Students Organising for Sustainability UK (SOS-UK)

Students Organising for Sustainability UK (SOS-UK) is a student-led organization that promotes left-of-center environmentalist policies in education. SOS-UK states that the “entire education system,” including how institutions operate, should be “aligned with the goals of sustainability and climate justice.” 1 2

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At-A-Glance

Type: Organization, Other
Ideological Alignment: Left of Center
Issue Areas: Environmental Policy, Identity Politics (for race-based policy/activism), Education Policy
Website: sos-uk.org
Formation:

2019

Executive Director:

Jamie Agombar

Contents

    SOS UK spearheaded a letter sent to Barclays Bank in December 2023 by more than 220 students from Barclays’ top recruitment universities, stating that they would not work for the bank due to its funding of oil and gas companies such as Shell and Exxon. The letter also called for Barclays to end all funding of oil and gas companies, not just their projects, and to increase funding for wind and solar energy companies. 3

    SOS UK is a partner of the Diverse Sustainability Initiative, an organization that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the environmentalist sector. SOS-UK states that it created a new DEI strategy in 2023 and also notes that it “continued to offer guaranteed interviews for racially/ethnically minoritised job applicants” that year. 4 5

    Background

    Students Organising for Sustainability UK is a left-of-center, student-led organization that promotes left-of-center environmentalist policies, such as sustainability, in education. SOS-UK was founded in 2019 by the National Union of Students (NUS), a university-student activist group based in the United Kingdom that advocates for increased economic welfare for students and left-of-center LGBT policies. 1 6 7

    SOS-UK states that the “entire education system,” including how institutions operate, should be “aligned with the goals of sustainability and climate justice.” 2

    SOS-UK states that it focuses on “reshaping the culture, policies, and physical spaces” of educational institutions, from the “design of campuses to the decisions institutions make,” to see “sustainability embedded throughout.” It also states that it aims to change the way students are taught “so climate and nature are a priority.” 2

    SOS-UK launched the Invest for Change environmental campaign, which calls on universities across the United Kingdom to divest from “industries that are driving social and environmental injustice,” which include fuel and arms companies, and to invest in “environmental and social justice solutions,” such as “community-owned renewable energy” projects. 8

    SOS-UK hosts Students Organizing for Sustainability-International, its global sister organization that was founded by the British National Union of Students and a Danish student union, DFS, in May 2019. 9

    Activities

    Barclays Boycott

    Students Organising for Sustainability UK spearheaded a letter signed by more than 220 students from Barclays’ top recruitment universities to Barclays Bank in December 2023, stating that they would not work for the bank due to its funding of oil and gas companies such as Shell and Exxon. 3

    The letter also called for Barclays to end all funding for oil and gas companies, not just their projects, and to increase funding for wind and solar energy companies. 3

    Green Schools Revolution

    Students Organising for Sustainability UK launched its Green Schools Revolution project in January 2023. The project is hosted by SOS-UK and funded by the #iwill Fund, a funding program of the U.K. National Lottery Community Fund, and the U.K. Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 10 11

    The three-year project follows the 2022 U.K. Department of Education Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy, which advised that all schools need a “Climate Action Plan” in place from 2025, although the strategy did not provide any specific guidance on the creation of said Climate Action Plans. 12

    SOS-UK works “closely with schools” and assists teams of students in developing a Climate Action Plan for their schools. 12

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Students Organising for Sustainability UK is a partner of the Diverse Sustainability Initiative, an organization that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the environmental and sustainability sector. 4 5

    SOS-UK states that it created a new DEI strategy in 2023, and also notes that it “continued to offer guaranteed interviews for racially/ethnically minoritised job applicants” that year. The organization states that its aims for 2024 included continuing to work with the team to “improve their feelings and experience of inclusion” at the organization. 4

    People

    The founder of Students Organising for Sustainability UK is Jamie Agombar, who worked for the National Union of Students for just under 16 years. While working at NUS, Agombar was the head of sustainability from January 2014 until September 2019, when he left the organization. 13

    Agombar has been the executive director of SOS-UK since its inception in 2019 and is also the co-founder of Students Organizing for Sustainability International, where he has been an advisor since 2019. He is also the chair of the board of trustees at the Harmony Project, an environmental education organization that promotes “learning from nature” in education. 13 14

    Financials

    Students Organising for Sustainability UK had a total revenue of around £2.53 million (just under $3.5 million) in 2024, while its expenses amounted to slightly less than £2.5 million (around $3.4 million) that same year. 15

    SOS-UK received £1.42 million (just under $1.95 million) in donations, and another £1.04 million (around $1.4 million) from “charitable activities” in 2024. 15

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    References

    1. Corn, Grace. “PowerPoint Presentation.” November 3, 2021. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.greenwichsu.co.uk/pageassets/greenweek/Intro-to-SOS-UK.pdf. 
    2. “STUDENTS ORGANISING FOR SUSTAINABILITY – Charity 1184011.” 1184011. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search?p_p_id=uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet&p_p_lifecycle=2&p_p_state=maximized&p_p_mode=view&p_p_resource_id=%2Faccounts-resource&p_p_cacheability=cacheLevelPage&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_objectiveId=A17311365&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_mvcRenderCommandName=%2Faccounts-and-annual-returns&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_organisationNumber=5138094. 
    3. “UK students launch Barclays ‘career boycott’ over bank’s climate policies.” The Guardian. December 27, 2023. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/27/uk-students-launch-barclays-career-boycott-over-banks-climate-policies. 
    4. “Students Organising for Sustainability UK.” Diverse Sustainability Initiative. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.diversesustainability.net/about/our-partners/students-organising-for-sustainability-uk/. 
    5. “About the initiative.” Diverse Sustainability Initiative. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.diversesustainability.net/about/about-the-initiative/. 
    6. “Home.” National Union of Students. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.nus.org.uk/. 
    7. “Liberation.” National Union of Students. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.nus.org.uk/liberation. 
    8. “Invest for Change.” Invest for Change. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.investforchange.uk/. 
    9. Grahl, Anselm. “rootAbility and the Green Office Movement integrate into SOS International.” Green Office Movement. April 25, 2020. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.greenofficemovement.org/sos/. 
    10. “Green Schools Revolution.” Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.greenschoolsrevolution.uk/. 
    11. “#iwill Fund 2025 – strand 1.” The National Lottery Community Fund. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-programmes/iwill-fund-2025-strand-1. 
    12. “Climate Action Plans.” Green Schools Revolution. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.greenschoolsrevolution.uk/climate-action-plans. 
    13. “Jamie Agombar – Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-agombar-b4480236/details/experience/. 
    14. “About us.” The Harmony Project. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.theharmonyproject.org.uk/about-us. 
    15. “STUDENTS ORGANISING FOR SUSTAINABILITY – Charity 1184011.” 1184011. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5138094/charity-overview?_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_organisationNumber=5138094.