Issue 17

July 2010

Events
(University and non-University based)

July - throughout

End of Term Halls Donations: Please donate your unwanted items

Venue: all Halls of Residence

Email Hannah for more information

July 1st - 2pm to 4:30pm

'Complexity Research Seminar' on the subject of Transition Towns and Tradable Energy Quotas by Shaun Chamberlin and Dr David Fleming

Free but places are limited so please pre-book

Venue: LSE, London, WC2A 2AE

Read the flyer for more information

July 1st - 6:30pm (90minutes event)

'It's OUR place - Our Powers as a Community- part of a series of Open Heart surgeries organised by Vital Kingston in order to create places that put the Heart in our Community

Venue: Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, C-Scaipe

All welcome

Free to join but you need to book online

Click here for more information (more workshops in July too)

July 2nd - 12noon to 2pm

'Planting and Sowing' session at the Town House Community Garden

We're also welcoming any donations of seddlings or seeds.

All welcome

Where: Community Garden, between the Town House and Denmark Road

Email Elise for more information or read the article about it in the main column of this newsletter.

July 7th - 8:30 to 12noon

'Making sense of sustainability' seminar, forming part of the Sustainability for SMEs series organised and presented by the Sustainability Hub

Venue: Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, JG4010

Cost: £25 per delegate (includes tea, coffee and a light lunch)

Click here for more information and to book

July 7th - 7 to 9pm

'Stitch in Time' Workshop. Come along to share and learn sewing skills and make new friends.

'Pimp my wardrobe''

Organised by TTK

Venue: Kingston Environment Centre, KT1 2PT

Visit the website for more information

July 15th - 11am to 3pm

'Dr Bike service'

Venue: Kingston-upon-Thames, Town Centre, outside Bentalls in Clarence Street

See middle column for more information and further dates

July 15th - 8:30 to 12noon

'Sustainable Waste Management' seminar, forming part of the Sustainability for SMEs series organised and presented by the Sustainability Hub

Venue: Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, JG2012

Cost: £25 per delegate (includes tea, coffee and a light lunch)

Click here for more information and to book

July 22nd - 8:30 to 12noon

'Engaging Staff and Improving Performance' seminar, forming part of the Sustainability for SMEs series organised and presented by the Sustainability Hub

Venue: Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, JG4010

Cost: £25 per delegate (includes tea, coffee and a light lunch)

Click here for more information and to book

July 24th and 25th - 12 noon to 8pm

Ben and Jerry’s Fairtrade festival with music, Fairtrade friends, fairground attractions, social activism and free ice-cream a go-go.

Venue: London's Clapham Common

Cost: £15

Visit their website for more information

July 27th - 8:30 to 12noon

'Engaging Staff and Improving Performance' seminar, forming part of the Sustainability for SMEs series organised and presented by the Sustainability Hub

Venue: Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, JG4010

Cost: £25 per delegate (includes tea, coffee and a light lunch)

Click here for more information and to book

To find out what's on in the next few months ahead, visit our Events Page.

Hello

- View the eco-bytes online-

These are the eco-bytes, brought to you by the Sustainability Hub. This newsletter will fill you in with the latest sustainability stories and forthcoming events.

If you have not yet registered on our mailing list and want to subscribe to receive this monthly e-newsletter, then fill-in the online form (look for the form in the column).

We also welcome your comments and ideas for improvements. If there is a story or an event you want to share, let us know and we will try and include it in the next edition.

KU shoots up the Green League to top position in London

Students throwing a blown-up Earth globe

Kingston University has jumped from 46th to 15th in this year’s People & Planet's Green League Table, sharing the position with LSE as the highest scoring London universities. The table classifies universities according by ‘degree’ – and this year Kingston received a First. Read the full article here.

Kingston University Win Green Gown Award!

Another Green Gong for Kingston; KU celebrated a double win in its green campaign with a top national commendation at the Green Gown Awards. The award for continuous improvement for change was presented to the Sustainability Hub team at a gala dinner held at the Globe Theatre on the 16th June. Read the full article here.

