Submitted by Grainne Kennedy on Thu, 2017-10-26 12:14
What sustainability topics do participants in this year’s Green Impact want to tackle this year? We found out at our 2017/18 launch event!
Held at St Catherine’s College on Wednesday 25 October, the event kicked off the sixth year of Green Impact at the University of Cambridge. With last year proving to be a record-breaking one for Green Impact at the University(45 awards were presented and 2,376 sustainability actions were carried out), there was much enthusiasm for what could be achieved this year. Attendees at the event were asked what issues they intend to tackle in their department or College over the coming year, with the results presented on a live ‘word cloud’ (pictured above). The word cloud showed many common themes across departments and Colleges, with waste and recycling featuring particularly heavily. With Spotlight on Waste month taking place in November, this proved to be ideal timing, with the Environment and Energy section and our network of EECs and Green Impact teams gearing up to work together for an intensive few weeks of action!
In the launch presentation, participants heard about the approach Green Impact takes to making long-lasting sustainable change. It’s all based on ‘social change theory’. Taking a simple and engaging approach to encouraging sustainable behaviour change among the University’s 11,000 staff and 20,000 students can have a massive impact in reducing the University’s impact on the environment. In the presentation given at the event, attendees heard about the five ‘levers for change’ that are used by Green Impact teams to embed sustainable behaviour change in their places of work and study.
Also launched at the event was a new environmental induction module. The 20 minute online course is aimed at staff at the University, particularly new starters. It is a comprehensive introduction to sustainability at the University covering energy, waste, water, travel and procurement issues.
Some photos from the event are available on the Environment & Energy section facebook page. You can find out more about Green Impact on our website, or email greenimpact@admin.cam.ac.uk with any queries about the scheme or how to take part.