materials that might otherwise have ended up in landfill.

The day ended with an inspiring networking session in Town House, reflecting on the conference’s collective efforts to deliver a more just and sustainable future. 

Kingston University sustainability officer Victoria Pontifex said the conference had been a great example of the contributions students across the capital were making to help address the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She also highlighted the instrumental role volunteers and student leads had played in delivering a successful and inspiring event. “It made me feel incredibly positive about the future — seeing students working across fields to find practical solutions to global sustainability challenges,” she said. “It’s clear future generations deeply care and are actively striving to shape a better future.”

The opening and closing address along with the award-giving presentation was delivered by University Provost Professor Amir Alani, Senior Leadership Team co-sponsor and academic lead for sustainability. He outlined how the University was proud to be able to host the conference in the Town House – an award-winning building designed with sustainability at its core. 

“At Kingston University we are dedicated to embedding sustainability across our operations, through our research and within the curriculum”, he said. “Whether in the public or private sector, the next generation of graduates has enormous potential to influence positive change. The breadth and ambitious scope of the projects on show here was truly inspiring to see.” 

• Find out more about sustainability at Kingston University.