Funding grants to improve students' real world learning

Participants from the Steering Group for Sustainability (SGS) have recently gained small funding grants to support two new projects. Both, in very different ways, aim to improve students’ real world learning and enhance their employability skills. The grants have been awarded to two faculties: FASS and Science with support from the Sustainability Hub and Sustainability Team. Read more here.

TFL Cycle Challenge Update

In-Disposable mugs

This June, over 50 members of staff took part in the TFL Cycle Challenge which encourages workplaces to celebrate their cycling colleagues by recording their daily mileage. So far the KU team has clocked up a combined mileage total of 6220 miles, which has saved 1.62 tonnes of C02 not to mention the traffic reduction from other means of transport. For more information, click here.

Please note there are a number of other activities available for all cyclists.

1 - 'Dr Bike service' (Free bicycle check up) in Kingston Town Centre, outside Bentalls in Clarence Street between 11am and 3pm on:

Thursday 15 July

Wednesday 11 August

Saturday 4 September

The Police will also be on hand to provide free security marking.

2 - Learn how to maintain your bicycles health by attending a bike maintenance workshop for just £10, click here for more info. If you want to know more about cycle support classes and cycle routes in Kingston go to the Royal Borough of Kingston cycling support pages here.

Join the Bicycle Users Group (BUG)

The Bicycle Users Group (BUG) is a network for Kingston University staff and students who use a bicycle or are thinking about using a bicycle for their commute or business travel. For more info, email the Sustainability Team.

The Green Wall

Each month, we introduce you to a new individual who works at Kingston University and contributes to promoting the sustainability agenda.

Featured this month is: Muriel Swijghuisen

Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg is an Eco Champion based in Swan House. She has earned 29 Eco-Points to date and recently she has been cycling an impressive 17 miles to work! She bought her bicycle through the Cycle to Work scheme, which is run by Human Resources. The full story about Muriel can be found here. She has also informed the Sustainability Team to the thermostats being too high in her office and has begun to purchase more Fairtrade products.

Key fact

The University received a green gown award in 2009 for its 'end of term halls donation scheme' which has helped over 15 charities and donated 20 tonnes of items for reuse. Click here to find out more about the scheme which is currently running until the end of the Summer or read the news item just below.

Moving out of Halls? Got too much stuff to take home? Don't bin it, donate it!

2 students by the Donation bin

Students who live in Kingston University Halls of Residence can donate their unwanted 'stuff' to charity by using the End of Term Halls Donation Scheme (6th edition) which commenced on 31st May. Collect a bag from your halls reception and fill it with clean good condition items that you no longer need, then pop the tied up bag into the big green donation bins situated outside at every halls site. Last year we collected 6 tonnes worth of items and donated them to local charities for re-use. See posters in halls kitchens for details or contact us.

Product Design Student creates 'Mulch Men'

Mulch Men by Arran Evans

Simon Maidment, Product and Furniture Design BA Course leader, asked students to identify a world-wide problem and then try to design a creative and meaningful solution to it. Student Arran Evans chose to address society's dependance on oil-based plastics with imagination and humour. She created a range of 'Mulch Men' made from a potato starch plastic. Click here to read the case study.

School of Education supports new Teachers and Community Centre in Uganda

Children In Class in Uganda

Andrew Powell, Lecturer in the School of Education (FASS), is helping set up a new project based in South West Uganda to build and develop a Teachers and Community Centre in which both students and staff will get involved (KU students are going to Uganda this July). The aim is to use the Centre for visiting staff and students and to provide a much needed community centre resource. The initiative originated from Andrew's own interests and research in Global Citizenship. The project is now an official HMRC registered charity and your contributions are welcome!

Read the flyer for more information about the project and how to donate.

Community Garden is taking shape

the Community Garden

Since April 2010, KU staff and students have been working with members of Transition Town Kingston to create an attractive, productive and educational community garden in the form of a raised bed. The garden is situated behind Town House, Penrhyn Road. Click here to read the case study.

Bloomin' Marvellous!

KU staff and students in front of the raised bed

Do you have spare seedlings that you're not sure what to do with? Got any leftover seed? Then Town House Community Garden needs you! A session for planting seedlings and sowing seeds is taking place on Friday 2nd July between 12 and 2pm. All welcome. If you have seedlings you’d like to donate to the garden or are interested in getting involved, please get in touch with Elise Toogood, Outreach Officer for the Sustainability Hub.

