Whilst we already are doing a lot of things to truly be proud of, we are wholly aware that we must lead by example and improve our sustainability record if we truly want to be a force for good within the University. Of particular importance in this respect is the work we need to undertake to make our Bars and Entertainment Area more sustainable. This has been identified as the area of the SU that has the most negative environmental impact. Important areas that we are starting to tackle within our Bars & Entertainment Area, among others, are:
- The amount of disposable containers, including the cups served at Starbucks, the carton pizza boxes, the containers for burgers and fries, the single-pint plastic cups and plastic bottles served during Weekend Warm Up and club nights.
- The indirect carbon footprint of a limited vegetarian/vegan variety to the menu, something we have started working on.
- The amount of electricity used throughout the building that is not shut down when the venue is not open.
- The amount of throwaway material involved in the packaging of our coffee beans
Aside from the Bars & Entertainment Area, we have identified further areas of our operation that have a significant environmental impact, and began a plan of action to be improved and implemented with the Climate Impact Programme Board and the individual areas of the SU. They can be found in the grid below.
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Environmental Impact
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Mitigation/Action
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Responsibility
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Reduction of carbon footprint – Activities area (Transport usage)
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Review and reduce where possible the SU transport fleet usage. The area where this is most evident is the Activities area, particularly within student sport. A lot of impressive work has been done on reducing the number of coaches travelling for matches, but there is more to be done.
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SU Transport Manager/Finance
Student Activities Officers/Manager
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Reduction of Waste - paper
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Reduce committee papers – online meetings
Continue to digitalise our marketing as much as possible to reduce the need of flyers and posters, and source recycled alternatives as much as possible.
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All areas of the SU
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Reduction of Waste - clothing
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Reduce unnecessary and single wear T shirts, particularly on large-scale events such as Freshers’ Week
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All areas of the SU
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Electricity usage
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Improve and communicate more effectively the Student Switch Off Campaign and incorporate aspects of it through the SU Operations as well.
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All areas of the SU
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