Famous women in sustainability – Women’s history month

By jackiesimpsonMar 06, 20230 Comments
Women’s history month is an opportunity to celebrate these iconic women who will go down in history for their contributions towards environmental science and climate change activism. The past decade has been notably one of the most significant turning points in climate change awareness history, with an increasing number of activists storming social media all with the aim to influence climate change awareness. We recognise key female individuals in the sustainability field, whether they are socially famous or are more centralised to a business, laboratory or workplace. They are all making a difference and should be celebrated for their work.…
Behaviour Change
Read More

Make your plate happy: reducing food waste at UoR

By jackiesimpsonMar 06, 20230 Comments
Introduction Our Bars & Dining team are devoted to enforcing sustainable efforts to boost our eco-system. We understand that tackling food waste is a challenge for many within the hospitality sector, but not for us. The University operates all Catering Services in-house, for the benefit of staff and students. We have already implemented processes to divert food waste across our main dining outlets across campus (i.e Park Eat, The Dairy, The Square, St Patrick’s and Wantage Dining Hall) so that we can eliminate our landfill waste to be used as regenerative fuel across campus and beyond. What we are doing…
Behaviour Change, Waste and Recycling
Read More

The 360 RUSU bus- a free and safe way to travel to and from the student’s union

By jackiesimpsonFeb 23, 20230 Comments
Calling all club goers of Reading university! You can still travel to and from 3-Sixty every Wednesday night by using the free 360 bus. Reading buses teamed up with RUSU in 2021, to supply students with a free bus service to and from the student housing area to 3- Sixty at RUSU during term time. This service provides a safer way to travel at night-time which is quicker, more convenient and sustainable. Due to the great success of the 360-bus, students are still able to use this service weekly. As someone who has used the service in the past, I…
Travel and Transport
Read More

Fairtrade Fortnight: why fairtrade is important and what you can do

By jackiesimpsonFeb 20, 20230 Comments
Fairtrade Fortnight runs from February 27th- 12th March this year and is an annual campaign created by the Fairtrade Foundation to spread awareness surrounding Fairtrade products. When you purchase Fairtrade products, you are in turn helping to support communities abroad, providing ethical working standards and a better quality of living for those who farm and produce the goods. This year’s focus: The climate crisis The most common and favourite fairtrade products available are: bananas, cocoa and coffee. These are grown in tropical areas, which means that your morning coffee has travelled a long way. Bananas are the world’s most popular…
Behaviour Change, Fairtrade
Read More

Love your community and environment

By jackiesimpsonFeb 09, 20230 Comments
When it comes to February, there is no doubt that love is truly in the air, and with the upcoming arrival of Valentine’s Day we should celebrate and share our love for the earth. Valentine’s day is a popular, annual celebration in which we may gift our loved ones to show our affection for each other, however each year Valentine’s day contributes a surplus of 9 millions kilograms of CO2 into the atmosphere as well as a sizeable amount of waste. Around 40 million people in the UK celebrate Valentine’s Day each year, and spend around £1.3 billion pounds on…
Behaviour Change
Read More

Food Waste at the University of Reading

By jackiesimpsonJan 30, 20230 Comments
Here at the University of Reading, we understand that dealing correctly with unwanted food is an essential aspect of our waste management strategy to minimise the amount generated and sent to landfill. The University operates all Catering Services in-house, for the benefit of staff and students. Already, the University has processes in place to divert food waste from our main dining locations on campus (such as Park Eat, The Dairy and The Square) away from landfill and into energy generation. Current action to tackle food waste at the University The University’s catering team is committed to reducing food waste by…
Waste and Recycling
Read More

FREE Park and Ride service for staff and students from Mereoak (Junction 11 of the M4)

By jackiesimpsonJan 11, 20230 Comments
Do you want to beat the traffic getting to University, save money and reduce air pollution? A new FREE Park and Ride service has been launched from Mereoak (Junction 11 of the M4, RG7 1WJ). We have partnered with Reading Buses and the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust to deliver this exciting new sustainable travel option for our staff and students – who can now use the existing NHS H3 service from Mereoak. It runs from 06:25 to 18:55 Monday to Friday from junction 11 of the M4, with buses every 20 minutes at peak times.  Travel survey results show interest…
Travel and Transport
Read More

How to have a more sustainable Christmas

By jackiesimpsonDec 16, 20220 Comments
The festive break is fast approaching and Sustainability Services wanted to share with you some top tips about how to have a more sustainable Christmas. Many of these tips will also save you money! Presents Think about quality over quantity – every year Christmas does generate many unwanted gifts. If you’re still wondering what to get for someone, why not think about an experience like a night out at the theatre, adopting their favourite animal, buying a subscription to a vegetable box or consider a charity membership such as the National Trust. If you do have unwanted gifts, consider donating…
Behaviour Change, Waste and Recycling
Read More

Celebrating sustainability – Green Festival 2022

By jackiesimpsonDec 05, 20220 Comments
Green Festival is the University of Reading’s annual sustainability celebration, where we come together to promote, educate and celebrate sustainable actions amongst our local community, staff and students. This year a range of different events were held from 1 to 11 November, with something for everyone. Sustainability is a key strategic priority for the University and an estimated 500 attendees participated in the festival –clearly demonstrating that sustainability is important to each and every one of us. Highlights this year included: The ‘Play your emissions right’ game from Reading Buses was an effective and popular way of showing staff and…
Awards and Achievements, Behaviour Change, Energy and Water
Read More

PODCAST – ‘How to be more sustainable and save money’

By jackiesimpsonNov 16, 20220 Comments
As part of our Green Festival 2022 celebrations we recorded our first very own sustainability podcast which is full of helpful tips on ways you can be more sustainable, saving money in the process. Jackie Simpson, from Sustainability Services, and the University's Director of Energy and Sustainability, Dan Fernbank, discuss simple actions to reduce waste, carbon emissions and be more sustainable at home and at University. Some highlights include: Switch all devices off as even things left on standby draw power. Buy less things, question your purchase decisions and buy second hand wherever possible. Run washing machines and dishwashers on…
Behaviour Change, Energy and Water
Read More