Go Green Week 2011 proved to be roaring success this year at Newcastle University with People & Planet putting on a whole range of events and activities for students to get involved with.
Monday 7th February saw People & Planet team up with local green event’s organiser ‘Green Scene’ to put on a night of Carbon Speed Dating! It was fun evening a great way of making students aware of their carbon footprint.
It was also an early start for some People & Planet members on Monday 7th February as they made their way down to Grainger Market at 8am to pick up suitcases full of fruit and vegetables. These fruit and vegetables were destined to end up in the rubbish bin, as they were last week’s stock, but People & Planet swooped in to save the day and decided to put the fruit to good use and make delicious free smoothies for students.
People and Planet set up a stall outside the Robinson Library on Tuesday 8th February to hand out their free smoothies and raise awareness about the unnecessary waste in the food industry. This was a great way to launch People and Planet’s food campaign around campus and the afternoon was enjoyed by all, especially by those who managed to bag themselves a free drink! In keeping with the spirit of Go Green Week, all the smoothies and fresh orange juice were prepare manually using a smoothie bike and some old fashioned elbow grease! Some students were even allowed a go at pedalling their own smoothie!
In keeping with the food theme, Wednesday 9th February was used to show the Oscar-nominated documentary ‘Food Inc’ at the Salsa Cafe in Newcastle. The film delves into the world of American corporate farming and exposes the ways in which these methods of farming are environmentally and economically unsustainable. Film viewers were able to sit back and enjoy the show whilst munching on some the finest cheesy nachos the Salsa Cafe had to offer!
To round up Go Green Week 2011, People and Planet set up stalls outside the Robinson Library to hand out information and to promote the launch of their up and coming food campaign. A North East Organic Growers (NEOG) representative also came down to hand out information and photos about their ‘organic veg box’ schemes. Available at a different stall was Newcastle University ‘Lug A Mugs’ each costing just £1.50 and as an extra bonus for using your travel mug at outlets on campus you get 10p off your tea or coffee. These handy mugs are still available (in limited numbers) to buy from The Bistro, The Courtyard, The Forum, Bites at the Dental School, Campus Coffee and the cafe in the Robinson Library. Go get yours today!
Finally, working with other People and Planet universities from around the UK, Newcastle’s own P&P were required to create the letter ‘N’ as part of a nationwide visual stunt to spell out ‘Cut the Carbon, Not Education.’ This happened in Exhibition Park using a tree and a lot of red fabric!
For more information about Green Week 2011 or People and Planet, check out their website here and get involved!
Lisa, student engagement intern