Sustainability for SMEs seminars at KU

The Sustainability Hub is launching a series of training workshops to help SMEs improve their environmental and social performance. The seminars are taking place at the University and cover the following topics:

- Making Sense of Sustainability

- Sustainable Waste Management

- Engaging Staff and Improving Performance

- An Introduction to Environmental Management Systems

Please feel free to circulate this to your business contacts. Dates and details can be found on the calendar column (left handside) or on our website.

Health Event 2010 feedback

The Stand at the Health Matters event

This June saw Kingston University hold 2 Health Matters events at the Kingston Hill and Penrhyn Road campus. The Sustainability Team, along with Keith Day from HR, were promoting the health benefits of cycling to work and how it can help reduce your carbon footprint. The Sustainability Team were also promoting the benefits of reducing your meat intake, explaining the health benefits and how it can reduce your carbon footprint. Working alongside Avenance, the Sustainability Team have recently produced a Sustainable Food Procurement Policy and they were handing out sandwiches made by Avenance that were vegetarian Procurement Policy and they were handing out sandwiches made by Avenance that were vegetarian using fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Sustainability for Business Event feedback

On 19th May, the Sustainability Hub teamed up with the Enterprise Exchange at Kingston University to deliver an event aimed at Businesses. The aim was to alert them to the possibility of linking up with the University to further their sustainability agenda. Professor Mukesh Limbachiya (Engineering), Dr Stephen Pretlove (FADA) and Dr Ros Taylor (Sustainability Hub) all spoke in turn at the event. The event ran from 4:30pm until 7pm and attendees, presenters and organsiers were able to network from 6:15pm onwards, over a glass of wine and a cheese platter.

Sustainability for Built Environment Practice Masters

'Sustainability for Built Environment Practice' is one of a new suite of postgraduate courses aimed at the next generation of sustainability professionals. Students from different pathways work together around key issues of economy, society and environment. The programme is designed to be career enhancing - built environment professionals with an understanding of how the sustainability agenda interfaces with professional practice have an increasing competitive advantage. Practical learning is central to the course philosophy - from understanding scientific principles and procedures to learning about economic and social accountability and legal frameworks. This course is taught by staff in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture with colleagues from the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Business and Law. Please click here to find out more about the course.

Other sustainability related Masters programmes can be consulted here.

Student Internship - Sustainable Homes

Sustainable Homes, a leading training and consultancy company based in Kingston have an opportunity for a three months internship starting Mid-July 2010. Interns will gain a real insight into cutting edge sustainability policy and practice. (Previous interns have gone on to permanent roles within Sustainable Homes and other industry leading companies.) Candidates should have a strong interest in sustainability and the built environment. Deadline for applications is 5pm Friday 2nd July so you need to act NOW! For more information about this internship opportunity and to apply, please read the Intern Job Description. Good Luck!

Volunteering Opportunity - RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2010 Reuse scheme

"We're looking for volunteers to help us talk to as many exhibitors and contractors as possible so that they will donate good quality material to the reuse scheme. When the show enters ‘breakdown’– a race to clear the site that has to be seen to be believed – we’ll take the material across to the dedicated reuse areas where it will be collected for redistribution. The work will take place at Hampton Court Palace between 28th June and 4th July for build-up and from the 11th to the 16th July for breakdown. Click here to read the volunteering job description. If you wish to apply, download the application form here. Good luck!

'Shades of Green' in our Sustainability Library

'Shades of Green' book cover

A new book has joined our Sustainability Hub Mini Library. 'Shades of Green' by Paul Waddington can now be consulted in our office; Town House 110, Penrhyn Road. Follow the link to read the indicative list of books available from us. Feel free to email us if you know of any other publications that could be relevant or if you wish to find out more about the Library.

REMINDER: Calling Students: Paper competitions

Graduate Student Paper Competition for the Journal 'Environmental Values'. Closing date: 1st August 2010. For more information, visit the website.

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