{"id":8956,"date":"2019-09-19T13:06:18","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T13:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/sustainability\/?p=8956"},"modified":"2019-09-17T16:08:38","modified_gmt":"2019-09-17T16:08:38","slug":"sustainable-university-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/sustainability\/2019\/09\/19\/sustainable-university-living\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable university living"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve escaped from my desk to come and sit in Park Eat caf\u00e9\/bar to write this article. Immediately I arrive, I\u2019m confronted with an environmental dilemma.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve brought my Sustain It mug (of course!) for a cup of tea, but realise I can\u2019t get any milk out of the machine because my cup isn\u2019t chipped. The catering staff offer to put some milk in a paper cup. I insist I don\u2019t want a paper cup and they insist it\u2019s no bother. How should I respond? Back down politely and take the cup, or stick to my green guns and insist it\u2019s a waste of resources and I\u2019d rather have no milk? I decide to politely explain I don\u2019t want to take a disposable cup, she understands and helpful gets me a china cup to put the milk in instead.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Sustain<\/em><\/p>\n

An insignificant story, and the kind of decision we each make multiple times a day. My point though is this \u2013 each decision we make in our day to day lives has an impact. Maybe, it\u2019s made the staff member think about our conversation, and maybe she\u2019ll approach it differently next time. Certainly, it made me feel good that I stuck to my guns and didn\u2019t use a paper cup. Certainly too, that is one less disposable item thrown away after a single use.<\/p>\n

Our actions matter, and those small actions, when added together, have big impacts. I resolved this year to always refuse paper cups; to go thirsty if they were the only option, and so far, I\u2019ve been true to this (and I drink a lot of caffeine!)<\/p>\n

So what can you do to make a difference to the environment? What changes in your everyday life can you make that can really reduce your environmental impact, and help sustain the rich but finite resources this planet has to offer?<\/p>\n

Without a doubt, climate change is the major environmental threat of our time and finally, the UK and the world really seem to be waking up to the realities of this and the urgency of action to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is big and it\u2019s daunting, it permeats every part of our modern lives. It is also a hugely exciting time to work in sustainability. The renewed feeling of hope coming from the UK Government\u2019s recent commitment to declare a climate emergency is unprecedented in my time in the sector, and one that we can and must capitalise on.<\/p>\n

Here then are my thoughts on a few of the steps we can all take to make a difference:<\/p>\n

Save energy<\/h1>\n

There are many ways to save energy, and if you\u2019re living in private rented accommodation, chances are you will be paying the bills and can save yourself money too.<\/p>\n