Sustainability Week is a chance to engage in sustainability initiatives across campus and learn more about what’s going on at the university and in the wider community. During this annual week, there are events for raising awareness for sustainability, bringing eco-friendly communities together and presenting Queen Mary's progress. Below are the highlights!
This year, Sustainability Week took place on the 13th November to the 17th of November, with fifteen fun and sustainable events to get involved in. Events were organised by Queen Mary students and staff, ranging from volunteering to workshops and from socials to seminars. All events were open to students, staff and the general public.
We hosted two allotments sessions where students worked in the gardens, digging out the summer plants and turning over the beds, and a Big Green Canal Clean to fish litter out of the canal using nets and litter pickers, finishing with complementary hot chocolate. Allotment Sessions and Canal Cleans run throughout the year, so if you'd like to get involved students can sign up on the QMSU Volunteering Page and staff can email sustainability@qmul.ac.uk.
The online launch of the Sustainable Climate Action Network (SCAN) happened over Sustainability Week, where we introduced a channel for students and staff to collaborate with sustainability projects, ideas and events. You can sign up to get involved with SCAN via this form.
Our student societies ran their own sustainable events: Knit & Knatter repurposed old plastic bags by turning them into yarn to create reusable bags and Sustain@BL had a movie screening of 'Living the Change'.
The Wardrobe Re-Fresh Fair gave donated clothes a new life and students a new wardrobe, saving money and the clothes from going to landfill. There were hundreds of clothing items to choose from, including a hat made from an Ikea bag!
The workshop How to Give Your Course a Sustainability Power-Up and the launch of Action for Sustainability in the Curriculum introduced integrating sustainability into the curriculum and displayed initiatives run by staff and students. To learn more about this and get involved you can contact stephanie.fuller@qmul.ac.uk.
Eco Medics gave a workshop, Creating Impactful Change in the NHS, inspiring students with how they can improve sustainability in the medical profession. The Skills Award also had a workshop on Sustainable Careers where students learnt what skills green employers are looking for.
Keep an eye out for Climate Action Week in February 2024, where there will be events just like this and more! Email sustainability@qmul.ac.uk for any enquiries.