Sustainability at your SU
In addition to its own sustainability initiatives, the Students Union helps to drive policy and practice for sustainability in the University, for example on catering, waste and the curriculum. Successes include:
- Lobbying for full divestment from fossil fuels
- Finalist in the UK Green Gown awards for student sustainability initiatives and campaigns.
- Awarded £289,790 from the NUS Green Fund in 2013 to deliver ‘Greener Gloucestershire’; a 3 year project with 5 strands of student led sustainability activities across campuses and in the community.
In 2021 they plan to launch a new eco shop at FCH selling plastic-free and sustainable products.
Find out more on the sustainability pages of the SU website.
Join the Green Team Society
New in 2017/18, the UniGlos Green Team Society have been making an impact both on and off campus.
In 2018/19 they worked closely with the Estates team to gather data on staff/student recycling behaviours, supported the Plastic Free Cheltenham litter pick, and represented the student voice at the Gloucestershire Climate Summit.
In 2019/20 they developed a podcast, ran film nights, and organised and led the Cheltenham Climate Strike bringing together over 1000 local people to campaign for regional change.
The Green Team President, Yolande leads Cheltenham Climate Strike
Green Team with Nigel Moor (County Councillor) at Gloucestershire Climate Summit
In 2020/21, they plan to:
- Deliver a series of online talks with guest speakers focused on nature and sustainability
- Offer short guided walks that help people to connect with nature and improve wellbeing
- Work with local schools to develop resources and offer sessions that promote the natural world
Find out more and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
NUS Green Impact
The NUS Green Impact programme is a national accreditation and awards scheme which helps Students’ Unions to improve their sustainability practice. In 2020, our Students’ Union achieved ‘Good’.
This year, they have committed to maintain and improve this standard.
Ethical and Environmental Experience Officer
A current student is elected each year as the Ethical and Environment Experience Officer (EEO) to run campaigns and represent student views on sustainability to the Student’s Union (SU) and University. They choose the focus of their work each year and can work with the University Sustainability Team to achieve their aims. For example in 2018 the EEO supported the University’s full divestment from fossil fuels, and in 2019 they developed a social media competition to encourage SU societies and sports teams to put sustainability practices in place.
The EEO sits on the SU sustainability committee and is supported by the SU CEO, who is responsible for the overall performance of the SU on sustainability.
Contact your Ethical and Environmental Experience Officer here.