On Friday the 25th of October, 14 colleagues from Estates and Facilities took a trip to Seaton Delaval Hall to work as volunteer gardeners for the day under Newcastle University’s colleague volunteering scheme. It was a really rewarding experience, so read on to hear more about our day!
Seaton Delaval Hall is a National Trust grade 1 listed building in Northumberland, with stunning formal gardens and relaxed, biodiverse woodlands. The property was designed in 1718 for Admiral George Delaval.
Photo: Seaton Delaval Hall
Our role
The lovely team of gardeners briefed us on our role for the day – to assist with digging, weeding and pathway edging in the Oval. The Oval Garden was once the location for the notorious Delaval parties, but today it is a perfect space for a peaceful walk or picnic. We made our way around the perimeter of The Oval using shovels, lawn edging tools and leaf rakes to create a border between the lawn and the hedge. Volunteering provided a great opportunity to spend some time outside and we also spotted a variety of wildlife including pheasants, a 22-spot yellow ladybird, and a lot of worms! It was great to get stuck in, and (especially as a new member of the team), get to know everyone a bit better in a relaxed setting.
After a coffee and lunch break at the on-site Brewhouse Café, we got back to work and finished off the job. As a thank you for our help, Senior Gardener Sarah Peilow gave us a tour of the grade 2 listed Seaton Delaval Hall gardens, where we got to see the Halloween decorations around the hall, and the vibrant garden.
Photo: The Oval Garden
Benefits of Volunteering
It is a fulfilling way to spend the day!
You can chat to new people and gain valuable skills.
It can make a positive difference to our local community.
It can strengthen your teamwork abilities!
It can enhance your mental and physical wellbeing.
If you partake in volunteering outdoors, it can provide opportunities for colleagues to build a connection with the environment and local wildlife.
Thank you so much to the team at Seaton Delaval Hall for being so welcoming and supportive throughout the day, and for the work they do to keep the site so beautiful. Also, thank you to James Adshead for organising the day! I would highly recommend for other colleagues at the university to take advantage of the volunteer scheme which offers two paid volunteering days with a charity each year. More information on the colleague volunteer scheme can be found here, and find out how you can volunteer at Seaton Delaval Hall here.
At Newcastle University, we recognise that the climate crisis must be addressed communally, and we cannot meet the sustainability targets set out in our Climate Action Plan without the efforts of all our colleagues and students.
Green Impact and LEAF are two amazing programmes available for our colleagues at the university, with the opportunity for participants to win bronze, silver, and gold awards for sustainability. Earlier this month, the Environment Awards recognised and celebrated the achievements of our colleagues and students over the past year, with 11 teams receiving Green Impact awards and 10 teams receiving LEAF awards. A massive congratulations to those teams!
So, read on to find out how you can get involved in the next programme of Green Impact or LEAF, and play your part in increasing environmental sustainability on campus!
Green Impact
Green Impact is a United Nations award-winning programme which promotes environmentally and socially sustainable behaviour across organisations. At Newcastle University, colleagues can sign up to Green Impact and create teams within their work area, with actions assigned to complete in the online toolkit. The toolkit is aligned with the UN Sustainability Goals, with themes such as energy, water, waste, travel, biodiversity, communication, and wellbeing.
This is a great opportunity to improve your knowledge on environmental issues and contribute to meaningful sustainable change in your workplace, whilst collecting some awards to display!
Chat to your colleagues in your work area about Green Impact teams and either join one that’s already been created or create a new team.
Email sustainable-campus@newcastle.ac.uk to join the Green Impact Teams channel, and chat to other teams!
Work through your assigned actions. Each action grants a certain number of points which then add up to the bronze, silver, and gold awards.
Our friendly student auditors will come round to check your progress later in the year.
The Environmental Awards will be held in June, with engraved recycled slates for teams that made it to Bronze, Silver, or Gold.
LEAF
Our laboratories are essential in enabling the groundbreaking research conducted at Newcastle University, and scientific research is vital in mitigating the climate crisis. However, traditional laboratory practices can come with unintended environmental impact (Freese et al, 2024).
LEAF, or the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework, is an online platform for laboratory users designed by UCL to improve the sustainability and efficiency of laboratories. Similar to Green Impact, lab teams work through sustainability actions to reduce waste, water, and energy along with improving the efficiency of other resources. There is an upcoming refresh of the LEAF actions and criteria, so sign up now to be a part of this updated programme.
Image: Diversity of Life Lab Session (Biology & Zoology). Photo Credit: Chris Bishop.
Register with your institutional email, then login and either join an existing lab, or request a new lab (if your lab is not already listed).
After your account is verified, work with your team through the bronze, silver, and gold criteria. Members of the Sustainability Team will assess your progress along the way, and certificates will be awarded at the Environmental Awards!
Every year, progress to a higher certificate, or re-audit to keep your accreditation.
