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London Student Sustainability Conference 2024

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London, a city bustling with energy and innovation, is once again at the forefront of a movement towards a more sustainable future. As the global climate crisis looms ever larger, the need for action has never been more urgent. In the heart of this vibrant metropolis, students from universities across the capital gather for the London Student Sustainability Conference 2024, a beacon of hope and catalyst for change. 

This year students from the University of Greenwich attended, presented and volunteered at the conference. Look below for a few blogs to give you the inside scoop of what the conference was like! 

Sustainable Tourism: Unveiling Challenges and Opportunities in The Gambia 

By Ousman Jawneh Jawara

Introduction: My name is Ousman Jawneh Jawara, a third-year student pursuing a BA in Tourism Management. I was thrilled to be selected to present my project, “Tourism in Gambia: Challenges and Opportunities,” at the London Student Sustainability Conference hosted at Imperial College in London. This research topic has been a source of inspiration for me for over six years, shaping not only my academic journey but also my commitment to contributing to sustainable tourism development in my home country. 

Background: The Gambia, nestled in the heart of Africa, boasts a rich tourism history, abundant natural resources, UNESCO heritage sites, stunning beaches, and a delightful climate. Despite its small size, tourism plays a significant role, contributing 20% to the national GDP and fostering overall development. However, this growth is not without challenges, including climate change, environmental degradation, economic leakage, and a lack of comprehensive tourism policies. 

Research Rationale: My project aims to delve into the reasons behind the frustration in tourism development in The Gambia despite its vast natural resources. Key questions include understanding the draw factors for tourists, the impact of tourism on households, and its contribution to the national economy. Additionally, the lack of academic research in this area motivates this study, aiming to bridge the existing gap in knowledge. 

Passion for Sustainable Tourism: What compelled me to present at LSSC24 is the deep-seated passion, love, and dedication I have for my country. I am committed to achieving sustainable tourism development through research and promoting responsible tourism that not only benefits the economy but also safeguards our planet and involves local communities. Representing my university at this level is an added honor and responsibility. 

Acknowledgments: I extend my heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Fatemeh Mohamadi, my project supervisor, for her unwavering support throughout the presentation process. Special thanks to Andres Coca Stefaniak for inspiring me with his knowledge on sustainability, Samantha Chaperon, Lauren Siegel, Isabella Ye, and to all the dedicated lecturers from the Department of Tourism and Events. 

In sharing my research, I aspire to contribute to the discourse on sustainable tourism, fostering positive change in The Gambia and beyond. 

Embracing Sustainability and Student Leadership: My Journey as a Volunteer at LSSC24 

By Ishan Thakkar

Hello, I’m Ishan Thakkar, a student pursuing International Business at the University of Greenwich. With a fervent interest in sustainability and a deep appreciation for nature, I am always on the lookout for opportunities that allow me to make a positive impact. My journey as a volunteer at the London Student Sustainability Conference 2024 (LSSC24), hosted at Imperial College London, was a testament to my proactive approach and commitment to environmental stewardship. 

As I sit down to pen my thoughts on my recent volunteering experience at the LSSC24, I am filled with a sense of pride and fulfilment. This marks my second year of volunteering at this prestigious event, and with each passing year, my passion for sustainability and student leadership grows stronger.  I assisted presenters and organizers in ensuring the smooth execution of the event. One of the most rewarding aspects of volunteering was the opportunity to engage with presenters and learn about their sustainability initiatives first-hand. Their passion and commitment to driving positive change left a lasting impression on me and reinforced my belief in the power of collective action. 

Proudly student-led and organized by ten universities, LSSC24 showcased the collective efforts of students in addressing sustainability challenges. The commitment of the Student Delivery Group was evident in every aspect of the conference, infusing it with a student perspective and ensuring its success. 

