It’s been another fantastic year for all things sustainability at The SU with student leaders, Officers and staff getting recognised both at the university and nationally. Following the joint declaration of The SU and the University of a climate emergency in 2020, we remain committed to prioritising our sustainable goals.
It’s truly inspiring to see the achievements of our SU community and we wanted to celebrate some of our highlights:
- Sustainability Awards
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Vegetarian Society – VegSoc were recognised for serving free, weekly vegan meals to around 40 students, making sustainable eating accessible, affordable, and communal. Run by dedicated student volunteers, the initiative tackles food waste, promotes plant-based diets, and encourages low-impact living. VegSoc shows how simple, grassroots actions – like a shared meal – can make a real difference!
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Xandi Drysdale and Jojo Darling, People & Planet – Xandi & Jojo actively shaped the student movement for climate justice this year, leading the People & Planet society with passion, and actively pushing for change in the SU. As members of SUmmit, Xandi & Jojo successfully passed a standpoint on Fossil Free Careers.
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Mike Dalton – Mike, the SU’s Head of Commercial, Venues & Events and his team, has significantly reduced single-use plastic across SU bars and the large-scale events, driving real change toward a more sustainable campus. His reusable cup initiative, now in place at the Summer Ball, Freshers’ Week, and the Waddling Duck (our new Lakeside bar!), has eliminated thousands of disposable cups. This reflects our commitment to making sustainability part of everyday student life.
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And a shoutout to some of our students – Renee Pak, who worked with The SU and Sustainability team to lead a sustainability workshop for student leaders. We want to thank all students who have contributed towards sustainable action! We can’t wait to see what’s to come…
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NUS Students Organising for Sustainability, Green Impact SU Award “Good” – We’re delighted to have been recognised once again by the Green Impact Award for our work across the SU. We will be working closely with all members of our community to see how we can boost our rankings for 2026!
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Empowering Student Leaders to be Sustainable – The SU is using the Net Zero Carbon Campus Fund to imbed sustainability into our activities, including training students to increase knowledge and awareness. Thank you to Annette Goddard, the SU’s Skills and Development Coordinator, for her work on this!
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New Sustainability Rep Position in SUmmit – Starting in the new academic year, SUmmit, our committee of elected student leaders will have a shiny brand-new Sustainability Rep following calls from students. This will make ensure that sustainability is represented across all our high-level student decisions at the SU!
SU Activities Officer, Sam Ellis Hunt, says “We know how passionate our student leaders are towards sustainable and climate action goals, so it’s fantastic to see their efforts recognised. We already do great work towards these but know we have much to do in the year ahead and I can’t wait to see what we come up with next!”
SU Education Officer, Helen Slater, says “It’s so great to see the growing visibility and impact of our students’ work. As a committee member of VegSoc for 2024/25, it has been genuinely so fulfilling to get recognised for our efforts. I really look forward to seeing everything our students do next year!”
If you have any ideas or suggestions about how we can make our SU even more sustainable, then please contact Sam, SU Activities Officer at suactivities@bath.ac.uk.