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This paper aims to discuss the practical dilemmas of institutional change to tackle the climate crisis in a UK university, identifying key assumptions and issues that block meaningful change. The research was part of an initiative to define a theory of change (ToC) to meet the university’s institutional climate commitments.

The findings are based on interviews with members of an inter-disciplinary ToC working group, a staff–student climate coalition and student representatives at the university. Interviewees were purposively selected to gain insights into assumptions about the nature of the university and its role in tackling the climate crisis, which must be addressed for the university to effectively implement its climate plan.

This paper identified tensions between the university’s role as a public and commercial institution, a lack of clarity over decision-making processes and the difficulties in balancing (and being transparent about) actions with commitments to tackle the climate crisis. A democratic and flexible approach to change is essential to mitigate these issues, providing an opportunity to reflect on the diversity of the university community and openly debate goals and commitments.

In setting out the initial steps of a ToC in a UK university, this paper offers practical insights for higher education institutions looking to change practices. By highlighting assumptions at a particular institution, this paper also contributes a level of granularity to a growing field of research on efforts in higher education institutions to tackle the climate crisis.

The aim of this paper is to provide a background and offer insights of the use of ecolabels and certifications within the tourism industry and their applicability within the volunteer tourism sector.

This study utilizes a comprehensive literature review on tourism ecolabels and certification and presents a discussion about volunteer tourism certification.

The paper finds that it is apparent that changes need to be made in the overall practices of operators within the volunteer tourism sector. Guidelines and evaluation techniques are useful, but are not guaranteed in their applicability. However, neither is certification, unless it is monitored and accountable to its stakeholders. Creating a certification that has real world and tangible aspects for its consumers and subscribers would be more useful than one that is very theoretically dense. It is evident that certification can be used as a powerful tool in the quest to attain sustainability, and should not be ignored as a possible solution for the volunteer tourism sector.

This paper provides a comprehensive discussion on volunteer tourism certification and the extent to which a certification scheme would aid in alleviating current criticisms of the volunteer tourism sector and increase its social responsibility.