It has reaffirmed my commitment to sustainability and ignited a newfound determination to make a meaningful impact. Therefore, I am excited to announce that I will be working on my own sustainability initiative over the coming year. My goal is to develop a comprehensive project that addresses a pressing sustainability issue and showcase it at the upcoming LSSC25. I eagerly anticipate becoming one of the presenters as well. I am eager to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on sustainability and to inspire others to join me in taking action towards a more sustainable future. With determination and passion, I am confident that together, we can create a more sustainable world for future generations. 

My experience in the Student Delivery Group at LSSC24 

By Michelle Kossowski

My name is Michelle Kossowski and I am a first-year international law student from Canada. I joined the university’s Sustainability team as a volunteer in September 2023. Ever since then, I have supported Clothes Swap events and was a member of the Student Delivery Group for the London Student Sustainability Conference 2024!

I am drawn to the sector of sustainability because improving the environment has a direct effect on people’s quality of life. I believe sustainability is not just about improving the current quality of life, but ensuring it keeps to a high standard in the future. The issue of fast fashion interests me because I often see my peers making unsustainable fashion choices due to the rapidly changing trend cycle. I hope to educate others on the social and environmental impacts of unsustainable fashion. I am also intrigued in the intersection between sustainability and law because the law can be a mechanism to prevent environmental misconduct. I heard about the opportunity of joining the Student Delivery Group from the sustainability team at Greenwich.

I wanted to connect and network with like-minded individuals and my first meeting was electric, as we all had ideas about the event. It was a diverse and welcoming space to give and receive feedback. I settled as the conference’s Social Media Manager and my responsibilities were to create promotional content and content on the day. The opening ceremony of the conference was already filled with excitement and hope.

A highlight of the ceremony was a speech given by Dr. Omnia El Omrani, who is a Climate Change and Health Junior Policy Fellow at Imperial College London. She talked about her work in promoting a health-focused approach to sustainability across the world and how she presented youth efforts on climate and health at COP28 UAE. This set an inspirational tone for the day!

Although I was running around the building with the student photographer getting the perfect shots for social media, I found the time to sit down for a presentation. I listened to Niso Khamraeva’s presentation, “Saving the Aral Sea,” which focused on a region of the world that was completely new to me, Karakalpakstan. She discussed the gender and climate impacts of the community’s diminishing water source and finished the speech with the insightful question: “If every specialist brought with them a bucket of water, would the sea be filled again?” After the presentation, I went to conduct short interviews with the workshop leaders. It was a comfortable atmosphere and the lecturers I spoke with were open about their experiences and motivations surrounding the LSSC24. Attending the LSSC24 was an enriching experience to learn more about sustainability from a student perspective and I intend to foster all the connections I made.

LSSC24: Creating opportunities for students to shine 

By Fariha ‘Faz’ Ahmed

Hi, I’m Faz Ahmed, Sustainability Projects Assistant at The University of Greenwich. I became a part of the UoG fabric around 5 months ago and one of the first tasks I got given was to be involved in the London Student Sustainability Conference 2024. Now, in all honesty I had never heard of this conference (which is shameful considering I just recently graduated in sustainability from a London university), so I turned up to the meetings with very little clue and first-day jitters. 

But what I found was an inspiring group of higher education professionals gung-ho in creating the best and most impactful experience for students interested in a topic near and dear; sustainability.  

Steering group leader, Arthur Shearlaw, spear-headed the event to what it is, ensuring everyone was on the same page, and doing a lot of the less than exciting work; the dreaded admin. I was lucky to have UoG Sustainability Manager, David Jackson to hold my hand through the process and make me aware of the ins and outs. Apart from these shout-outs it was just wonderful to meet such an eclectic group of varied people ranging from lecturers, sustainability professionals and people new to higher education, just like me, who were truly enthused to share their knowledge and experiences in sustainability. 

