Helping our hedgehogs in Reading

By jackiesimpsonJun 26, 20230 Comments
The UoR Hedgehog Society was launched in March 2023 at the Student Sustainability Summit. The society is led by an enthusiastic team of students, supported by staff from a range of roles but all have the goal of helping our spiky friends to thrive on University of Reading land. The number of hedgehogs in the UK has fallen dramatically since the 1950’s with some estimating there are just under 900,000 currently left. Urban populations of hedgehogs are showing potential signs of stabilisation, so organisations like the UoR Hedgehog society can make a real difference. Nilo Mason (undergraduate zoology student), one…
Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure
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CEDAR Farm Refrigeration Upgrades

By jackiesimpsonJun 12, 20230 Comments
Back in 2020, the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme grants, delivered by Salix and funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for energy saving projects that were carried out over the period of 2021-22. Since then, we have successfully used the grant to carry out multiple projects across our university campuses that have reduced our environmental impact. The University has a mission to become carbon net zero by 2050, and so projects such as this one is an important step for us. One of our successful projects is the CEDAR farm refrigerator replacement. CEDAR farm is the Centre…
Energy and Water
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Reading places 1-2-3 in Europe for work towards UN Sustainable Development Goals

By jackiesimpsonJun 12, 20230 Comments
University of Reading has been ranked as the best university in the UK and Europe for championing responsible consumption and production in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2023. It has also been ranked second in the UK and Europe for climate action and third for research and education linked to protecting life on land. Compiled by THE, these rankings map how universities around the world are committing to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are a global call to action to tackle some of today’s biggest global issues, such as poverty, climate change and inequality.…
Awards and Achievements, Waste and Recycling
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Bee extinction: more than meets the hive.

By jackiesimpsonMay 18, 20230 Comments
Bees and other plant pollinating species are reducing in number due to the detrimental effects of climate change. So, what’s all the buzz about? Bees are more important than initially thought, while you may think that dropping bee numbers is minor in comparison to other effects of climate change, 90% of the world’s flowering plants depend on pollination. Bees are just one type of pollinator that support the reproduction and survival of plants, but they are fundamentally important to the future of biodiversity, forest regeneration and food diversity. World bee day takes place this month on the 20th of May,…
Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure
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Re-use and our local community

By jackiesimpsonMay 11, 20230 Comments
The re-use of resources is really important to the University of Reading, from both a financial and environmental perspective. The University of Reading has adopted a Re-Use policy which embeds the importance of seeking “to promote re-use of items that are still fit for purpose and in good condition”..”as a preferred alternative to disposal/recycling and as an environmentally friendly alternative to buying new”. The policy sets out a re-use hierarchy which gives internal re-use within the University the priority, then re-use within the local community, which is then followed by re-use by staff or students for personal use. Surplus furniture…
Waste and Recycling
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Fast fashion: A quick way to drive climate change

By jackiesimpsonApr 20, 20230 Comments
Going out shopping or purchasing new clothes online for your next holiday or party may seem like an enjoyable past time for many, from which the action of buying something new is exciting. Most will overlook any wider impact and be either unaware or uneducated surrounding the implications of fast fashion. Making high turnaround fashion lines at a cheap cost, accounts for 8-10% of global emissions, 92 million tonnes of waste, and a staggering amount of water and pollutants each year. The UK is the world’s leading fast fashion consuming country, with the average Briton spending almost 1k on the…
Energy and Water, Waste and Recycling
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Be a good egg – switch off for Easter!

By jackiesimpsonMar 27, 20230 Comments
Easter is fast approaching, spring is in the air and the Easter closure period is upon us! We never like to miss a good opportunity to be more sustainable and ask colleagues to join us by being a good egg and switching off for Easter. By switching off lights, computers and unused/non-critical appliances over the closure period, we can all take small steps to save energy which will directly equate to carbon savings and cost savings – good for the environment, good for people and good for the University! Check out our cheat sheet which outlines the kinds of things…
Behaviour Change
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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
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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
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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
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