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
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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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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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Sustainability Events

Sustainability Services at University of Reading hold a number of events throughout the year to engage with our community to promote, educate and celebrate sustainable actions
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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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Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Smile with Sustainability Held on the second Wednesday of each month, during semester time. It's your opportunity to: engage with our team, find out more about what we're working on, give feedback and provide new ideas. Next events: 12 February 11:00-13:30 Library foyer - learn more about resource use at the University and take our recycling challenge! 12 February 12:00-14:00 Second hand bike sale in Palmer Quad  Future events: 12 March 12:00-14:00, Library Foyer and Palmer Quad - Join us for our Spring Sustainable Travel day! 14 May 11:00-13:30, Library foyer - learn more about biodiversity on campus
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A new LEAF in laboratory sustainability at the university

By rhidiandaviesJun 29, 20220 Comments
A new LEAF in laboratory sustainability at the university The University of Reading provides invaluable teaching and research through our on-campus laboratories. The nature of laboratory work is very carbon-intensive and, as a result, the universities’ science-based buildings represent 25% of total energy consumption and produce 20% of total day-to-day waste (by weight) . In order to support all relevant departments with creating a more sustainable laboratory culture, we are now participating in the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF). LEAF is an online assessment tool to aid improvements in the sustainability and efficiency of both research and teaching laboratories and is already…
Awards and Achievements, Behaviour Change, Energy and Water, Waste and Recycling
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Key Staff and Committees

The University has a dedicated team to manage sustainability across our campus. In addition, a number of groups, committees and senior management staff have sustainability responsibilities as detailed below (hover over the staff pictures for information on their experience and responsibilities). Progress against our sustainability objectives/strategy is reported to the Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC), and to the University Executive Board (via ESC), through our annual Environmental Sustainability Report. Sustainability Staff Sustainability Groups and Committees Campus Operations Programme Board (COPB) This group is responsible for reviewing the Environment & Energy Management System (EEMS) and supporting the implementation of the system to…
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