Join us for three inspiring days celebrating sustainability at the University of Reading! Green Festival brings together our university community to explore how we can make a positive difference for people and the planet. Across three days, you’ll find talks, workshops, competitions and hands-on activities showcasing the brilliant sustainability work happening across campus and how you can get involved. Whether you’re passionate about nature, climate action, or simply curious about living more sustainably, there’s something for everyone. Let’s work together for a greener, healthier future at Reading.
Scroll down to explore the full Green Festival 2026 schedule!
Monday 9th - Friday 13th November
Make Your Drink Count - Reusable Cup Scheme
Time: All week
Location: University cafes
Description: Make your drink count with the University's reusable cup scheme! For £5, you can get a reusable cup with your first freshly made hot or cold drink included. Keep your cup or bring it back to exchange for a fresh one next time you visit. Get involved ahead of the University's move away from disposable takeaway cups from January 2027!
Become a Sustainability Champion!
Time: All week
Location: Online
Find out more: Find out more & sign up
Description: Want to make a positive difference beyond Green Festival? Join our Sustainability Champions Network and help inspire colleagues, share ideas and encourage more sustainable ways of working across your department.
What does sustainability mean to you?
Time: Monday 9th November
Location: uor_careers and uor_sustainability on Instagram
Description: Find out how sustainability can shape you personally and how to make a green difference.
Children’s Donation Drive
Time: Drop off between 8am - 6pm on the 10th-12th November
Location: Little learners Nursery Reception
Description: Little things, big difference! Give pre-loved children’s items a second life by donating to Little Learners Nursery’s The Second Hand Boutique. Donations can be dropped off at the nursery reception, behind the Carrington and Palmer buildings, during Green Festival. Please ring the buzzer on the reception desk if you need assistance.
Tuesday 10th November
The Hedgehog Society Conservation Group
Time: 11:00 - 14:00
Location: Library foyer
Description: Learn more about what we do and how you can get involved to help save hedgehogs on campus.
How do I build towards a green career
Time: 12:00 - 13:00
Location: Online and in-person
Find out more: Online booking or In-person booking
Description: Interested in a green career? Hear from sustainability professionals about career opportunities, building relevant skills and gaining experience to strengthen your CV while at University.
Litter Pick
Time: 13:00 - 14:30
Location: Outside Up! coffee shop
Description: Join us in cleaning up the community! We’ll be heading off campus to the key student areas litter picking and tidying the streets; all the equipment is provided, just bring yourselves.
Treat Tuesday: Make your own draught excluder!
Time: 16:00 - 18:00
Location: Lounge Room 2, Reading Students Union
Attendance: Book free tickets here
Description: Join us for a special Green Festival Treat Tuesday, where we'll be making and decorating draught excluders! Help keep your home warm, reduce heat loss and save energy and money, while creating something personalised for your home.
Can Natural Farming Feed the Future? Rethinking Food Security from the Soil Up
Time: 18:00 - 19:00
Location: Online
Attendance: Book free tickets here
Description: Explore how Natural Farming could support more productive, resilient and sustainable food systems, drawing on research from India to consider its impacts on food security, livelihoods and the environment, alongside its opportunities and challenges.
What is a small change that makes a green difference?
Time: Tuesday 10th November
Location: uor_careers & uor_sustainability on Instagram
Description:Find out what you can do to build sustainability into your day-to-day life, and how to benefit the people around you.
Litter Pick!
Time: 10:30
Description: The children will be going on a litter pick to collect some rubbish to sort at a child crafted recycle centre.
Recycle Centre
Time: 14:30
Description: The children will be sorting through their recycling into different materials and then looking at how each material is recycled and reused.
Wednesday 11th November
Recycle Right with SELECT: Behind the Scenes of Campus Recycling
Time: 11:00 - 14:00
Location: Library Foyer
Description: Meet our waste contractors SELECT, test your waste knowledge by playing the Recycling Conveyor game, and learn what happens to recycling on campus!
Transport and the Environment Conversation Café
Time: 11:00 - 12:00 UK time
Location: Online via MS Teams
Find out more: Find out more & sign up
Description: Our Online Cafes offer a relaxed space to take a break, meet students from around the world and chat about all things environmental. Join from anywhere using a device with an internet connection, microphone and earphones!
On Your Bike Day!
