Green Impact News 2019

A round up of news from the Green Impact Team 2019.

PALS Vegetarian initiative

Jan 2019

PALS started a vegetarian food only initiative in 2019, and since then, much of UCL has adopted it. As a University, we are now providing over 95% vegetarian food for all hospitality events. What an achievement for the PALS Green Impact Team – well done! Find out more about our 100% Veggie initiative here.

UCL PALS are walking to the moon

UCL PALS are walking to the moon as a Green and Wellbeing initiative.

Find out more and get involved with the #PALSMoonWalk at www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/pals-moonwalk

PALS Green Impact Team does it again!

Congratulations to the UCL PALS Green Impact Team who picked up numerous awards at the 2019 UCL Green Sustainability Awards. We’re UCL’s greenest department for the 6th year in a row and John Draper won a Lifetime Achievement Award for all his amazing green impact work over the years.

UCL PALS Extinction Rebellion Talk

The UCL PALS Green Impact Team hosted an Extinction Rebellion talk "Heading for extinction & what to do about it" as part of #PALSGREEN19. Watch the talk, featuring Professor Kate Jeffery, here.

PALS Green Day 2019 was a great success!

On 14 March 2019, PALS Green Day took place with a jam-packed programme of events across our various PALS sites including the infamous green feet, seed-planting, sustainability talks, green-themed films, vegetarian food, vegan wine tasting... and loads more! Read more about PALS Green Day 2019 by clicking here.

UCL PALS Recycling Field Trip

UCL PALS Green Team members Sabine Topf and Paul Troop are looking at ways of reducing the quantity of waste produced by UCL and increasing the proportion that is recycled.

To find out more about how waste is treated by UCL, they conducted a research trip to the plant where UCL's waste is disposed of. They were given a tour of the plant and gained insight into the processes involved.

UCL waste that is not recycled or treated as food waste is sent by train to a plant in Bristol. There it is incinerated. Heat from the process is used to heat steam, which is fed through turbines to generate electricity. Ash that remains is used to make building blocks. None of the waste goes to landfill.

Find out more about the UCL PALS Recycling Field Trip by clicking here.

PALS introduces the Foodcam.

The #PALSGREEN19 Foodcam Initiative is a waste reduction project started by the PALS Green Impact Team that revolves around the simple principle that food is better in a stomach than in the bin. Find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/about-us/pals-green-awareness/news/green-impact-news-2019/foodcam

For several weeks, UCL PALS Student Sabine Topf and colleagues studied the contents of the mixed-recycling and non-recyclable bins in six locations at UCL, including 2 from PALS. Each evening they emptied the bins, categorised the contents and put them back in time to be collected as usual. Find out more about this #PALSGREEN19 project by clicking here: ucl.ac.uk/pals/about-us/pals-green-awareness/news/green-impact-news-2019/studying-contents-bins-ucl

The PALS Green Impact Team get stuck in.

The UCL PALS Green Impact Team have helped prepare vegetarian and vegan meal options in the UCL IOE canteen as part of one of the UCL PALS #PALSGREEN19 initiatives. Find out more here: ucl.ac.uk/pals/about-us/pals-green-awareness/news/green-impact-news-2019/helping-prepare-veggie-and-vegan-food