Submitted by Grainne Kennedy on Wed, 2016-07-27 10:15
This month we welcome some new faces to the E&E section with the arrival of our three interns; Laura, Cecily and Robert. The interns will be working on a specific project for a period of five or eight weeks and we look forward to hearing the results of their various projects. A brief biography of each of the interns can be found below.
Photograph: Left to right Cecily, Robert and Laura
Laura Farrell
IARU Intern, undergraduate in Sustainability Sciences, Australian National University
Project: My internship is focused on sustainable food within the University. I am working with the E&E team and University’s Catering Services to review current purchasing and sales patterns in the University’s cafes to look at ways to encourage more sustainable eating habits. Specifically, I am looking at how we can reduce meat consumption.
Why is this project important? Food is something that we all engage with every day. It is an aspect of our lives that we have direct control over and one that can have a huge impact on the sustainability of our lifestyles. Food acts as a nexus linking together environmental problems such biodiversity loss and climate change with broader social problems. I think that creating a sustainable food culture at the University of Cambridge is an important step towards ensuring the University’s sustainable future.
Cecily Church
Living Lab Intern, Geography Graduate, University of Cambridge
Project: As the waste and recycling intern I am looking into the current state of the University’s waste management and the ways in which it can be improved. To do this I will be carrying out audits within the departments (and even getting up close and personal with the bin contents!), generating reports and guidance material and helping to run waste and recycling related events.
What impact do I hope to have? The University has set itself the target of recycling 95 per cent of total waste by the end of 2016. I hope to help achieve this ambitious but achievable goal by developing recommendations and materials to promote good recycling practice. Additionally, I will be involved with some exciting changes and events occurring at the moment, for example the start of the new waste contract with Mick George and August’s ‘Spotlight on Waste’ month . These offer a great opportunity to reinvigorate the discussion around waste and recycling, and remind everyone just how fascinating and significant an issue it is.
Robert Cashman
Living Lab Intern, Theology Graduate, University of Cambridge
Project: My internship is focussed on supporting the Environment and Energy section’s engagement with students. I will be researching best practice in this field both at Cambridge and elsewhere, and developing a strategy for student induction. I will be working with colleges, departments, and student representatives in order to gather their views on the most effective ways of giving information to students about sustainable behaviours when they first arrive in Cambridge.
What do I hope to achieve? The involvement and participation of students are key to the University’s sustainability efforts. I hope to develop resources and activities which will encourage more students to act sustainably and want to lead sustainability efforts, and for these to be informed by the views of all of the relevant stakeholders.