The Sustainability Committee is an opportunity for students who are passionate about sustainability to innovate and have the power to create positive change throughout UWE and beyond.
Purpose of the committee
Create sustainable change within UWE and the wider community through events and campaigning. The committee can also shape the sustainability practice and credentials at The Students’ Union at UWE, and the wider UWE Bristol community.
What does the committee do?
What can you gain from being on the committee?
14 March 2022
14 February 2022
7 February 2022
2 February 2022
24 January 2022
19 January 2022
10 January 2022
7 December 2021
Kaylee Wonnacott
Course: FdSc Integrated Wildlife Conservation
My interests are sustainable fashion, reducing plastic waste and carbon emissions by using environmentally friendly travel alternatives! By joining the sustainable committee, I hope to show that making sustainable choices are easy and can be done in our everyday lives, and hopefully see changes over all the campuses for a more sustainable future.
Carrie Caffrey
Course: MSc Sustainable Development in Practice
My interest in sustainability developed from growing up spending lots of time in the woods of northern Minnesota in the U.S (United States). I’m constantly blown away by the natural beauty of our planet and I feel passionate about protecting it. I love learning about innovative solutions to tackle the climate emergency and am especially interested in urban greening and sustainable architecture design. I’m excited to be a part of the Sustainability Committee to learn from this awesome group of leaders and to get other members of UWE pumped about protecting our planet!
Other interests: Hiking, canoeing, camping, animals of all sorts, and exploring Bristol and the UK (United Kingdom)!
Paige Blake
Whilst I have always had a love for nature and wildlife, I became much more interested and invested in sustainability during my geography undergrad degree, followed by an internship with an environmental charity. I am particularly interested in reducing single-use plastics, diverting waste from landfill and reducing food waste. More recently, I have been striving towards more sustainable fashion and learning more from my time on the committee.
Other interests: Baking, cross stitch, country walks, pet sitting, and reading all sorts.
Krithik Mohanthy
Course: Aerospace Engineering
My aim is to reduce the emissions of pollutant gases by 80% on average by 2032 and to achieve most of the UN (United Nations) sustainable development goals by 2028. My aim is to invent a high supersonic speed aircraft with low thrust, and which uses less fuel. I am also passionate about making surrounding areas greener and more biodiverse by growing plants. I would also like to work on creating better access globally to food, education and higher living standards.
Other interests: Aircraft and helicopter spotting, learning on airplane mechanics, aerodynamics, aviation feed news daily.
Tobias Robards
Course: Environmental Management
I'm passionate about learning and spreading ways we can live more harmoniously with nature. Within the last few years, my passion for the planet has reignited and I want to help others find this love that we all intrinsically share. Being part of this committee is important to me to talk to like-minded people and help make UWE and wider community more empathetic and sustainable.
Other interests: Ecology, Yoga, Connecting with people.
Paula Cunha Tanscheit
I can't imagine myself working on something unrelated to conserving our planet and resources. Studying and getting myself involved with sustainable development makes everything more meaningful to me. I am most interested in finding ways to make our daily lives more sustainable, from modes of transport to reducing plastic use. Being part of the committee is an excellent opportunity to build new projects, learn from other people, and make UWE an even more sustainable university.
Other interests: Cycling, hiking, dance, travelling, cats, reading.
Huw Buckley
Course: MSc Urban Planning MSc
My interest in sustainability is driven primarily by climate change. Conservation for the sake of our planet’s future has concerned me since my teen years so I decided a long time ago that I wanted to go into a career that is geared towards helping in this area. Sustainable modes of transport within cities, including making them more walkable and suitable for biking, is of particular interest to me. I’m also extremely interested in plastic reduction, exposing green washing in corporate branding, and the fight to reduce the levels of mass produced meat worldwide.
Other interests: Drumming, reading, running, carpentry, gardening, cats!
Lauren Graham
Course: Fine Art
My love for sustainability developed through my art practice, a lot of my work revolves around the relationship between humans and nature. For example, making experimental jazz to encourage plants to grow, creating climate activism recycled garments for sustainable fashion shows, and most recently exploring queer ecology. I'm constantly looking at new ways creative solutions that can combat climate change, by joining the sustainable committee I want to bring my creative perspective to help increase green awareness and creative climate action on campus:)
Other interests: Queer ecology, sustainable fashion, film photography, and collecting way too many houseplants:)
Fi Willetts
Studying wildlife conservation, I have always had a great interest in nature and conserving what we have to make the world a better place. I wanted to join the sustainability committee in the hope of sharing my knowledge about simple daily changes for a more sustainable lifestyle... just a few simple swaps can make such a change! My main sustainability interests include the reduction of single use plastics and recycling, sustainable fashion choices and most of all, veganism.
