Green Festival is our annual sustainability celebration where we engage with our University community to promote, educate and celebrate sustainable actions.
Green Festival 2022 timetable
Low carbon main meal recipe competition
Win a Catering meal voucher for two people and the winning recipe will feature on a Catering outlet menu
Monday 7th November 2022
Meet the Sustainability team at The Dairy, London Road
Wednesday 9th November 2022
Sustainable Travel and Air Quality Day
Find out about our sustainable travel offers, meet Reading Buses and air quality experts
Thursday 10th November 2022
Engagement Day
Student societies' volunteering fayre, community litter pick and green careers event
Friday 11th November 2022
Energy Day
Meet the sustainability team, go on an energy tour and find out more about how to be sustainable and save money
All staff and students can earn 150 Green points for every Green Festival event you attend!
Sign up here: www.doinguorbit.co.uk
FOR ALL STAFF AND STUDENTS
The best low carbon main meal recipe will be selected by an expert from Catering Services.
How to enter
Submit your entries with the subject ‘Low carbon main meal recipe’ to sustainability@reading.ac.uk
With your name
Course / department
Details of low carbon main meal recipe - including ingredients, method, why you chose the recipe and how you believe it is low carbon
Deadline
4pm 11 November
Prize
The winner will receive a Catering meal voucher for two people and have their winning recipe featured on the menu of a Catering outlet for a period of time.
Please see and note the terms and conditions of the competition here.
11:15-13:45 The Dairy, London Road - FOR ALL STAFF AND STUDENTS
Come along and meet your UoR Sustainability team who can highlight all the great ways that you can be more sustainable at work and home
10:00-15:00 Library foyer, Whiteknights - FOR ALL STAFF AND STUDENTS
Come along and find out about all our great sustainable travel offers, including free bike maintenance, lift sharing platform and car club. Also, you can meet:
- Reading Buses
- From 11:30-13:30 meet Marta O’Brien who will be talking about her pioneering work researching pollution and poor air quality outside schools in Reading.
- From 11:30-13:30 meet Mark Mason from Design Nature talking about how he works with schools to tackle air pollution.
12:00-17:00 Day of Cycling, Palmer Quad, Whiteknights - FOR ALL STAFF AND STUDENTS
12:00-14:00 Dr Bike, Palmer Quad - find out everything about cycling at UoR:
- Dr Bike for free bike maintenance
- Meet Reading Bicycle Kitchen
- Find out more about the work of Sustrans
- Find out more about Reading Cycle campaign (RCC)
- Meet Thames Valley Police and get bicycle security advice
- Free cycle training
- Low cost bike hire
- Campus Security - how to keep your bike safe
13:00-14:00
Learn to ride taster session - come and try out one of our bikes with experienced instructor. Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/r/wdURmZuAuf
Please meet our cycling expert at 13:00 on the 9th November at Dr Bike in Palmer Quad. Please wear suitable clothing for the weather conditions on the day.
14:00-14:30
Leisure ride around Whiteknights, Palmer Quad
Sign up to enjoy a scenic leisure ride: https://forms.office.com/r/DXRfQ3AF5u
Please meet our cycling expert at 14:00 on the 9th November at Dr Bike in Palmer Quad. Please bring your bike and wear suitable clothing for the weather conditions on the day.
15:30-17:00
Explore Reading cycle routes with commuting skills ride
Sign up to explore Reading's cycle routes: https://forms.office.com/r/LbqfejtQNy
Please meet our cycling expert at 15:30 on the 9th November in Palmer Quad. Please bring your bike and wear suitable clothing for the weather conditions on the day.
