Rosa Mumford-Turner
Green Impact is a Sustainability Award that helps students’ union staff, Elected Officers and students learn about sustainability and social responsibility, it shows them what they can do to take action, and supports them in making change.
We are delighted that this year, we received 491/500 points, a huge 98.2% maintaining Excellent, the highest ranking, for the 9th year in a row!
PERIODS: This year we have given out more than 30,000 free, single-use and plastic-free menstrual products to students and staff! 360 students and 30 staff signed up to receive a free sustainable menstrual product (such as a menstrual cup, period pants, or reusable sanitary towel).
PLACEMENT UNIFORM SWAP SHOP: 595 Students have swapped, donated or borrowed uniform for their nurse, paramedic and other healthcare placements! We have saved our Glenside students over £7,000 on uniform this year.
COMMUNITY CORNER: The launch of our brand-new sustainability hub at Bower Ashton! We have given out over 250 items of clothing from our permanent swap shop, 288 condoms, 980 cups of tea and 500 cups of coffee.
SUSTAINABLE BANKING: Over 600 students engaged with the Hell Bus during Green Fortnight, learning about greenwashing and sustainable banking – students learnt how and why switching to a bank that invests your money sustainably can make a big difference.
CLIMATE EDUCATION MODULE: UWE Bristol has become the first university in the UK to introduce a free course about the climate crisis as a result of a student-led campaign supported by the Students’ Union and SU President.
Green Impact takes a holistic view of sustainability which means it looks at sustainability in every aspect of university life. Green Impact is not just about ‘environmental sustainability’ like saving on plastic or reducing carbon emissions. It tackles everything from decolonising the curriculum; understanding how colonialism has influenced education and supporting the diversity of our students through the content we teach, to saving students money on food; reducing student poverty.
Here at The Students’ Union at UWE, through our Excellent rating in Green Impact we create new social norms and inspire our students and staff to understand and engage with their impact on society and the planet.
Join our Green Team if you want to be part of our sustainability journey too!