Green ESW
In line with the University's efforts to be a more sustainable and environmentally aware university, the School of Education and Social Work is now working towards its 'gold' Green Impact award. We need all of our staff to share our environmental goals and take a few simple steps towards being kinder to ourselves as well as to our environment.
ESW has signed up to the Green Impact initiative instigated by the NUS. Many universities have become involved in order to work towards becoming more sustainable institutions.
A number of groups and schools have already signed up to the initiative and are working their way through bronze, silver and gold awards by targetting their efforts to be more sustainable and kinder to the environment in eight identified areas. Each group's progress is recorded via an online Green Impact Toolkit.
In 2020, ESW achieved Green Impact's 'silver' award for its efforts towards creating a greener and more sustainable working environment. The more actions an organisation completes, the more points are accumulated. The more points you have, the higher the award earned. The following are some of the initiatives that led to our silver award status:
- We hosted our first GreenESW Fairtrade coffee morning in February 2020.
- We took part in the first Sussex Sustainability Assembly which brought together staff and students to discuss how the University should act in response to the climate emergency.
- We attended a tree (and plant) planting on the Sussex campus to celebrate National Tree Week.
- ESW staff were encouraged to participate in the Earth hour drill in order to save electricity and see the impact it had on energy consumption in the building.
- ESW students and visitors are encouraged to use environmentally friendly modes of transports when they first come to the University.
- All paper bought for and used in the School is now made of recycled materials.
- An audit of the School’s electric heaters and printers took place to allow us to see how we might reduce their use in the new academic year
- An audit was also carried out on the number of offices and spaces within Essex House with plants. The objective is to have at least one plant in the building for every five members of staff.
In our laboratories, we have been working towards improved economy of water usage, and more environmentally friendly storage and disposal of chemicals..
A University environmental forum, made up of representatives from across the schools and units including SEF and Chartwells, is chaired by Matthew Arnold, Energy Manager. Representatives take issues to the forum and report back to their areas.
Objects That Matter:
An exhibition and discussion of ‘objects’ connecting young people’s sustainability concerns across Global South-North
An exhibition of Objects That Matter, chosen by students in Ecuador, India and the UK to reflect their sustainability concerns, is on show at the Jubilee Library, Brighton, from 5-10 November, 2021.
You can join one of two workshops on Saturday 6 November, both running from 11am-12pm:
- A drop-in workshop for children up to the age of 12 years old to create and discuss the objects that matter to them
- A bookable workshop for young people (over 12 years old) to explore what the objects might reveal about global connections and the need to act.
This event is part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2021. It is organised by the University of Sussex where education researchers are exploring creative and inquiry-based activities to support hope in the present, and action, on climate change and biodiversity loss.
Consider your wellbeing: sit less
The NHS website has useful and informative advice on why we should sit less. Sitting for long periods is thought to slow the metabolism, which affects the body's ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat.
Many adults in the UK spend around 9 hours a day sitting. This includes watching TV, using a computer, reading, doing homework, travelling by car, bus or train. It does NOT include time spent sleeping.
To reduce our risk of ill health from inactivity, we are advised to exercise regularly, at least 150 minutes a week, and reduce sitting time.
Don't buy bottled water!
We don't need the extra plastic in our lives, our landfill sites or our oceans!
Check out this campus map which identifies the locations of water fountains from which you can fill your own, reusable water bottle.
Sussex Sustainability Assembly: 19 February 2020
The first Sussex Sustainability Assembly took place on 19 February, bringing together staff and students to discuss how the University should act in response to the climate emergency declared by the Vice-Chancellor in August 2019.
Speaking at the time Adam Tickell stated “unless the higher education sector works together to address the problem at every possible juncture, we will be failing the young people who turn to us – and who need us to protect their futures.”
Thursday's event was designed to offer staff and students insights into the climate and biodiversity crises; outline what the University is already doing; and discuss what more we could be doing collectively and individually.
It was co-organised by the University and Students’ Union and attracted over 330 staff and students, in addition to those viewing the four different sessions on livestream.
University to save over 800 trees per year
As part of the University’s commitment to a more sustainable way of working, starting in February 2020 all paper used in staff multifunction devices (printers/photocopiers/scanners) in schools and divisions will be made of recycled material.
Vice-Chancellor Adam Tickell said: “I know there’s a real desire out there among staff to act more sustainably both at work and outside of it. Many of you are already making great strides through the likes of the Green Impact scheme – which sees teams come together to make their workspace more sustainable and improve their welfare in the process.
“You should know that we’re working hard centrally to improve our policies and systems. We use a significant amount of paper each year – nearly 63 metric tonnes last year alone. Please help us reduce our carbon footprint by considering whether you really need to print that page.”
If you have any really good ideas for helping the school become more sustainable, contact Paula Burr.
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The University of Sussex aims to be one of the most sustainable universities in the world. We will show global leadership in demonstrating and promoting all forms of environmental, social and economic sustainability at a local, regional, national and international level. Check out the sustainability web pages for more information about our sustainability strategy, policies, performance, research and how you can get involved in sustainability at Sussex.
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The University of Sussex has been presented with a Green Flag Award for 2021/22, marking the fifth time in a row its Falmer campus has won this award. Thanks to the hard work of our Sussex Estates and Facilities (SEF) Grounds team, the University has won this award every year since 2017 and continues to achieve high standards of care, balancing the unique ecology of our South Downs environment with providing an effective and well maintained campus space to work and study.
The University is blessed with an abundance of green space (including some that falls within national park boundaries) and an impressive list of global biodiversity experts. During summer 2021, the University published a draft biodiversity policy, ahead of consulting on our future goals in a Big Biodiversity Conversation in 2022. The draft policy contains nine key biodiversity principles that we will apply to our campus, including: planting native species of plants, creating water habitats and avoiding the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilisers where possible. By incorporating these nine biodiversity principles into our annual grounds management plan we can strive to produce an annual net gain in biodiversity each year. Sussex will achieve these net gains by setting an ambitious target of setting aside a certain percentage of the land on campus to nature. Read our Biodiversity Strategy & Draft Biodiversity Policy
