UWTSD Students Explore Sustainability Through Collaboration and Community.
Students from the BA Outdoor Adventure Education, BSc Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change, and MSc Sustainable Construction programmes at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) came together recently for an inspiring joint lecture and series of site visits in Carmarthen.
The collaboration brought together undergraduate and postgraduate Environment students from the Swansea Campus who were completing several days of field-based activities in Carmarthen, with peers from Outdoor Adventure Education. The day offered a unique opportunity to explore the intersections between outdoor learning, environmental practice, sustainability, and community engagement.
The session began on the Carmarthen Campus, where participants took part in a creative group challenge designed to build connections between the two cohorts. Using the metaphor of knots representing the ties, complexities, and collaborations that exist within environmental and educational practice, students reflected on shared challenges and aspirations in their respective disciplines.
Despite the rainy weather, the group set off on a guided walk through Carmarthen, pausing at key community and environmental sites to engage with local leaders and reflect on the links between theory, practice, and place.
The first stop was Yr Egin’s Garden, part of the LocalMotion Carmarthen “Green Archipelago” initiative, a movement fostering social, economic, and environmental justice through community partnerships. Here, students learned about the variety of activities offered to local schools and youth groups, and how green spaces can be catalysts for local action.
Next, the group visited the Hwb Tywi Hub, where community leader Jason Daniels described how the project evolved to provide woodworking and garden-based activities for men’s wellbeing, another vibrant “island” within the local green-community network.
The walk continued through the Morfa Wetlands, before stopping at the Cegin Hedyn Community Garden & Kitchen, a thriving hub for food, nature, and community collaboration, and concluded at the Sero Community Environment Centre in the town centre.
Outdoor Adventure Education student Ellis-Anthony Willis said:
“Getting to see the community projects within Carmarthen was inspiring, it demonstrated how such a small town can have so much ownership for themselves.”
Throughout the day, students and staff reflected on shared themes such as outdoor education, nature connectedness, climate justice, food and garden systems, sustainable innovation, and community-led environmental action.
Outdoor Adventure Education student, Owen Gittos added:
“This walk was a great way to explore different perspectives of the outdoors. It was nice to see different local businesses and projects.”
The discussions also highlighted the real-world challenges faced by practitioners from engagement and access to resources, to translating theory into meaningful practice.
The event closed with a shared commitment to continue developing collaborative opportunities across UWTSD’s programmes, broadening student experience, and strengthening connections with the communities of Carmarthen and beyond.
Outdoor Adventure Education Owen Penton-Voak said it was:
“an insightful interaction between two educational disciplines, creating pathways and connections through common goals and end results”.
Mache Treviño Gonzalez, UWTSD lecturer who led the activity, said:
“I am grateful with all students and lecturers involved in this session and their powerful reflections. This initial collaboration has inspired us to imagine more ideas on co-creating innovative learning experiences for our programmes, aiming to tackle current challenges we face together in professional practice.”
Further Information
Lowri Thomas
Principal Communications and PR Officer
Corporate Communications and PR
Email: lowri.thomas@uwtsd.ac.uk
Phone: 07449 998476