Students Green Unit. Annual report 2016/17

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1 Students Green Unit Annual report 2016/17

2 Students Green Unit 2016/17 The Students Green Unit is a ground-breaking programme offered by the University of Exeter Students Guild, empowering students to act on sustainability issues within the university or wider community. Project ideas come directly from students who are invited to become project leaders. Students Green Unit (SGU) staff offer training in sustainability and project management, and support in project development to get the process off the ground. The SGU also offer a small grant to projects, through a panel consisting of the DVP Sustainability, the Guild Sustainability Council and a range of professional advisors. In this, its fourth year, the Students Green Unit has achieved an amazing amount of work, which is testament to the time and effort student leaders have put into their projects. From selling organic veg boxes, lobbying to university for ethical investment policies to persuading our coffee loving community to ditch their paper cups, projects are making a real impact on university life. Not only that but project leaders are gaining invaluable skills which will give them a head start in their working life post-uni. The SGU in numbers: 2 student staff 11 student-led projects 48 student project leaders 2000kg of local organic veg sold by the SGU veg bag scheme 3500 students & staff engaged in an SGU project 1million- amount agreed by the university to divest from unethical investments

3 Students Green Unit: a year in the life November 2016 Project leader training September 2016 Freshers Fair stall & student engagement December 2016 Fairtrade Christmas Fayre January 2017 Refreshers Fair November 2016 Pledge4Plastic recycling awareness event Jan-March 2017 Carbon Footprint Challenge Feb- March 2017 Fairtrade Fortnight February 2017 Vegshare launch March 2017 Go Green Week May 2017 Recycling report presented to uni management May-June 2017 Yes We Can foodbank collection May 2017 End of year event June 2017 Annual programme evaluation

4 Student project leader feedback The SGU end of year survey revealed that the programme had clear benefits to student project leaders, in terms of skills needed for future employment- overall, 87.5% of project leaders felt that involvement in an SGU project has benefitted their future career prospects. Specifically, several key skills were identified as being improved through involvement in the SGU programme: 75% felt project management skill improved 87.5% felt their teamworking skills had greatly improved 62.5% felt their leadership skills had greatly improved 100% felt their understanding of sustainability issues had improved or improved greatly 52% felt communication skills had improved

5 Student project leader feedback [The SGU] has given me skills in project management that I think will be attractive to employers. It has also given me the confidence to aim for jobs that are a bit more challenging rather than going for a graduate internship Have gained a great experience, got good clarity on career direction now as well as specific knowledge about a certain sector where I could potentially explore work and business opportunities now [The SGU has] helped me discover what I enjoy doing, increased my confidence and sense of agency, and helped me be better at communication and organisation as a result The SGU has helped me with my career direction, as well as learning confidence, responsibility and positivity I think the SGU offers a great extra-curricula way of gaining the skills and confidence need to get me the job I want, whilst making a real impact on sustainability at our university! Considering the global social and environmental challenges our generation faces, the work of the SGU in generating positive behaviour change cannot be understated. The unit needs to be expanded, its' capacity and impact greatly enhanced. The SGU has given our project fantastic support, which honestly couldn t be beaten. This allowed our project to grow from strength to strength The best thing about the SGU is learning more about sustainability, and gaining the skills to run our own sustainability projects. It was amazing to see the success of our project first hand! I have really enjoyed working with lots of different students, staff and external bodies to complete research for our project, which we presented to the university. It gave us all really good experience of collecting and presenting evidence in a real scenario