11:00-15:00 Student societies volunteering fayre, Mondial, RUSU
- Come along and check out our student societies’ volunteering fayre with representatives from all the green groups
- Speak to UoR Sustainability team about our Doing #UoR Bit sustainable action platforms for staff and students
- Find out more from our careers team about the RED awards, including the new RED Sustainable Action award
13:00-14:00 Explore Green careers, Room 108 in Palmer building
- Come along to our employers panel event - hear from Jacobs, WSP and RBWM to find out about exciting opportunities for future employment in the sustainability field. Here’s the link to the event sign up. (Maximum 65 people)
14:00 Litter pick - Outside the front of RUSU - FOR ALL STAFF AND STUDENTS
- Take action to help our environment! Get involved with our litter pick in the local community. Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/r/tteuFUTv81
10:00-15:00 Library foyer, Whiteknights - FOR ALL STAFF AND STUDENTS
- Find out how we are working to reach Net Zero by 2030
- Get expert energy and money saving advice from RUSU’s Advice Service and Citizens Advice
- Find out how our sustainable action platforms, Doing #UoR Bit, save you money and help you to be more sustainable
11:30-14:00 Energy tours, meet outside the main entrance to the library, Whiteknights - FOR ALL STAFF AND STUDENTS
- Find out more about low carbon energy on campus by coming along to one of our energy tours! Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/r/fmHSxhLZax.
(Maximum 12 people per tour)
How to save money and be more sustainable podcast - FOR ALL STAFF AND STUDENTS
UoR Staff Celebration & Sustainable Action event
Tuesday 21 June 2022 10:00-15:00, Palmer Quad, Whiteknights campus
Join the Sustainability Services team on 21st June to explore the different opportunities, activities and benefits available to UoR staff as part of the University’s Environmental Sustainability strategy. Join Doing #UoRBit and then get an extra 500 points just for attending, along with a free reusuable climate stripes cup!
Dr Bike
Lift sharing
Climate Stripes bus
Live solar generation display
My Journey Wokingham
Free cycle training
Car Club
Recycling Challenge
School carbon footprints
Cycle rides
Reading Buses
Low carbon energy tours
Warpit furniture reuse
Salix project energy savings
Free ice cream (with climate stripes pin)
In collaboration with the Walker Institute, RUSU and local community groups
31st October to 12th November
University of Reading and Walker Institute Online from COP26
Throughout Green Festival 2021 and COP26 we worked with the Walker Institute to enable remote participation in real time:
Daily Newsletters plus videos for schools www.rmets.org/news/join-us-cop26-your-screen-or-your-classroom-our-exclusive-video-bulletin
The COP Climate Action Studio (COP CAS) enables doctoral students to remotely participate in the annual UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Conference of Parties in real time. COP CAS 2021 | Walker Academy
Wednesday 3 November
Green Festival Showcase event
Day of Cycling
Green Festival showcase event from 10-1pm in 360 at RUSU, giving the opportunity for staff and students to meet local environmental and sustainability groups
12-2pm Day of Cycling in Palmer Quad - Day of Cycling in Palmer Quad with Reading Bicycle Kitchen, Dr Bike, My Journey Wokingham, Security Services and Reading Cycle Campaign
At 2pm join us for a leisure ride around campus for an hour and see the beautiful Autumn colours.
Friday 5 November
Shout for Sustainability
12-1pm ‘Shout for Sustainability’ outside Carrington, with senior University staff and RUSU discussing the ambition to put sustainability at the heart of our University
1st November to 5th November
Photography Contest
Sustainability photography contest took place throughout Green Festival to show sustainability through the eyes of staff and students
Thursday 4 November
Launch of Doing #UORBit
Online saving energy in your home webinar
All staff briefing on acheiving Net Zero Carbon by 2030
11-1pm Library foyer - Sustainability team and Green Rewards presented the new Doing #UoRBit platform
11-11:45 Online webinar ‘Saving energy in your home’
Dr Emmanuel A Essah - Associate Professor in Sustainable Technologies
Dr Mehdi Shahrestani - Director of Architectural Engineering - TBC
Dr Maria Vahdati - Programme Director, MSc Renewable Energy: Technology & Sustainability
Professor Jacopo Torriti - Co-Director, Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS)
Luke Cantellow - Energy officer from the University of Reading
1pm All staff briefing
A presentation from our Energy and Sustainability Director, Dan Fernbank, talking about how we will achieve net zero carbon by 2030