Now, when it comes the actual event, I made the rather rash decision to manage the student volunteers who so kindly gave up their time to make the event what it was. If I’m being honest, the role did make me want to scream at times, especially when I was running around like a headless chicken on the day. However, the screams quickly turned into smiles once I met such a broad range of young, passionate students with real interest in contributing to how our world is shaped.  

The experience was incredible, and I’ll leave it at that. 

Interview with Adam Sayner, Director of GroCycle

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Ever wondered what happens to all those coffee grounds after the water’s run through it to make your cappuccino? Of course, it goes to landfill. We drink about 80 million cups of coffee every day, and that’s just the UK. But what else can you do with used coffee grounds?

One social enterprise has discovered a beautiful solution. At GroCycle, Adam and Eric have been using waste coffee since 2011 to grow gourmet Oyster mushrooms. Sounds weird, right? Well, according to Adam, the ‘traditional’ way to grow mushrooms is on straw and sawdust, so it’s not that weird after all.

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In social enterprise schemes positive outcomes aren’t measured against monetary gains but environmental or social good. GroCycle are a not-for-profit Community Interest Company – all the money they make goes straight back towards making beneficial changes in the way we live. Their aim is pretty simple: to keep coffee waste out of landfill.

In their first year they collected 5 tonnes of the stuff. “We definitely got some strange looks when walking into some cafes and asking for their coffee waste to grow mushrooms on! But after we explain it, almost every café is really supportive and they’re happy to see their waste go to good use.” On top of finding a use for the waste, Adam says that “the brewing process pasteurises the grounds, making it an easier way to grow the mushrooms than the traditional method.”

In the early days they’d experimented growing other kinds of mushrooms like Shiitake, Lion’s Mane, King Oyster and Pioppino, but it was only the Oyster mushrooms that could grow on pure coffee. “Oyster mushrooms are well known to grow on lots of different substrates so if any mushrooms can grow on coffee, it’ll be them!”

From collecting 5 tonnes of coffee in their first year, last year GroCycle produced 5 tonnes of gourmet Oyster mushrooms, all from recycled coffee! They used more than 20,000 kilos of waste grounds – with a humble team of four people. “Although we are a small team, we are beginning to have a big impact,” Adam says. “More than 7000 people grew their own mushrooms at home with our kits, and we now run a popular online course which teaches people in 35 countries around the world how to grow mushrooms on coffee. This is a big part of what we’re about: spreading and teaching the idea to others.”

A big part of this is the way GroCycle is run, and Adam tells me he’d always seen business as a potential driver for positive change. “The motto ‘trading for people and planet’ is used by the Social Enterprise Mark, which we are accredited by, and I think it fits the bill perfectly. GroCycle achieves a meaningful social and environmental benefit in the work that we do.”

That benefit is partly achieved by the locality of the project; they’re now regularly collecting waste coffee from the five biggest cafés in Exeter city centre. For Adam, sourcing our food more locally is an integral part of forging a more sustainable future. “It’s an incredibly important part of how we can begin to reduce our impact on the planet and create a vibrant food economy. When you eat food that has been produced locally it will usually have consumed less energy, it’ll be fresher, it’ll taste better, and you will be supporting the people in your local community that are growing it.”

“Our biggest aim for the years ahead is to support others in countries around the world to set up growing mushrooms in a low impact way. We have built so much knowledge over the last few years and are often asked if we can assist people and offer advice. As a small non-profit organisation it can often be difficult to have enough time for this, but we have found teaching via an online course a great way to do it. We are currently planning a flagship course which will launch later this year. It’ll teach people how to set up grow rooms, and cover the practicalities and economics of production.”

Public Health final year placements in the Sustainable Development Unit

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Charity Imagor

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Greetings to you all, my name is Charity Imagor a 3rd year undergraduate Public Health student at the University of Greenwich. It is indeed a great pleasure to be a part of the University of Greenwich Sustainability Team.

