We wanted to take the time to introduce ourselves – the people behind sustainability at King’s! Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

King’s Sustainability Team. From left to right: Rachel Harrington-Abrams, Emily Read, Tasnia Yasmin, Kat Thorne, Alexandra Hepple, Jone De Roode Jauregui, Lavinia Allen, Nicola Hogan.

Operating from Service, People & Planning and Estates & Facilities, the Sustainability team develops and implements university-wide sustainability plans and initiatives.

Kat Thorne – Director of Sustainability

Kat is the director of Sustainability at King’s and oversees all aspects of embedding sustainability across the university. Kat not only manages the sustainability team but decides on its overarching environmental aims and objectives. She also decides, with input from the wider Estates and Facilities team, on the projects and programs and strategies and actions plans required to deliver on those aims and objectives. She has nurtured the sustainability team to where they are today, ensuring that both staff and students are aware of the importance of their role in ensuring King’s reaches its sustainability targets. She held the same position at the University of Greenwich until 2013, helping the university achieve first place in People & Planet’s Green League.  

 

Nicola Hogan – Sustainability Manager (Operations)

Nicola’s main responsibility is ensuring King’s continues to be accredited with the environmental management system ISO14001 and that sustainability is built into the design and construction of any new buildings and refurbishments across the estate. Nicola also manages several other and varied aspects of environmental operations at King’s ensuring each of the campuses environmental footprint remains a small as practicable. Prior to joining the team, Nicola worked at Goldsmiths, University of London, the EAUC and the University of Limerick – in both managerial and research roles. 

 

Maria Rabanser – Sustainability Officer

Maria manages the King’s Climate Action Network (King’s CAN) and works on the development of our Climate & Sustainability Action Plan, as well as on sustainability data and reporting.

She graduated from the Department of Geography at King’s in 2015 and completed an MSc at LSE before joining the Sustainability Team in September 2016.

 

Ali Hepple – Sustainability Officer

Ali manages our engagement programmes, including the 500+ staff in the Sustainability Champions scheme, the KEATS Sustainability & Climate module, other #TakeAction teams, and campaigns like Sustainability Month.

She joined the Sustainability Team in October 2018 after completing her BA in Geography at King’s. During her degree, she supported the University of London’s Reduce the Juice programme, developed an initiative to introduce vegan meals in University of London halls, and supported King’s Food in submitting their first Sustainable Restaurant Association rating.

 

Jone de Roode Jauregi – Climate Action Assistant

Jone supports our work around climate action including the King’s Climate Action Network and the development and implementation of the Climate & Sustainability Plan. She also looks after the Sustainability blog and newsletter.

She completed her BSc in International Management at King’s in 2021, during which time she was actively involved in the King’s CAN as a sub-group member and team volunteer.

 

Rachel Harrington-Abrams – Climate Action Assistant

Rachel supports our work coordinating climate-related research and education across the university as part of the King’s Climate & Sustainability Action Plan. 

She is also a PhD student in the Department of Geography, researching the multilateral governance of climate change adaptation decision-making, and works in the Sustainability team alongside her PhD for two days a week. 

 

Rosa Roe Garcia – Sustainability Project Assistant

Picture of RosaRosa supports the running of the Sustainability Champions programme. She also manages the Sustainability Team’s social media platforms, assisting with the production of Podcasts, and developing digital educational content.

In 2021, she graduated from King’s with a BA in philosophy. She was an active member of the King’s Extinction Rebellion and is still involved in environmental activism in London.

 

Tasnia Yasmin – Sustainability Project AssistantImage of Tasnia in black and white

Tasnia supports King’s efforts to embed Education for Sustainable Development across the university. She leads the mapping of King’s modules alongside the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

She studied a BSc in Geography at King’s and was the Vice President of Welfare and Community at KCLSU. She is currently also studying an MSc in Climate Change at UCL.

 

Katie Gard – Climate Education Assistant

Image of Katie in black and whiteKatie leads on the inter-university QAA project which focuses on driving curriculum quality for sustainability.

She has experience in teaching and is currently studying Social Sciences at King’s.

 

The Sustainability Team works closely with others in Estates & Facilities, including:

Julie Allen – Heat Decarbonisation Programme Lead

Julie ensures projects within Estates & Facilities are aligned with our heat decarbonisation efforts.

Environmental Sustainability is part of the definition of “Serve” within the Service Strategy, and therefore the Sustainability team works closely with the Service team and King’s Volunteering. You can read about the Service Strategy here, find the Service Team here and King’s Volunteering here, and follow them on Twitter.