Time: 12:00 - 14:00
Location: Palmer Quad
Description: Our Sustainable Travel event showcases everything you need to help get you back on two wheels and experience a healthier / happier way to travel. From discounted bikes for sale & hire; support through free training; information on cycle routes and safety to bike repairs and security marking come along and find out more!
Built Environment Fair
Time: 12:00 - 14:00 (11:30 - 12:00 quiet time)
Location: 3Sixty, Reading Students Union
Find out more: Find out more & Employers who mentioned sustainability roles or credentials
Description: This is your chance to meet employers in the Built Environment sector, discover top graduate opportunities, work placements and internships in the Built Environment sector!
Our Endangered Oceans: Marine Conservation Through the lens of Students
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Edith Morley, Room 126
Attendance: Book free tickets here
Description: Join us for a screening of short films by University of Reading Marine Biology and Conservation students, exploring challenges facing our oceans and marine ecosystems, followed by a Q&A and discussion.
Mending Our Future: Clothing vs. Climate Change
Time: 14:00 - 16:00
Location: Flex, Reading Students Union
Attendance: Book free tickets here
Description: Join Sam Drury Shore and textile designer Jess Way for a talk and hands-on workshop exploring how mending clothes can help tackle the climate crisis. Discover the impact of fashion and waste, then learn simple mending techniques to give your clothes a new lease of life. Bring along an item with a hole to patch - no previous sewing experience needed!
The Peruvian Andes: Water, Climate and Survival
Time: 18:00 - 19:00
Location: Online
Attendance: Book free tickets here
Description: Discover how ancient water-management systems in the Peruvian Andes are being restored to help communities tackle climate change and strengthen water security, combining Indigenous knowledge, archaeology and environmental science.
Rain Catchers Crafting!
Time: 10:30
Description: The children will be using old milk cartons/plastic bottles and making rain catchers to measure the amount of rainfall.
Water Race
Time: 14:30
Description: Children will take part in a fun Water Race to learn about water waste, why water is important and how we can help protect this precious resource.
Thursday 12th November
Learn with Sustainability: Embedding sustainable behaviours and creating change
Time: 10:00 - 11:00
Location: Online via MS Teams
Attendance: Email us to request the joining link.
Description: Join us for practical tips on overcoming barriers, building sustainable habits and inspiring positive change across the University.
Save money on heating your home this winter!
Time: 12:00 - 15:00
Location: Library Foyer
Description: The Energy Advice Service, a joint initiative between Reading Student Union and Sustainability, will be hosting a stand in the library with top tips on how to save money on heating your home this winter! Take part in our interactive game to discover ways to save money and live more sustainably, with the chance to win a winter warmer giveaway!
Meet Animals Asia – Animal Welfare Pop-Up
Time: 12:00 - 15:00
Location: Mojos Bar, Students' Union (lower corridor)
Description: Meet the team from Animals Asia and find out more about their work protecting bears and improving animal welfare across Asia. Stop by their pop-up stand to learn about their campaigns, chat with the team and browse a selection of merchandise.
Walk, Talk & Connect: Wellbeing in Nature
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Outside Student Services Building, Palmer Quad
Attendance: Drop in - no booking required
Description: Take a break, enjoy Whiteknights' green spaces and connect with others on a guided walk around the lake. Joined by Reading Men Walking and Talking, discover how spending time in nature and building community connections can support our wellbeing.
Film Screening of 'The Invisible Mammal' with Earley Environmental Group
Time: 17:00 - 21:00
Location: 109 Lecture Theatre, Palmer Building
Attendance: Find out more and book free tickets here
Description: At once a nature film, a science film, and a character-driven adventure film, The Invisible Mammal will immerse you in the world of bats and forever change the way you feel about these amazing little creatures.
Designing Tomorrow: Sustainability, Cities and the Built Environment
Time: 18:00 - 19:00
Location: Online
Attendance: Book free tickets here
Description: Can the places we build help tackle climate change? Discover how innovative ideas and technologies are creating greener, healthier and more resilient communities for the future.
A visit from Binfield Badgers
Time: 10:30
Description: The children will be learning about Badgers! They will be learning about their habits and their habitats. We are inviting the children and staff within the nursery to dress in Black and White.
Our Wildlife
Time: 14:30
Description: The children will be learning all about animals that live around us in the UK. They will be making bird feeders and topping up our bug hotel.