Pursuing a Public Health course at the University of Greenwich   has greatly enhanced and extended my knowledge in acquiring   skills on how to promote health through   the environment, for example, encouraging walking and cycling is a good way of increasing physical activities. Regular physical activities reduce incidences of coronary heart diseases, stroke and   chances   of being obese. Therefore, creating    active, safe and accessible greens spaces   such as parks and community gardens   will   encourage individuals to participate more in physical activities and gaining knowledge in   growing their own fruit and vegetables hence promoting a healthy lifestyle.

In my second year one of the modules   that I undertook was environmental health and Housing. The information and knowledge I   acquired during these lectures raised my awareness that there are certain circumstances that impact greatly on our health if our environment is not cared for appropriately. For example human behaviour that causes   air pollution such pollution from cars and highly industrialised areas, is a leading environmental threat to human health. Particles in the air such as dust, dirt, soot, and smoke are one kind of air pollution that is known to cause health problems.  People exposed to fine particles over a long period of time have more heart and lung problems such as Asthma   than people who are not breathing this kind of air pollution.

The environment is one of the determinants of health and closely links to Public Health. For example the Physical environment   which includes safe water and clean air, healthy workplaces, safe houses, communities and roads all contribute to good health among individuals and communities at large.

I hope through being on placement with the sustainability team, I will gain more Public Health knowledge and skills required to promote environmental issues and personal health including for those around me. I will also be able to share my knowledge and skills in combating the determinants of health with other Health Students on placement and with the Sustainability Team

I am so   enthusiastic and cannot wait to meet with the sustainability team, to learn more from others about the environment in particular its benefits to the community. including how it could be conserved and preserved for the future generations.

 

Nnenna Nzeh

NnennaHi, I’m Nnenna and I am currently writing my final year project in Public Health. I complement my studies with being one of the Green Impact Assistants and I’m also doing my work experience with the sustainability department. Great! Work experience is one of the requirements needed for the award of the degree that I have undertaken and to help prepare me for the roles ahead. I’ve been allocated to work with the Grey building team. I have undertaken an induction course with an amazing staff of the Green impact Team at the Grey building and this is in relation with the objectives that I have agreed with my tutor and sustainability. The objectives in a nutshell include; examine the interrelationship between behaviour change and health as part of a green impact process; to identify different areas that form part of Green Impact and to highlight other areas of personal improvement.

It’s been great working with Emily and Alex and I’m looking forward to working with the team at the Grey building and to upgrade my experience. The placement will give me a window of opportunity to see different aspects of sustainability and to apply these aspects in public health practice and more over to meet people from other fields of work.

 

Esther Oyeniran

estherHello, my name is Esther I am currently in my final year studying Public Health at the University of Greenwich.  I love listening to classical music and also play the Viola.  I also love travelling and exploring new places.  My studies at University of Greenwich has been very exciting so far and has widened my knowledge about public health issues both locally and globally

It is a great privilege to be part of the sustainability team working towards protecting the environment from pollution and the effects of climate change.   Necessary to achieving this goal is a clear understanding of how the integrated social, economic and environmental aspects of our world affect sustainability.  These aspects represent a related set of concepts that when considered together form a solid basis from which major decisions and actions can be made with regards to public health.  The issue of sustainability is extremely important because of its immense impact on the present and in particular the future world.  The choices we pursue and all the actions that we make today will affect how we live in the future. We need to make sound decisions at present in order to avoid limiting the choices of generations to come.

As an undergraduate undertaking a work placement with the sustainability team I hope to acquire the necessary skills that will help me in my future job role as a Public Health Practitioner.

 

Elizabeth Conteh

My name is Elizabeth Conteh. I will be doing my forty hours work experience with Sustainability team. I am a final year student at the University of Greenwich and I study Public Health in the School of Health and Social Care.

I love music and going to church with friends and family. I have no previous experience in sustainability, therefore doing this work experience with the sustainability team means so much because I want to learn more about growing food.