Other interests: Anything animal related XD.... but also painting, drawing, macrame and vegan cooking.
Alex Koehl
Nature is vital to my existence. I have known this since I was a boy spending hours in Kentucky’s great outdoors milking every ounce of sunlight out of a day. To this day, nature still holds this importance in my life, but quite a bit has changed. I now know that humanity is not separate from nature, and we humans need to adjust our behaviours to help protect the future of Earth’s natural elements. My aim is to inspire others through creative mediums to understand and hopefully participate in this need for sustainable change. By joining the Sustainability Committee, I hope to work towards this effort and meet other inspired individuals. I hope to expand my foundation of knowledge by learning from their unique experiences and by sharing new experiences together. The challenges we face are daunting, but I know we can make a difference if we work together!
Other interests: Wildlife and landscape photography, basketball, movies, music, and BEING OUTSIDE!
Jaylene Manmohan
Course : Aerospace Engineering
My passion for Sustainability blossomed in my internship where I worked on maintaining, repairing and overhauling legacy aircrafts to create an extended life solution. For me, I realised I wanted to be part of something to make a long lasting impact whether it be to the environment or to communities. In the aerospace industry it is notorious for its impact on the environment whether it be sustainable aviation fuels, improving materials used and the impact on the environment. I have also become aware of my personal impact on the environment so have chosen to cycle and walk to my destinations where I can, become aware of sustainable food and fashion by eating less meat and more plant based foods, mending my own clothes and shopping at charity shops instead. Hobbies: Cycling, Gaming, Designing and Sewing, Photography and travelling.
Morgan Kimber
Course: Politics & International Relations
Sustainability is perhaps the single greatest issue of this century that will have the most significant impact on the future of society and yet broadly includes such wide-ranging areas such as food production, fashion, energy, education and socioeconomics. This has always interested me in looking towards the future of society and how best to ensure a more sustainable economic system that benefits both the needs of society and the environment by becoming more eco centric.
While I do believe in the importance of better individual responsibility for this goal such as meat and car usage reduction, I also see a strong top-down approach will be vital for our planet. It will be necessary to pressure governments, businesses and organisations to take effective action on all these issues to guarantee the societal shifts needed. As such, issues such as fossil fuel subsidies/funding, public transportation and worker cooperation are of most importance to me.
Other interests: Cycling, history, languages, food, tabletop games, reading
Florence Akinyemi
Course: MSc. Construction Project Management
I consider myself to be enthusiastic about learning new things. It's a privilege to be a part of an organization that will make a difference in people's lives in many ways. My goal is to raise awareness, minimize carbon emissions and food waste to improve the environment. It's not too late to start somewhere in making a difference for future generations; I feel that even a little changes everything, we can accomplish a lot in terms of defending campuses and ensuring global sustainability.
Other interests- Sustainability in construction, energy efficiency, charity work
Callum Jones
Course: BSc Geography
Just trying to make the world a nicer and more sustainable place for us all to live in before the billionaires leave us for Mars!
Seriously though, it isn’t that difficult to be more sustainable. My aim is to get people to think more carefully about their daily life, away from their social norms. So, I am on a mission to change some behaviours!
Harry Kemp
Course: Ba Architecture and Planning
I am originally from Suffolk, I've never lived in a city before coming to Bristol. It was rather a cultural shock. For me, growing up food was not a problem as we were able to grow food in our garden and forage on walks for more. Nature was a basic part of my life that I took for granted, after coming to Bristol it was different and made me a bit home sick as I was not able to do these things with ease. Studying Architecture and Planning it has helped me to understand spaces better and more importantly the spaces between spaces that are often forgotten in the grand scheme of things. We should be actively trying to use spaces to be more sustainable by increasing biodiversity, creating a space that is easy and convenient to be sustainable by promoting food growth, reducing plastic waste. While also focusing on us to be more health and social by creating space that we can eat and move healthily and well that is my goal to try and make things like this happen to benefit everyone.
Other interests: Climbing, photography, drawing and cooking.
Roxanne Le Roux
Course: BSc Physiotherapy
Other Interests: Cycling, Canoeing, Traveling, Gardening and farming.
