Go Green Week is over for this year and what a fantastic week it was! Thanks to everyone who got involved in the week's activities. We hope it inspired you in some way to help the environment. Here are some of the highlights:
 (Rare un-seen image of Mark smiling) |
Free food for a quick chat. Now that's a Fair Trade!
All of your Union venues source their products either locally or from Fair-Trade providers. Neat! This week we were spreading the good word of Fair-Trade produce and offering advice about how you can shop more ethically via a pop-up stand in Ember. In return for a natter with Mark, he was giving out a bunch of different 'Fair-Trade Freebies', like coffee, chocolate, wine, fruit juice, tomatoes and of course some bananas!
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Glass Recycling bags are here. Take that to the bank!
Over the last few years we've asked the Uni for recycling facilities to come back to halls of residence, because our students are desperate to get rid of their waste responsibly. Well, finally we're getting somewhere, and the university gave us 150 glass recycling bags for every kitchen in Leek Road Halls, Houses and Clarice Cliff. It took us a couple of days to get round every kitchen, but now each and every one of you should have one of these bags in your kitchen. So now when you're cleaning up after a flat party, make sure to fill your bag with all the leftover glass, and take it to the recycling bin outside. Help us combat waste and recycle!
To launch the campaign, your SU ran a 'Snap 4 Cash' competition, where we were asking students to pose for a photo while using their glamorous, new recycling bag and then share it on social media. Congrats to the three winners who recieved £20 each!
  
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 (Sam excited about a bag) |
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(Sam pedalling for the perfect Smoothie)
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I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those pedalling kids!
The bikes were taking over campus this week! Our good friend Doctor Bike was on campus this week offering free bike services to our keen cyclists! We also set up a Smoothie Bike in SqueezeBox, allowing you the opportunity to blend your own smoothie with Pedal Power! We were offering a 50p discount all week to those who got on the bike. Who knew saving money and energy could be so much fun!
  
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My next guests need no introduction... (well, they do)
We had a few special guests visit Staffs for this year's Go Green Week. Emma Fieldhouse from 'Future We Want' brought her interactive game called 'How Bad Are Bananas?', with which she taught students all sorts of things about carbon impacts and carbon footprints. It was a really great concept and I even had a go and it certainly made me think about some of my lifestyle choices and how they affect the environment. Thanks Emma!
We also had a visit from the lovely Katie Ferneyhough, a Sustainability Officer at NUS (and ex-Staffs student!), who was out promoting the Student Switch Off to our students living in halls of residence. While you may remember her as the person that woke you up one afternoon, she speads the word about the annual Switch Off competition, where all the halls are in competition with eachother over who can save the most energy in the year. The winners recieve a huge supply of Ben & Jerries! Find out more on the Staffs SSO Facebook Page. Cheers Katie!
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(Katie from NUS wondering why everyone is asleep at 1pm)
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Free Film and Ice Cream. An offer you can't refuse!
This week we had some support from Ben & Jerries, who have helped fund a gripping documentary that follows a family of refugees fleeing Syria for a better life. We screened the film on campus as part of this week's diverse activities, and obviously had plenty of ice cream to go around. Thanks for coming along. You can find out more about the campaign at https://www.benjerry.co.uk/values/issues-we-care-about/refugees
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(Students pretending they didn't just come for the free ice cream)
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(Busy day at the produce market)
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Produce Market
The produce market made a return this week, with some locally sourced fruit and veg, home-made italian food, crepes, cakes and more! The produce market is on campus every Thursday, take a look around lunch time for some tempting choices.
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You must be at least this edgy to proceed.
The lovely Sparrowhawk Vintage paid us a visit with a huge collection of reworked and renewed vintage clothes. The stand was busy all day and they sold out of pretty much everything by the end of the day. Cheers guys!
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(Insta-worthy products up for grabs from Sparrowhawk Vintage)
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Thank you once again for a fantastic week of all things sustainablilty. If you'd like to see more of this or have any comments in general, ping me an email on sam.pillow1@staffs.ac.uk or contact your Students' Union
Cheers!
Sam