SRS Green Champions Update - April 2021

Hi all, with the 2021 UCL Sustainability Awards approaching again this summer, we thought it best to check in with everyone to provide an update on your friendly neighbourhood SRS Green Champions team as well as some green info and a chance to show off your horticultural skills!

For those who don’t know us, the team is currently as follows: Alice Williams (SSW), Adam Vidler (SSW), Jo Ward (Access), Rachel Euba (Student Psychological Services), and Saam Das (Admissions). Sadly, both Adam and Jo will be moving onto different roles in the near future but we’re very grateful for all the hard work that they’ve done with Green Impact, including our Gold Award at the 2020 Sustainability Awards. All the best for the future, Adam and Jo!

SRS Sustainability Virtual Drop-In Session

For anyone potentially interested in joining the SRS Green Champions team or for those who would prefer to feedback any ideas/suggestions on an ad-hoc basis, we intend to run termly SRS Sustainability drop-in sessions. While we remain in the midst of the pandemic, the upcoming one will take place virtually and will be led by Saam. Please pop in if you have anything you’d like to share!

Meeting Invite Link – Monday 10^th May 2021, drop-in anytime between 12.30-1pm (please contact Saam on saam.das@ucl.ac.uk or directly on Teams if you are having any issues with the invite)

Top Tips For Being More Energy Efficient On Campus And At Home

Before we dive into our top tips, UCL revamped its e-learning module on Sustainability a few months ago, which details UCL’s sustainability work and how you can help. If you haven’t completed it recently as part of your induction, please do check out the module for more green tips.

1. If you aren’t already, please remember to blur your backgrounds or use a stock image background when using video calls on Teams/Zoom as this helps reduce bandwidth (and therefore energy) use
2. If you’ve been asked to come to the UCL campus to work, have you considered cycling or walking at least some of your route?
3. At home, have you considered changing your energy supplier? Do-Nation has some details on switching to a greener supplier, as well as a whole host of other green tips that you can pledge to complete!
4. Both on campus and at home, please make use of recycling facilities but also try to be aware of what is able to be recycled and what isn’t. Even toner cartridges can be recycled via collection points dotted across SRS buildings! If in doubt, use the usual rubbish bin instead. For anyone looking to get rid of larger items or indeed looking for new equipment, don’t forget about UCL’s in-house Warp-It system!
5. Try to avoid use of single-use plastics, especially for bottled water – consider investing in a re-usable container (e.g. Chilly’s, Bobble) and make use of kitchen taps and water fountains on campus.

A reminder also for anyone working on campus that you should adhere to UCL’s Heating and Cooling Policy.

Wellbeing + Biodiversity – show off your “green fingers”!

SRS not only has a team of Green Champions but we also have a series of Wellbeing Champions! Wellbeing often ties in nicely with green themes, and in collaborating with our colleagues such as Ameena Qureshi in the Student Enquiries Centre, we’ve identified biodiversity as one such example.

Biodiversity might sound a bit complex at first glance but can be as simple as growing your own food at home – herbs are a great place to start, and you often just need a windowsill!
If you’re already part-way to being a farmer with your own fruit and veg plot, then perhaps it’s time to give composting a go.

If you’re lacking in green space at home or nearby, you might be interested in visiting or teaming up with the IoE gardens members!

Not only is growing/gardening an effective stress-reducer, Ameena also encourages sharing your plant journeys with your team. We’d like to go one step further - whether you have a veritable botanical garden or simply a small herb plant, please take a photo (selfies welcome!) and send to Saam at saam.das@ucl.ac.uk for a future newsletter piece.