6 Exeter VegShare Project at a Glance Student project leaders: 8 Funding: 1000 grant from NUS Student Eats Aim: to provide local, organic & affordable vegetables to the Streatham campus community Outcome: Almost 2 tonnes of vegetables have been sold to around 200 customers since March 2017 Exeter VegShare was launched in March 2017 after a group of students, supported by the SGU, secured a NUS Student Eats start-up grant. The group quickly made ties with Shillingford Organics, a vegetable farm 5 miles away from the Streatham Campus, who now supply the project with their own produce on a weekly basis. A key objective of the scheme was that good vegetables should be available on a student budget, with the business being a not-for-profit social enterprise. Thanks to the Guilds generous offer of space and admin support we have few overheads. This allows project leaders to practice enterprise management in a risk-free environment. The project now sells between bags a week, and are looking to expand to St Lukes campus, as well as supporting students at Penrhyn to set up a similar scheme. In June 2017, the project won the Guild Award Best student-led project of the year, which is testament to all the hard work the project leaders have dedicated to making VegShare happen! Key learnings and next steps Support transition to new group of student project leaders in the 2017/18 academic year Continue to support development of similar schemes in St Luke s and Penrhyn Campuses Support the team to develop the Guilds first brand of beer, made from waste bread, for which the project has received start-up funding from the NUS Student Eats project

7 Go Green Week 2017 Go Green Week is an annual event, which is held in universities across the country. With support from the SGU, the Guild s Sustainability Council organised a vibrant event this year, held in March A key to this year s success was inviting societies to host events throughout the week. The Model UN Society held a well-attended debate on wildlife trafficking, VegSoc hosted a popular Vegan Wine and Cheese event, whilst the led Give up Your Paper Cup campaign highlighted the issue of disposable coffee cups through stalls in the Forum. University departments also contributed to the week, including Dr Bike sessions hosted by the sustainability team, and a tour of Streatham s waterways led by Karen Gallagher, university environmental advisor Key learnings and next steps: Inviting contributions from societies, student groups and the university is key to engaging large amounts of people. Project at a Glance Student project leaders: 6 Funding: 500 SGU funding Aim: to raise awareness of environmental issues, and promote sustainable solutions to global challenges Outcome: 560 students engaged in a range of events from stalls, workshops and debates Investigating how to offer the same event to students at St Luke s could be an important next step. Be the Change: How to be a sustainable student As part of Go Green Week, Be the Change Society hosted a successful panel discussion on how students can incorporate sustainable actions into their own lives. Featuring Professor Stewart Barr (Geography) and Dr Dan Bebber (Biosciences), topics included food waste, sustainable transport and implementing behaviour change strategies. The event was attended by around 100 students, and was supported both financially and logistically by the SGU.

8 Waste and recycling projects Paper recycling report: Student project leaders: 6 Aim: to address concerns around paper recycling arisen through the Guild s Student Idea process. Outcome: university paper recycling provision was investigated, with recommendations presented to facilities management The paper recycling report was a project facilitated by the Guild s Sustainability Council, in response to numerous concerns raised through the Student Ideas process. Students from the university Green Consultant programme were commissioned to undertake research on paper recycling facilities and student attitudes to paper recycling. The report found a lack of user understanding around Shred-It recycling bins, a lack of signage in St Luke s and a very limited provision in university ran halls. These finding were presented to facilities management, who have promised to improve signage and communication. The Give up Your Paper Cup campaign was initiated by a group of 2 nd year geography students concerned about the non-recyclability of the 700,000+ paper coffee cups used on Streatham Campus every year Through stalls and a prominent social media presence, the team gathered 400 signatures on a petition calling for the university to sign up to a coffee cup recycling scheme. Facilities management have agreed to investigate this proposal. The team is also working with university catering managers to implement a campus-wide tax on disposable cups. Give up Your Paper Cup Student project leaders: 15 Funding: 50 SGU funds Aim: to raise awareness of disposable cup waste, and lobby the university to recycle such waste Outcome: 400 signatures on petition, university agreed to investigate cup recycling scheme Key learnings and next steps It s always good to gather as much evidence as possible when asking the university for change An important next step is to ensure the university is taking action on the points agreed, and that this is communicated with both students and staff.