Meg Griffiths
Course: BSc Biomedical Sciences
Sustainability is a team sport, and a team is only as strong as its weakest link. Except here, if we lose the premiership, it’s a big deal because said ‘premiership’ is our planet. I joined the sustainability committee to contribute to a meaningful solution-driven future for our university and planet. The more people join the team, the stronger we can be – nobody becomes the Michael Jordon of sustainability overnight, so I hope that we can foster an evolutionary mindset towards this and learn from and teach each other. Let's kick some corporate, plastic-polluting, fossil-fuel burning, animal flesh-eating
Other Interests: Painting, Travelling, Cooking, House Plants, Socialising, Molecular Genetics
Megan Griffiths
Course: Property Development and Planning. (RICS accredited)
As my degree has taught me being able to be a good advocate is important. I joined the sustainability committee because I have been student council member and currently hold roles of events and fundraising officer or president in other committees I am part of. After being a Lead Department Representative for the Architecture and Built Environment department last year, I have found that the best way to discuss or enact new sustainability ideas is to be able to work with others especially within the sustainability committee.
Other interests: Planning, Economics, Debating, Robotics, Lacrosse and Water polo.
Hayley Waller
Course: Bsc Environmental Science
I have a real passion for the natural world and knowing how important diversity is for functioning ecosystems that are the backbone to life on this planet, I chose to study environmental science so I could give myself the chance to contribute towards something I feel and see is so important. Fundamentally I want everyone to be as healthy and happy as possible (I know this is completely rose-tinted) but a terrific way of even trying for this, is through sustainable, fulfilling, and healthy lives and livelihoods. So naturally I thought it would be a great idea to join the university’s committee, and meet hopefully like-minded people, make some friends, and facilitate some changes. Here’s to a brighter 2022!
Hannah Massoudi
Course: FdSc Wildlife Conservation
I'm interested in seeing a total sustainability overhaul happen at UWE, Bristol and beyond. I think there's lots of little things that can be easily implemented and equally lots of bigger stuff that we can push and promote to the larger companies and government for necessary change. It would be great to see how we can examine and articulate the impact of all human practices and see what can be done to involve all in recovering our planet to a better state.
Interests: photography, hiking, food, festivals, film and travelling.
Sussy Wanjala
Course: Sustainable Development in Practice
Sustainable development, climate change, circular economy, CSR, etc. These are all big and trendy words. I am interested in how they can be converted to action points for individuals and strategies for businesses and institutions – while including the voice and knowledge of indigenous communities.
Interests: Kenya, Triathlon, People, Culture, Conversations, Food, Books
Eliska
I am a third-year law student at UWE. My sustainability interests are to reduce plastic waste, reduce food waste and helping to make the UWE campuses more eco-friendly!
Eleanor
I am currently in my final year of studying Interior Architecture at UWE. Since I was young, I have loved nature and have felt saddened at the impact our actions are having upon it. In the past few years, it has become apparent that time is running out to save many species of plants and animals from extinction. Therefore, I am eager to help in any way that I can. Sustainability has been a key focus within my time as a design student, as making buildings sustainable is vital in ensuring a green future. I am also passionate about leading a low impact lifestyle, and love to experiment with plant-based cooking and baking! I am excited to help the university and the surrounding community in the path towards a greener future.
I study Biological Science and I am in my Foundation year. I have many sustainability interests. My paramount interest is the issues surrounding climate change. We need to stop the continued rise in carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Numerous countries are having to prepare for natural disasters like drought, mass forest fires and flooding. As well as the rising sea levels as a result of the icebergs melting. This is what, we as humans created! Our lifelong burning of fossil fuels for industry worldwide has led to this. I want to really bring this to the focus, the importance of adapting our lifestyles to become more eco-friendly within the University and beyond.
Hannah
As a child I could see that the world around me is a marvel that I have been so lucky to be able to explore. But now I am older I see the way we humans live on this world that I treasure so dearly is unsustainable and dangerous. We are at the beginning of a mass extinction and those who have read the facts know we have a ticking time bomb in our hands that needs defusing before the damage is irreversible. The more I learn the more I want to change. I know the only feasible way forwards is to embed sustainability into every decision we make.
Josephine
I have a Biology degree and have just started Architecture at UWE. I love the natural environment and am fascinated by how we fit into it - what we take and what we give, what we understand about it and how this directs our lives ... But it's clear we're not taking our responsibilities seriously enough. Time to do something about it!