Environmental policy
Morag Rennie
Environment Officer
environment [at] st-annes-mcr.org.uk
At St. Anne's, the MCR takes environmental issues very seriously. Not only do we make extensive provisions in our graduate accommodation for recycling and low environmental impact, but we also strive to provide as much information as we can about environmental issues so our students can make their own decisions and choices. If you have any questions about our environmental policy, please contact the MCR Environment Officer, Morag Rennie, by emailing environment [at] st-annes-mcr.org.uk
Happiness is being environmentally friendly
A recent study showed that there is a significant correlation between a person's degree of environmentalism and their subjective well-being. Therefore we make efforts to allow MCR members live more sustainably due to healthy consumption and lifestyle choices and, as a consequence, increased well-being and happiness among the MCR. Sounds good to us! So, how can you get involved, as a member of St. Anne's MCR or otherwise? In these pages are a series of hints and tips for environmentally friendly living; small, painless, habit-forming changes that you can make that will have a massive cumulative effect. There are also lots of links to external sites for more information and ideas. Here's one to get you started: what's important to you?
Did you know that:
- 1 recycled tin can would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours.
- 1 recycled glass bottle would save enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes.
- 70% less energy is required to recycle paper compared with making it from raw materials.
On both the college site and at RSH there are glass, paper, tin can and cardboard recycling facilities.
Excess charges
Ok, so we all know that we should turn lights off when we leave rooms and turn appliances off and not just leave them on stand-by. In fact, just doing the latter would save, in the UK, the energy produced by two-and-a-half 700 megawatt power stations each year. But, did you know that plugged in phone chargers waste energy even when they aren't charging your phone? Unplugging mobile phone chargers could save consumers £60m a year and cut CO2 emissions by 250,000 tonnes! So, a "to-do" list for you:
- Unplug your phone charger when not charging your phone.
- Charge your phone during the day and not at night (so there aren't hours when it's done charging but still plugged in).
- Smile and feel good about how easy it is to make a massive difference!
Not my bag baby!
According to Waste Watch, every year 17.5 billion plastic bags are given away by supermarkets alone, which is equivalent to more than 290 bags per person in the UK. What a waste! So, a ludicrously easy tip: next time you go shopping, reuse some bags from your last visit, thereby saving the energy and materials needed to create a new bag. I've got a (reused!) bag of bags hanging by my door and I just pick one up when I'm off shopping. Simple!
Alternatively, get yourself a "bag for life" where you pay once for a sturdy plastic bag that is replaced when it becomes unusable.
Don't turn me on and then just leave me...
Turn your lights off, even if you're just leaving the room for a short time. Okay, so you've all heard that before and most of you are saintly in your adherence to it which is brilliant. But it's just that easy to do that it is immensely frustrating to find lights on at all hours in empty rooms, especially in the TV room on the way up to my flat. So please do it.
Better still, now that we're recycling, unplugging mobile phone chargers, saying 'no' to plastic bags and turning off lights (okay, I'm sure most of you were doing so before my tips) perhaps it's time we become ambassadors for all things green and wonderful. I know there's a few in the MCR and I bet there's a whole heap of lights in departments just crying out to be turned off more often. It would be cruel not to, really! ;-)
Delia would approve
Jamie Oliver tells us we have forgotten how to feed our children; Gordon Ramsay tells us we have forgotten how to feed ourselves. Nigel Slater tells us the only future for food is to support our local growers, grocers, butchers and bakers. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs tells us that food transported by air - mainly fresh fruit and vegetables - accounts for 0.1% of total food miles, but generates 13% of total food transport CO2 emissions.
They all tell us that, for ourselves and our environment, we can do better when it comes to food. And one way is to look for food that is one or all of local (reducing food miles), seasonal (reducing need to ship from abroad or heat greenhouses locally), organic (uses fewer pesticides and, arguably, tastes better) and minimally packaged (reducing waste). Fairtrade is another option to consider.
It's up to you how and if you go about this, but I for one get a box of fresh, organic, local, seasonal vegetables delivered weekly. I think it's a great service. Failing that, there are lots of ways in supermarkets or local shops that you can find to choose responsibly: anyone remember this story?