9 Ethical Exeter Ethical Exeter is a student-led campaign, calling for the university to move its 30 million endowment from unethical investments such as the arms, tobacco, gambling, and fossil fuel industries. This year, the campaign gathered around 400 signatures from students and staff, to encourage the university to take positive action on the issue. Subsequently, the university agreed to move 1m of its endowment from unethical industries as part of a pilot project in March This project also includes a student group from Penrhyn, and is part of a nationwide divestment campaign ran by Fossil Free UK Next steps Develop a new student-led coordination team at Exeter-based campuses. Continue to communicate with Penrhyn group about the campaign Liaise with university finance department to ensure pledged divestment plans are carried out Carbon Footprint Challenge The Carbon Footprint Challenge was designed by a third year student, who wanted people to become more aware of the carbon impact of their lifestyle, and challenge them to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. During a series of stalls at Streatham campus in January 2017, students and staff were asked to complete the WWF carbon footprint calculator to calculate initial carbon impact. Participants were given tips to decrease lifestyle emissions, and were retested in March 2017 to see if their carbon footprint had decreased. Overall, 20 people took part in the challenge, with the winner receiving a dinner for two at Herbies vegetarian restaurant in Exeter. Key learnings Overall the challenge was very effective at engaging new audiences. However, to further increase challenge participation plan further in advance and make better use of social media.

10 Yes We Can In its fourth year, this project collects unwanted food from residential halls at the end of the academic year, and delivers it to Exeter FoodBank. This year, the project worked with Point Exe and Printworks halls within Exeter to collect around 200kg of useable food. These halls are home to over 600 students, and the scheme has been well received in residences. Key learnings and next steps Student project leaders: 1 Funding: 20 SGU fund Aim: to divert unwanted food to those experiencing food poverty, raising awareness of food waste Outcome: Around 200kg of useable food was collected from 600 students and delivered to Exeter FoodBank Food needs sorting before delivery to foodbank, with around 33% of donated goods being unsuitable. Better communication to hall staff may improve this. New set of project leaders needed in 2017/18, especially those who can drive the Guild van. Liaising with ESV may be a good solution. Fairtrade University The Exeter University Fairtrade steering group is made up of student and staff representatives, to ensure the procurement of Fairtrade produce in university outlets. This year, 3 students sat on the group, one of whom will go on to chair the committee in 2017/ saw the renewal of the university s Fairtrade Foundation accreditation, meaning we now sell a good amount of Fairtrade produce. The group also held two successful events to raise awareness of Fairtrade produce- a Christmas Fayre complete with Fairtrade mulled wine, and a Fairtrade coffee morning in March 2017, attended by a VIP- a cocoa farmer from Ghana! Key learnings and next steps Improve communication to consumers about Fairtrade accreditation, both through signage and online/ social media presence Ensure there is a good balance of university staff and students on Fairtrade steering group

11 Recycling video Student project leaders: 2 The recycling video project is a joint initiative between the SGU in the Guild, and students from the University Community Liaison team, who are match funding the venture. The video will address issues surrounding waste and recycling for students living in privately rented housing in Exeter City, providing a comprehensive how-to guide. The video will be disseminated to students and landlords ready for the new academic year in September 2017, and will always be available on the University of Exeter website. Funding: 300 SGU project fund Aim: to increasing understanding of recycling procedures among students in private houses Outcome: A short informational film is under-production, to be disseminated in September 2017 Pledge4plastics event In February 2017 the SGU was joined by Recoup, a charity raising awareness of plastic recycling. Our mission was to get the students of the University of Exeter to promise to recycle their plastic waste through the pledge4plastics competition. # By visiting our stall in the Ram Foyer, around 150 students signed the online petition, pledging to recycle plastic in their everyday lives, with one lucky person winning a Fjall Raven bag made of recycled materials. The Sports Park also got involved in the fun, with a keepy-uppy competition with plastic bottles instead of a ball! The Exeter record was set at 20 keepy-uppy sabit trickier than a normal football!

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