The University of Bradford has secured a green grant of £3.1 million which will be used to introduce environmental sustainability across its city-wide campus.

To mark World Environment Day tomorrow the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has confirmed it will back the institution's pioneering "Ecoversity StuDent Scheme".

The initiative is a key part of the university's Ecoversity Project. Launched in 2005, it aims to bring together a programme of ongoing and new building improvements and green schemes to create a more environmentally friendly campus.

However, the Ecoversity StuDent Scheme, takes the project one step further.

The grant brings together Bradford's goal to become a model sustainable university alongside initiatives which improve the environment, the social well-being of staff and students and contribute to a thriving economy across the district.

To achieve this, the university has established a Sustainable Education Directorate which will implement its strategy through six areas of activity.

They include curriculum development, student engagement and a Learning and Demonstration Centre which will bring academics and staff together from all departments to ensure green practice.

Sustainability research, environmental study and sharing best practice with other universities and higher and further education sites will also be key parts of the project.

Dr Peter Hopkinson, director of education for sustainable development at the University of Bradford, was involved in the university's bid to HEFCE.

He said: "We are delighted to be able to announce this news on World Environment Day which embodies so much of what we are trying to achieve at the University of Bradford.

"At the heart of Ecoversity StuDent is learning about sustainability through the curriculum, the practical daily experiences of being a student and through a wide range of informal and extra-curricular activities.

"The design and implementation of Ecoversity StuDent integrates existing best practice in Europe and North America, especially that of the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, which has agreed to collaborate with us on this.

"We are also collaborating closely with lead projects in the UK such as the Centre for Sustainable Future at the University of Plymouth, and the Higher Education Academy's Energy for Sustainable Development programme to create a demonstration project and learning laboratory for the sector as a whole."

Professor Mark Cleary, the university's newly-installed vice-chancellor, said: "If we really want to bring about pro-sustainability behavioural change, then we have to encourage students and staff to provide the right conditions and infrastructure to support this desired behaviour, and then encourage, support and exemplify the direction we want to go in.

"We are delighted that HEFCE is supporting us.

"Its contribution over three years will enable us not only to transform the university and support green activities across the city of Bradford, but our experiences and learning will be looked on with great interest across the sector."