Our planet is suffering immensely from climate change, and this is becoming more and more evident as the years go on (just look at the impact from the Amazon rain-forest wildfires and the Australian bush-fires!). The harsh truth is that if everyone on the planet consumed the natural resources as the average person in western Europe, we would need three planets to support us; in other words, we consume in an unsustainable way. One Planet Week is run by the University every year to celebrate sustainability and be a platform to promote awareness, share knowledge and actions on sustainability to staff, students and the wider community. This year the theme is ‘Zero Carbon’, so we’ve put together a blog on what this entails and how you can get involved with One Planet Week this year!
What does Zero Carbon mean?
Zero Carbon describes taking actions in order to reduce your carbon footprint, with the overall aim that no more carbon is released into our atmosphere. But why does this matter? Not only will reduced carbon emissions benefit our planet and wildlife, it will also have an impact on our health and happiness. There are plenty of ways in which society can reduce their carbon emissions, such as by making buildings more energy efficient, changing our behaviours in regards to the consumption of resources, and actively increasing sustainable travel. There are smaller actions you can take too in order to reduce your carbon footprint, such as:
◾ Opting to cycle or walk rather than driving or taking the bus to University. We’ve got a great cycling scheme here at the University to take advantage of, which you can find out more about here.
◾ Store your leftovers in either the fridge or the freezer, this way the next time you make dinner it requires minimal effort and you reduce your food waste!
◾ Cut down on your single-plastic use and take reusable shopping bags with you when shopping instead of wasting pennies on plastic bags.
◾ Try introducing more vegetarian and vegan meals into your diet to cut down on your meat consumption. We’ve got some brilliant vegetarian recipes on our blog you can try out!
How can you get involved with One Planet Week 2020?
There are plenty of free events happening around the whole of the University this week for you to get involved with, including our own Connecting East events! You can find all the events happening around the University here. Check the image below for a timetable on what events we have happening on Campus East to celebrate One Planet Week!
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