Additionally, I wish to work as health promoter in my future career to promote and increase awareness of the benefits of healthy eating, so for this placement I would also like to gain skills and knowledge in relation to organic gardening and healthy eating that can help me increase my knowledge of healthy eating.

 

Ruth M’bayo

Hi my name is Ruth, a final year public health student at the University of Greenwich. I’m so excited to join the sustainability team this February and March as part one of my courses. My objectives for this placement are:

  • To be able to identify the significance of the natural environment to public health and wellbeing. In other to achieve this objective, whilst doing my research on different edible gardens, I will try and explore some of the benefit and importance of the edible garden.  This will include identifying how the edible garden promote mental wellbeing, social inclusion, healthy eating and life style and also community development.
  •  To be able to explore the application of environmental policies to public health practice, in particular community gardening. The policies that will be observed during this placement with the sustainability team, whiles researching on the edible gardens will be, the sustainable development food and environmental policies. However I will be exploring the link between the policies and the localism agenda and how it relate to public health practices.  Also I will be able to explore how they are similar and what goals they are all aiming to achieve.
  •  To be able to demonstrate my public health knowledge and skills and highlight any areas for further personal improvement. In other to achieve this objective I will use the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the three years of my course to do research and bring back ideas to the team. Also whilst on this placement I will highlight any area I need to improve on, and develop this as it will be beneficial for future job roles.

I hope this experience will help broaden my knowledge in the sustainability field, by making me understand what sustainable development is all about. Also to understand what link it has to public health. Furthermore I hope this experience will lead to exciting opportunities in the future, and also enable me put my public health knowledge in to practices in terms of what will be required of me in my future job role.  I look forward to meet and be a part of the team.

If you would like anymore information about work experience or internship opportunities within the team, please get in contact: sustainability@gre.ac.uk 

Health and Social Care New Arrivals Event

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Once you start asking the question: ‘what are the links between sustainability and health?’, you can find yourself with endless answers. The sustainability team and the department of Health and Social Care here at Greenwich are dedicated to exploring some of those links for the students and research. For example, did you know that NHS England spend £630 million a year on energy? Or that outside gardening is good for well-being? How will the UK health sector adapt to a changing climate and environment, and what are the knock on impacts?

We believe that students should have an understanding of sustainability from their first year at University, including those studying in the Health and Social Care department. So on the afternoon of 4th December 2013, we ran a joint event between the sustainability team and the departments in Health and Social Care. We wanted to get the new students engaged in the fun elements of sustainability and to educate them about how the impacts of their lifestyle choices. The students participated in 2 workshops: carbon speed dating and a festive quiz.

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During Carbon Speed dating both staff and students were rated as having a low, medium or high carbon footprint through answering some lifestyle questions: ‘how much do you spend on clothes and shoes a month?’ or ‘how would you describe your diet?’. They were then matched with someone with the opposite rating, so people with high carbon footprints spoke to people with lower ones, to share lifestyle choices and experiences. With a goal of networking in mind, the students also attempted a bingo exercise with each other, where they tried to find others with particular habits. For example, have you volunteered at Avery Hill Community Garden, or do you leave electrical items on standby?staff2

In the festive quiz the students battled it out in teams and answered questions on the social, economic and environmental impacts of the festive period. We discussed what easy lifestyle changes we could all make and shocked the group with some figures. Did you know that 60,000 were predicted to be reliant on a Trussell Trust food bank over the festive period? Or that 80,000 tonnes of old clothes would have been thrown away over this period in the UK (that’s 4 million suitcases)?

We would like to thank Veronica Habgood and the rest of the organisation team, as well as the volunteers on the day, for their hard work and enthusiasm. Furthermore,  congratulations on putting on a very tasty bake sale!staff group

 

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Health and Social Care Sustainability Day

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On Wednesday the 30th January the sustainability team joined forces with the School of Health and Social Care for a community building and sustainability awareness event.

