From the 11^th to the 22^nd March 2024, Loughborough University’s Sustainability Team, in collaboration with other departments and organisations, held Sustainability Fortnight. This was the first time we have held events over a two-week period, and we were really pleased to see so many staff and students getting out and engaging with all that we had to offer.

Sustainability Fortnight 2024: Week 2 Review

The fun didn’t end after week one, as we had another full week of activities!

On Tuesday 19^th, we had a fantastic day in the Edward Herbert Building again:

• Firstly, we had Quorn chefs cooking up some delicious vegan tacos for everyone to taste! Quorn are on a mission to save the planet by reducing the carbon emissions produced through food production, especially livestock grazing. So, their products are a great addition to your diet if you want to save the planet, without compromising the taste! You can read more about Quorn’s carbon emissions and sustainability commitment on their website.
• Outside EHB, we welcomed back Bike Buddies, who helped multiple people over the 3-hour slot, with various bike repairs and advice.
• Then, at 1pm, our Assistant Gardens Manager, Rich Fenn-Griffin delivered a ‘Biodiversity Talk’, in which he highlighted the various species occupying campus, from toads to trees to badgers. Rich spoke about his background and inspiration to work with nature, and why it is so important we take care of everything around us, so we can enjoy the biodiversity of our campus today, but also to preserve species for future generations. Stay tuned to find out more about our upcoming Biodiversity events…

On Wednesday, the amazing Action team at LSU led the Food Drive, in which students from halls across campus donated unwanted food items to be delivered to local food banks. This helps tackle food poverty – one key aspect of societal and environmental sustainability, as our food systems are under increasing pressure and are threatened by the impacts of climate change. The food drive was a success, and we are pleased to be helping the local community and contributing to a more sustainable future in this way.

Next up, we hosted a Green Careers Workshop to inform students of the varying career paths available in sustainability, and how many skills can be acquired and transferred through working in a so called ‘green’ job.  Following on from this, we held a panel of experts, including a Loughborough University PhD student, a member of our alumni, and a professional from environmental start-up Carbon Jacked, who are based in Loughborough. Keep your eyes peeled for more on this as we are about to launch an exciting project with them, delving into sustainability in sport!

For some evening entertainment, the ’50 years of Litter on Skye’ film was shown on screen for the very first time, alongside a public lecture from Dr Tom Stanton, who led the research. This was an alarming insight into the amount of litter found over the years on some of Scotland’s most beautiful beaches, and how Loughborough University researchers are becoming part of the solution for this.

To round off the events, we had a special guest visit from TV personality Gregg Wallace, who sat on the ‘Food for Thought: A Fresh Perspective on Food’ panel with other industry experts. The panel included our very own Dr Elliott Wooley and Head Performance Chef in the Elite Athlete Centre (EAC) Varun Shivdasani, as well as Louis Guest from our waste management provider, Enva . All these panellists offered a unique and valuable perspective on topics such as food waste, meal planning, healthy eating, eating locally, and the contributions of the food industry on global warming. The event had a great turnout, and we would welcome the idea of more talks like this in future, as there are so many important sustainability-related topics to discuss! (All attendees were also rewarded with a free lunch from the LSU hummus bar – Humpit – I would highly recommend this! )

Thank you so much for reading and thank you to those involved in organising and attending all the activities. We are constantly striving to make Loughborough University a more sustainable community, and hope that these events have provided opportunities for you to get involved! Do not hesitate to reach out to Sustainability Assistant, Lottie, on enviroassist@lboro.ac.uk if you have any questions or suggestions for upcoming events; we are always willing to hear from both students and staff!

This article is in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action. To read more click here.