Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Key events throughout the year: Green Festival -  Join together to learn more and celebrate all things sustainability! This year the festival will be held on 11-13 November 2025 and have a bumper schedule, which really does include something for everyone! All events are free and hosted across Whiteknights and London Road. Smile with Sustainability - Held on one 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. Dr Bike - We have regular Dr Bike sessions every Wednesday in…
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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 Governance
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Reducing food waste at the University of Reading

By jackiesimpsonMar 09, 20220 Comments
The University of Reading puts sustainability at the heart of everything we do, it is a cornerstone of our strategic vision. A key part of sustainability is to reduce the amount of waste generated across all streams and our commitment to reducing food waste is led by our Hospitality and Catering Teams. The University has adopted the Sustainable Food Policy And Framework, which outlines all the actions that have been completed in this area and those in progress. This policy includes many areas which are relevant to reducing food waste and those which are most relevant are highlighted below: •…
Behaviour Change, Waste and Recycling
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Earth Day 2021

By naomiwadsworthApr 22, 20210 Comments
The publication of Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” in 1962 marked a watershed moment in our planet’s history, raising public awareness and concern for our environment, our wildlife and the links between pollution and human health. The emerging shift in public consciousness and societal values was provided a voice during the first Earth Day in 1970. Since its inception, Earth Day has marked important environmental events, including the signing of the 2015 Paris Agreement. This year the theme for Earth Day is ‘Restore our Earth’ bringing focus to climate change mitigation and actions we can take to restore our planet’s ecosystems.…
Behaviour Change, Policy
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Sustainability spotlight: Giki

By lukecantellowNov 11, 20200 Comments
Sustainability has become a familiar term to most people in the 21st century, however, people have been debating about sustainability and the environment decades ago. Knowing this, and seeing increased climate activism from figures such as David Attenborough, Leonardo Di Caprio, and Greta Thunberg, we might be looking for advice on how to make more sustainable choices on an individual level. This blog post will provide the down-low on a social enterprise designed for individuals like staff and students of Reading; Giki. Who is Giki? Giki stands for Get Informed Know your Impact and was set up for one simple…
Behaviour Change
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Embedding sustainability within your department

By naomiwadsworthFeb 28, 20200 Comments
Here at Sustainability Services, we’re always keen to work with Schools and Functions to embed sustainability across the University. We were delighted to receive an email from a colleague in Computer Science who updated us on the great work their department has been undertaking. During the past three years, Computer Science has refurbished the majority of the academic rooms, labs and student common rooms with reclaimed furniture advertised on our Warp-it platform. Warp-it is an online portal for members of staff to offer items they no longer need for other Schools and Functions to claim and reuse. You can sign…
Behaviour Change, Waste and Recycling
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Sustainable university living

By danfernbankSep 19, 20190 Comments
I’ve escaped from my desk to come and sit in Park Eat café/bar to write this article. Immediately I arrive, I’m confronted with an environmental dilemma. I’ve brought my Sustain It mug (of course!) for a cup of tea, but realise I can’t get any milk out of the machine because my cup isn’t chipped. The catering staff offer to put some milk in a paper cup. I insist I don’t want a paper cup and they insist it’s no bother. How should I respond? Back down politely and take the cup, or stick to my green guns and insist…
Behaviour Change, Energy and Water, Travel and Transport, Waste and Recycling, , ,
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Climate Strike

Climate Strike The 30-minute walkout on the 20th of September at 10am is in solidarity with school strikers around the world, whose Friday strikes have pushed climate action to the forefront of global attention. The pledge button will only go live at 10am for the Climate Strike it has now been deactivated Down tools in support of climate strikes The University is supporting a half hour strike by colleagues in support of climate action on Friday, 20 September at 10am for 30 minutes. The 30-minute walkout is in solidarity with school strikers around the world, whose Friday strikes have pushed…
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Past Events

Green Festival 2025 - 11-13 November 2025 We held our annual Green Festival in November, consisting of three inspiring days celebrating sustainability at the University of Reading! It involved talks, workshops, competitions and hands-on activities showcasing the brilliant sustainability work happening across campus and how staff and students could get involved! A copy of the Green Festival 2025 events schedule can be found here, along with more information on our webpage! Guided Sustainability Walking Tour - 24 September 2025 We held a Sustainability Walking Tour during Welcome Week as an opportunity for students to get to know the university through…
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