Sustainability at the Faculty of Education
Green Impact Team
There is a Green Impact Team at The Faculty of Education made up of staff and students who volunteer their own time to ensure that the Faculty is a more sustainable place to work and study. Take a look at our achivements so far and our aims for this year. If you would like to find out more about what we do and get involved, you can email the team at greenimpact@educ.ac.uk
meaningful environmental and sustainability change
News & Updates
Clothes Swap & Repair Cafe - Wednesday 29th November
In collaboration with Cambridge Carbon Footprint, the Green Impact team hosted its third clothes swap and repair cafe at the end of November. The majority of items found new homes with students and staff, with the remaining items donated to Oxfam. CCF's sewer extraordinaire Gina mended multiple items at the repair cafe, including a hole in a pair of jeans, a tear in a summer dress, and the zip on a student's winter coat.
Christmas Jumper Day - Wednesday 13th December
The Faculty took part in Save The Children's Christmas Jumper Day to raise money for a good cause, and remind colleagues of the benefits of wearing warmer clothing instead of turning the heating up. Heating our workplaces and homes contribute hugely to our carbon emissions, with heating accounting for 37% of total UK carbon emissions (2018), including 17% for heating and cooling buildings.
Big Garden Bird Watch - Friday 26th to Sunday 28th January
Staff members took part in the RSPBs Big Garden Bird Watch to help provide valuable insight into how our garden birds are faring. Colleagues spent a quiet hour with a cup of tea (or a less quiet hour with family!) enjoying the wildlife, and getting to know their patch of nature a little better.
Stationery Amnesty - Monday 12th to Friday 16th February
Another stationery amnesty was held in February, with lots of useful items decluttered from desks and donated to the Faculty. For staff requiring stationery, they should first check the Resource Cupboard before making any purchases.
Personal Pledges Project
Celebrating sustainable positive change in our daily lives
The Green Impact Team’s Personal Pledges Project aims to help encourage Faculty staff and students to adopt more sustainable habits, inspire them to make positive changes in their day to day lives, and celebrate individual efforts.
Pledge ranking and categories
The project includes a list of different sustainable ‘pledges’ for staff and students to try. Pledges are ranked from ‘beginner’ to ‘advanced’ and split into different categories such as:
- food
- plastic
- transport
- clothing
You aren’t required to complete categories or move through the pledges in a systematic way, only to try whatever you think you have the power to achieve.
How to pledge
Try a Personal Pledge yourself and take a look at the list of pledges or submit a question or query.
To encourage others you can submit evidence of your progress, as well as submit your own ideas for pledges and categories, and attend informal get-togethers with other participants over tea and coffee.
I'm pledging to eat vegetarian three times a week and make less journeys in the car. It's not a huge shift from what I'm doing now but small changes can have a big impact
Green Impact achievements in 2022 - 23
Green Impact - Silver & Gold Award
After achieving the Bronze award in 2022, last academic year the Faculty’s Green Impact Team were awarded both the Silver and Gold award Bronze award at the University Green Impact Awards. This was in recognition of the following:
- Clothes Swaps & Repair Cafes - In collaboration with Cambridge Carbon Footprint, the Faculty held two Clothes Swap and Repair Cafe events in March and June to promote sustainable and slow fashion. Staff and students could donate their unwanted clothes, pick up new items for free, and have their favourite items mended by expert sewers.
- Recycling Talk - We arranged for a talk from Cambridgeshire County Council about effective recycling and what really happens to our rubbish once it goes in the bin.
- Effective Communication - We made regular use of the faculty's The Knowledge newsletter and the weekly Wednesday coffee mornings to promote our events, as well as raise awareness and share reminders about sustainability issues such as how to report dripping taps and the importance of buying fairtrade
- Green Impact Inductions - As well as being directed to the university's sustainability induction, all of our new starters receive a flyer with information about the Green Impact team, what we do and how they can get involved
- Recycling - We arranged several events last year to help staff dispose of items responsibly, including a stationery amnesty in the Autumn, and an 'Unwanted Christmas Gift' donation scheme in the new year
We're proud of our Green Impact Bronze Award this year and with some small sustainable actions from everyone we're sure we can achieve silver or even gold in 2023
Green Impact aims for 2023 - 24
- Platinum Award - Build on what we have accomplished so far to achieve the Platinum Award
- Collaborate - Work in partnership with colleges and other departments on events and sustainability programmes
- Culture Change - Look at what we can do to help make sustainability something that every staff member and student can take responsibility for in the Faculty
- Faculty Events - Put on more events within the Faculty that make sustainability issues engaging and accessible
- Long Term Changes - Thinking beyond the Green Impact Awards to what we can achieve long-term
If you are interested to know what the University is doing to promote sustainability you can find out more information about Green Impact and Sustainability from the University of Cambridge