All new arrivals of the 2012/2013 academic year were invited to an afternoon of activities centred around meeting others from across the School’s different disciplines and finding out why the University is first in the People and Planet Green League.

Veronica Habgood, Director of Learning and Quality at the School of Health and Social Care, describes the background of the event.

“The aim of the New Arrivals Event was to develop a sense of community, enabling students to meet informally with staff and to mix with students other than those on their programme.  ‘Sustainability’ was chosen as a theme as it is something that is relevant to all students and staff.  An appreciation of the importance of behaving sustainably is an aspect of the Greenwich Graduate Attributes project, and, as a school, we find this aspect more challenging to meet within our programmes due to the need to ensure that we are also meeting the demands of professional, statutory and regulatory bodies.  Through this event, we hoped to raise the awareness of students (and staff).”

Students (and staff!) were challenged to complete 3 activities throughout the afternoon. The first was an icebreaker that asked each group to share three positive aspects of their first term at Greenwich. A few common themes emerged with the most popular answers being: The support and guidance they received from friendly University staff and students; the experience of being on placement and learning new skills in the working environment; and meeting other students and making friends.

Enjoying the sustainability day in the compost!

The second activity was to complete a sustainability activity sheet which took students on a sustainability trail around the campus taking in some of the projects and features of the Avery Hill campus such as the Brompton bike dock and the community garden. The activities and questions tested their knowledge of many sustainability themes and prompted them to research current University targets such our carbon reduction commitment. The activity sheets along with answers can be found at http://tinyurl.com/abd7n9a which takes you to a Prezi presentation.

The third task was a photo competition. Each student group was asked to take a picture that they thought summed up sustainability at the university. These pictures went on display in Mary Seacole from the 11th Feb as part of Green Week and a winner was chosen by the sustainability team.

The winning photograph taken by Sarah Marling, Sairish Rashid, Rianne Williams, Violet Withanage, Shelly Law, Emer O'Hagan, Phoebe Ohwodo and Oluwatoyin Obigbesan of the School of Health and Social Care.

Staff and students commented after the event that they had enjoyed the experience and perhaps more importantly had learnt something about sustainability, from how much money the University spends on its electricity and gas bills to bringing in your own mug gets you 10p off tea and coffee at The Dome!

The sustainability team actively engages with staff through its champion network and the Green Impact project and is working hard to engage with as many students as possible. Over the course of the afternoon the team was able to talk with over 200 students about why sustainability is important to the University and how it will be important in their future careers.

The content of the afternoon’s activities were tailored to suit the department’s needs featuring questions and information on the NHS’s Sustainable Development Unit (SDU). Many of the School’s students will go on to work with the NHS so it was a good opportunity to show that sustainability features heavily in many of the UK’s large institutions which may be a part of their future careers.

The NHS SDU’s aim is to “help the NHS fulfil its potential as a leading sustainable and low carbon healthcare service.”

“The Sustainable Development Unit provides expert advice and support to the NHS to help it become a more sustainable organisation environmentally, financially and socially.  At an environmental level this includes addressing particular issues such as energy, travel, waste, procurement, water, infrastructure adaptation and buildings. Considering sustainability more broadly expands our work into the wider long term needs of the health service including adaptation of health service delivery, health promotion, tackling the wider determinants of health, corporate social responsibility and developing new sustainable models of care. We look to provide practical help to NHS colleagues in meeting carbon reduction targets and also engaging with individuals and organisations to change attitudes and behaviours to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle.”

To find out more about the NHS SDU please visit their website at http://www.sdu.nhs.uk/. The Sustainable Development Unit is running a consultation and engagement programme open to the public to produce a new Sustainable Development Strategy for the Health, Public health and Social Care System to 2020.  The consultation closes at 5.00pm on 31 May 2013 and you can find out more and have your say here.

If you would like more information about how the Sustainability Team can work with your department in delivering engagement activities please contact Emily Mason at e.mason@gre.ac.uk.