In part 2, Holly shares what sustainable principles look like in action for student groups. Each section offers starter and advanced suggestions, providing you with multiple options to consider within your own project. In turn, each of the following will be addressed:
2. Kit & Uniform
3. Equipment
4. Charity
5. Other
Events
Starter
- BYOB – bring your own [bottle, mug, cutlery, bag], a basic but essential way to reduce waste produced by student groups. It applies to meetings socials or training sessions – encourage your group to bring their own. The pandemic may have solved this for a lot of you but still encourage this behaviour in your online events to continue that message.
- Go Local – choose small independent cafés, bars or restaurants to host your events in. Large chain corporations didn’t need your money before and since COVID, small businesses have needed your support more than ever!
Advanced
- Catering – think ahead and get a small business or student enterprise to cater your food or drinks. This can be a local brewery or just someone who likes to bake in their spare time.
- Host a plastic-free event (and shout about it) – intentionally host an event that is plastic-free and tell people about your goals and achievements.
- Plan – include a section in your event plans for sustainability just like you would with accessibility and inclusion. Try to hit different sustainability points each event.
Kit and Uniform
Starter
- Swap shop – arrange a second hand sale or swap. Every year students graduate, try new societies, or simply change body shape. If events aren’t practical (or allowed), create a bank for spare kit that students can tap into.
- New uniform – when choosing a society t-shirt or new sports kit, go for neutral colours so that people can wear the clothes outside of the student group or after they graduate.
Advanced
- New logo – support a student enterprise or local crafter by getting your logos embroidered or printed onto t-shirts you already own or have sourced from charity shops.
- Companies – if you must buy new or have had sponsorship for new kit, go for a reputable company that uses recycled materials and transparent work ethics behind their clothes.
Equipment
Starter
- Second-hand – source things second-hand for cheap or free via Freecycle, Olio, Facebook groups or other student forums. People pass on things all of the time, it’s just a matter of asking!
- Furniture reclamation – utilise the furniture reclamation store at UoM, it’s all free to University buildings so can help with storage or furnishing your student space.
- Ask the SU!! – the SU has a lot of equipment and furniture in storage and would be more than happy to help you, especially for events. A group might have hosted something similar in the past so there would be no need to get new equipment.
Advanced
- Handmade – make or build things yourself, or get a student doing a relevant degree to help you out!
- Local trade – commission a local trade to provide the goods you need. I cannot overstate how much buying local and contributing to the local economy is beneficial for the environment.
Charity
Starter
- Choice – donate to charities of your choice (environmental or other) that have a good environmental policy
- Items – donate left-over items, food from events, or just the year in general, to charity shops, refuges, shelters or through Facebook groups and Olio. Rehoming physical items can make just as much impact.
- Donate – donate directly to an environmental or conservation charity.
Advanced
- Pledge – sign up to 1% for the planet or other similar pledges. This is a way for all groups, companies, businesses big or small to make a contribution to verified, checked and legitimate environmental non-profits.
- Write – write a letter to your charity of choice asking them to consider a specific environmental practice related to their research/function that they don’t do yet. Show that environmental sustainability is important to you (and should be to them) regardless of the core focus of the charity.
Other
What do you think? Are there examples of other scenarios in student groups that could be addressed? Every student group is different; what is accessible and achievable for one will be totally different for another.
Don’t try to fix climate change with an event based on ice-breakers for freshers or new members - that’s not what we’re aiming for here. Environmental sustainability should be embedded into your way of life, habitual activities to promote a healthier, more environmentally conscious lifestyle. The focus of this session is more on doing all the things that you normally do in your student society/project, but doing it with minimal environmental impact.
As Refreshers and Volunteering Week creeps closer, we hope that this two part blog series has given you practical advice backed with thorough understanding of the principles of environmental sustainability. What changes will you make this year? If you have a unique scenario and want to seek advice, always feel free to comment here or get in touch via Facebook or Instagram!
Author: Holly
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