The week January 25th- 29th is Go Green Week and as a University we will be highlighting and putting a spotlight on the environment. Environmental issues such as climate change and energy consumption are more pressing than ever as the international Climate change talks or COP21 have shown with global commitment by over 200 countries to not let global temperature rise beyond 3 degrees have shown. This can be further seen by President Barrack Obama who said during the talks ‘We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.’
As a university it may seem redundant to try to reduce amount how much students contribute to man-made Climate change as international agreements such as COP21 seem to be the real ways to achieve substantive change. However it is only by doing small everyday changes such as walking to campus instead of driving a car that we can snowball massive changes and as a student union we are dedicated to reducing the impact the university has on the planet. During this week the student union will be launching a pilot scheme in order to reduce the consumption of energy and water in the student union building. The goal is to see if we as a student body can change its behaviour and see if levels of energy and water decrease in relation to previous years. The pilot scheme will be the start of the NUS Green Impact Excellence campaign that will aim to reduce the amount of consumption of energy and water in student accommodation and around campus. In our expanding campus, we all have a responsibility in reducing our carbon footprint and all of us should counteract the long term increases in consumption on campus. Throughout the week there will be debates and information on how we as students can get involved in issues such as the problem of consumption.
Other than the pilot scheme, Go Green Week is emphasising leadership in the environment and tackling climate change. The Surf Club is taking the lead by fundraising money for Surfers against Sewage by drinking just water for the whole of January. If you would like to get involved then please donate money to the Surf Club through their JustGiving Page.
However being environmentally active and trying to change campus to be more environmentally friendly is not just limited to Go Green Week. If you are influenced by the week to be more involved then don’t hesitate to contact me or the Sustainability Society.