Students and staff at the 国产视频 have helped to divert hundreds of items from landfill while saving carbon emissions and raising thousands of pounds for a good cause.
The University has been working with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) for a number of years through the Pack for Good campaign, which has seen several donation banks on campus.
Though activities beyond February were significantly curtailed due to the pandemic, the University still donated 415 bags of unwanted items to the BHF in the 2019/2020 academic year. A bag of donations could be worth as much as £14 and the charity calculates that donations from the University’s staff and students raised an estimated £5,810, while also helping to save an estimated 33.788kg of C02 greenhouse gas emissions.
Since becoming involved in the scheme in 2013, the University has raised an estimated £49,336 through donations, which have also included some second-hand office furniture. The money goes towards funding research into all heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors.
Katy Boom, Director of Sustainability, said: “The University is committed to making a difference in the region in whatever way it can, while also working to promote sustainable practices among students, staff, and the wider community. We’re so proud of our students and staff for their generosity in this difficult year and their help towards the University achieving its sustainability goals. It is wonderful to know that items or equipment used on campus can have a second life in Worcester and well beyond, rather than ending up in landfill.”
The University has links with a number of regional and international charities that it works with to donate furniture and ensure that items do not end up in landfill. This includes the Andrhal Welfare Trust, through which it has previously donated more than 400 tables and chairs to a school in Kashmir.
Over the years the University has also developed links with Willowdene, which works with men and women facing complex issues and challenges, West Mercia Women’s Aid and a Methodist church in Birmingham. Where practical, the University has also made single or small donations to many local people or charities.
This donation reflects a year of achievements in sustainability for the University. It was a finalist for Sustainability Institution of the Year in the 2020 International Green Gown Awards held in July, after taking the national title. This recognised a sustained, whole-institution commitment and impact to becoming a sustainable organisation.
The University was ranked in the top three UK universities for Quality Education, and the top 10 in the UK overall, in the prestigious Times Higher Education’s global University Impact Rankings. The rankings highlight the contribution made by universities around the world to achieving the internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which the United Nations adopted in 2016.
Worcester also came among the top 10 in the UK in a number of other SDGs, including 5th for Sustainable Cities and Communities, which assessed the University’s contribution to helping the community be “inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”, and 6th for Climate Action.
Looking forward, the University’s commitment to cutting carbon emissions to net zero by 2030 has recently seen it ranked joint third of universities in the country in the Carbon Targets ratings. Set up by Students Organising for Sustainability UK, alongside the National Union of Students, the University and College Union and People & Planet, this compares the targets and measures that have been put in place by UK universities.
The University, in close partnership with the Students’ Union, has pioneered many initiatives to promote sustainability over the last 15 years, including much improved recycling, promoting walking and cycling wherever possible, and practical changes such as introducing less energy intensive lighting and solar heated hot water. The University has built up an enviable record of sustainability and last year ranked in the top five in the most recent People and Planet University League, which measures sustainability performance at higher education institutions.