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
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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
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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
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Helping staff to travel sustainably at UoR

By jackiesimpsonOct 17, 20220 Comments
The carbon hierarchy, as above, shows travel methods in order of sustainability – it is a helpful tool to consider the impact of travel decisions and supports the consideration of suitable alternatives. For further information and offers, please visit our sustainable travel pages. The 2022 travel survey revealed that only 57% of our staff travelled sustainably – this blog highlights all the alternative modes and offers to help you cut emissions and potentially save money by travelling by other means than driving single occupancy vehicles. Keep reading to find out how to beat the traffic with our new FREE Park…
Energy and Water
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Sustainable travel target achieved!

By jackiesimpsonOct 10, 20220 Comments
The results are in from the University’s 2022 travel survey and we are proud to announce that we have achieved our Travel Plan target for 87% of all travel to be sustainable by 2022. Key findings 51% of students and staff travel by sustainable means to and from the University (with sustainable travel defined as anything other than single occupancy vehicle travel). 70% of our students travel to University locations by foot, which has risen by 10% since the last survey was conducted in 2020. The amount of students using public transport has remained static but the number of student…
Travel and Transport
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How students can travel sustainably in Reading

By jackiesimpsonOct 10, 20220 Comments
Welcome to all new students that have joined our community at University of Reading. If you are wondering what the most sustainable way to get round your new home is, then this blog is for you! The carbon hierarchy, as above, shows travel methods in order of sustainability – it is a helpful tool to consider the impact of travel decisions and supports the consideration of suitable alternatives. For further information and offers, please visit our sustainable travel pages. Walking The University has beautiful campuses’ and each one is easy to navigate via foot. Our walking webpage shows how to…
Travel and Transport
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Welcome to Doing #UoR Bit for students!

By jackiesimpsonSep 22, 20220 Comments
Sustainability Services are proud to announce the launch of our new sustainable action platform for students, Doing #UoR Bit. This has been made possible by the generosity of donors to the University of Reading IMAGINE campaign and amazing support from RUSU to the prize fund. Earn prizes for being sustainable As part of our goal to become a world-leading institution for sustainability, the University of Reading is rewarding its students for making sustainable choices at home and at the university. Doing #UoRBit is an app and online platform where you can record your sustainable actions – like travelling sustainably, reporting…
Behaviour Change
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New lift share tool has now been launched

By jackiesimpsonSep 05, 20220 Comments
We’re pleased to announce that we have launched an exciting new lift share tool. This forms part of the Doing #UoRBit platform, allowing you to earn Green Points simply by lift sharing. Every month there is the chance to win a £20 voucher for those users who have earned the most Green Points! The lift share tool allows you to connect with other Doing #UoRBit users who would like to share their commute – whether it be by car, public transport, cycling or walking. The tool is easy to use – you can add a new route to share the…
Travel and Transport
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Every drop matters!

By jackiesimpsonAug 10, 20220 Comments
Climate change’s affects on weather patterns means that water scarcity is becoming a reality in some parts of the world and the UK will not escape these impacts. Adaptation to these impacts will see the need to reduce consumption and careful water management will become vital in the coming years. The University is committed to managing our water use effectively to ensure that we protect this limited and increasingly precious resource. In July 2021 the University achieved significant reductions against all of its 5 year targets which were set in the 2016-21 Carbon and Water Management Plan. For non-residential properties…
Behaviour Change, Energy and Water
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Take a self guided walking tour to explore our Whiteknights Campus

By jackiesimpsonMar 23, 20220 Comments
Our main University campus at Whiteknights is set in 50 hectares of parkland with a diverse mix of habitats, with over 2076 recorded species present. This includes 600 plants, 125 birds, 22 mammals and almost 1000 species of insect. Our campus has been awarded Green Flag status for 11 consecutive years – this recognises the efforts of our Grounds Maintenance team in maintaining such a lovely diverse space. We have also been awarded the bronze accreditation for having a hedgehog friendly campus and are working towards the silver level, which demonstrates our commitment to helping to protect this ever-popular mammal.…
Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure
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