Charlotte Mealing
2015/16 was a big year for The Green Team here at The Students’ Union. We had festivals, Go Green Week, sent students to COP21, Bristol was the European Green Capital, became the first to be NUS Responsible Futures Accredited, and ran a whole host of other fantastic sustainability events.
2015/16 was a big year for The Green Team here at The Students’ Union. We had festivals, Go Green Week, sent students to COP21, Bristol was the European Green Capital, became the first to be NUS Responsible Futures Accredited, and ran a whole host of other fantastic sustainability events. Some of the highlights of this spectacular year are laid out below:
During 2015 Bristol held the prestigious title of European Green Capital of the year. Taking advantage of this honour, we had:
In December 2015 we sent five students to COP21 in Paris to represent UWE. The governments from all over the world gathered in Paris to negotiate an agreement on climate change. The aim was to reduce greenhouse gases and preventing the threat of climate change. Research has shown that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise to above 2 degrees celsius we will pass a threshold where global warming becomes irreversible. Towards the end of 2015, it was estimated that we are heading for a rise of about 5 degrees celsius, which could mean catastrophic consequences on the environment. Therefore this conference was paramount to saving the planet. This was the first time that we sent students to an event of this kind.
February is the time for Go Green Week, not only here but also in the UK as a whole. Taking place annually, this is the UK’s largest week of students taking action against climate change. Celebrating all things sustainable and green, we are no stranger to Go Green Week.
In February 2016 we teamed up with Clic Sargent and brought Go Green Week to Bower Ashton. Clic Sargent hosted a kilo sale, where students could obtain clothing at affordable prices (at £5 per kilo, how can you go wrong?), generating money for charity, and preventing the clothing from going to landfills.
Alongside Clic Sargent, we had a UWE student creating bottle top artwork and give away reusable water bottles as part of our #saynotoplastic campaign (this campaign is still running!). Additionally, another member of the Green Team was promoting our past project: The Temwa Degree Tree, by explaining how students could offset their degree carbon footprint by donating £3 to Temwa to plant a tree in Malawi. The Students’ Union bar at Bower Ashton was also serving delicious meat free food all day.
On Friday 11th March 2016 we won a number of awards at the Southwest Fairtrade Business Awards 2016. Entering three of the awards categories, we won awards in each and became the top winner of one category.
Best Fairtrade Cafe or Restaurant - Winner
• Full of Beans, The Students' Union and UWE Hospitality joint venture. Full of beans is situated within the Undercroft next to the fruit and vegetable stall. All products are Fairtrade
Best Fairtrade Retailer - Multiple Products - Gold Award
• The Students' Union at UWE.
Best Fairtrade university or college – Gold award
• UWE Bristol
The awards are based on four criteria: policy and governance; management commitment; communication and engagement; and community involvement.
Photo credit: Jon Craig
On Tuesday 22nd March 2016, the Bristol Green Volunteers' Awards took place. Although there were over 120 entrants, our students in two out of the ten categories.
Leyth Hampshire was awarded ‘The Spirit of 2015’ Award.
This award was given for the outstanding work that Leyth put into the Green Team during his time as The Students’ Union’s Sustainability Officer 2015/16, and the passion that he expressed which engaged students and created institutional change. Leyth has volunteered for many projects, and created various events during 2015/16 and inspired both students and his peers. One such event was the Tree Party in which he showcased local food, music, and spoken word poetry, as well as demonstrating how students could volunteer in Bristol’s community. Another event, was the Plant Life festival, UWE’s first vegetarian and vegan festival which encouraged students to try veg/vegan food as well as educating them on its health and environmental benefits. With Leyth’s infection passion for people, and the environment, he never ceased to amaze with his adventurous and creative ideas, and thoroughly deserved to be titled ‘The Spirit of 2015’.
Georgia Merrell and Thomas Haines were awarded ‘The Best Student Volunteer’
With all of their work as UWE Green Space project leaders during 2015/16 (an initiative in which teams of students look after green spaces near Frenchay Campus, with the support of local groups), both Georgia Merrell and Thomas Haines were awarded with ‘The Best Student Volunteer’.
The awards represent a significant achievement and reflect both the dynamism of students and staff at The Students’ Union and UWE Bristol with the quality of volunteering, supported by many people across our institutions.
On the 24 May 2016 UWE Bristol became the first UK University to receive the NUS Responsible Futures Accreditation. The Responsible Futures Accreditation is awarded to an institution in recognition of fostering an environment where sustainability learning can thrive.
The Students’ Union and UWE Bristol partnered up in promoting and embedding Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) across all aspects of university life; helping every UWE student become globally responsible and future-facing.
Gem Heywood (VP Societies and Communication) and Rachel Colley (Community Manager) said:
“Receiving this accreditation is the result of strong and effective partnership working between The Students’ Union and the University. This close working relationship has enabled us to not only significantly progress the ESD agenda, but also to develop relevant and exciting extra-curricular opportunities for students to expand their knowledge, develop their skills and ‘be the change’ in their community. We are extremely proud of all our students and their projects.”
We hope that 2016/17 will see The Green Team continue to grow and educate students on the importance of sustainability in all aspects of their lives.