Key dates:
Relaunch of Green Impact on Monday the 11th of November
Criteria Update of LEAF on Monday the 11th of November.
Green Impact Launch Webinar on Thursday the 14th of November, Sign up here.
LEAF teams channels launch on Friday the 1st of November.
Celebrating Success Environmental Awards: June (date to be announced later).
Thank you for reading, and we look forward to welcoming some new teams to Green Impact and LEAF this year!
References
Freese, T., Elzinga, N., Heinemann, M., Lerch, M.M. and Feringa, B.L., 2024. The relevance of sustainable laboratory practices. Rsc Sustainability, 2(5), pp.1300-1336.
2023 was once again a year of extreme weather conditions and events around the world, underscoring the importance of sustainability in major institutions such as our university. As the majority portion of our university community, students are a vital part of achieving crucial environmental targets such as net zero by 2030. So, if you’re looking for an impactful way to create positive change in your community, read on for some ideas on how you can get involved with sustainability and environmental justice at Newcastle University.
Image: the clocktower of the Students’ Union Building. Credit: John Donoghue.
1. Join the Student Environment and Sustainability Committee
The Student Environment and Sustainability Committee (SESC) is a student-led and student-focused committee looking at sustainability at Newcastle University. The committee is chaired by the Ethics and Environment Representative who, this year, is Ayoub Ouakkaha!
The SESC gives feedback to the Environment and Sustainability Committee (ESC), of which most members are colleagues, but it also has Students’ Union Sabbatical Officers and the Ethics and Environment Rep (Ayoub) as members.
SESC membership is made up of Environment and Sustainability Reps from academic schools. If you are not currently an Environment and Sustainability Rep for your school, but would like to get involved with the SESC, send Ayoub an email!
2. Stay informed with the Sustainability Network!
Join our Sustainability Network to receive information to expand your knowledge across various themes relating to sustainability, be updated on climate action progress at the University, and be provided with upcoming sustainability event notifications.
As our Climate Action Plan progresses, the Sustainability Network will connect you to our work, progress reports, and new targets by directing them straight into your email inbox. You will also be notified on actions contributing to our goal of being net-zero on scopes one and two carbon emissions by 2030!
3. Explore our EAUC membership
Newcastle University is a member of the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), an organisation that supports sustainability within the UK tertiary education sector and offers benefits for members that include:
Access to a sustainability resource exchange,
Opportunities to learn from blog posts, news articles and publications,
Information about UK sustainability training and events,
Job listings,
Conferencing opportunities.
All Newcastle University colleagues and students can register for free EAUC membership.
4. Write for our blog
Are you passionate about a particular area of sustainability?
You can share your knowledge with colleagues and students at the University by writing a post for our blog! Sustainability looks at all areas relating to sustainability and environmental justice, from lifestyle tips and tricks through to discussions on green careers and how solar energy is used at Newcastle University!
If you are interested in writing a blog post for Sustainability, please send an email to sustainable-campus@ncl.ac.uk and outline what you would like to write about.
Image: Students walk through the Old Quad. Credit: Dan Bolam.
5. Volunteer!
Grow Volunteer
Grow Volunteer is Newcastle University Students’ Union’s on campus urban growing project. As part of the team, you’ll help to grow and source local produce including a range of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and trees right here on campus! Meetings take place regularly and are flexible to attend.
If you would like to learn more about this opportunity or register your interest, you can do so on Grow Volunteer’s sign up form.
A Second Life
A Second Life is a creative up-cycling project provided by Go Volunteer which aims to use old materials or products and give them a new lease of life. This is a great volunteering opportunity for individuals who are keen to get creative and explore reuse and recycling!
If you would like to learn more about this opportunity or register your interest, you can do so on A Second Life’s sign up form.
To learn about additional Go Volunteering opportunities that are themed around the environment and conservation, such as caring for green spaces, read more on the Student Union website.
Become a volunteer auditor
Every year there is an opportunity to become a volunteer student auditor for the Fairtrade University and College award on behalf of Students Organising for Sustainability.
Volunteer auditors work in a team to review the University’s efforts to embed Fairtrade and wider ethical consumption.
Travelling to university can be a major source of emissions, but luckily there are lots of options to ensure that both your commute and any longer distance travel are sustainable.
Firstly, for regular commuting onto campus, active travel, such as cycling and walking, is a healthy option both for you and the planet.
Most student accommodation as well as major student housing areas such as Jesmond and Heaton are within walking distance of the university and resources for route planning can be found on our website.
Cycling is also a good option, with cycle parking available across campus and a variety of helpful services provided throughout Newcastle. Additionally, you can join our Bicycle Users Group to get involved with an active and helpful community of cyclists and receive all the latest updates on events such as our free Dr Bike repair sessions!
Active travel isn’t accessible for all, however, and isn’t practical for long-distance trips, so a good replacement option here is public transport. Nexus and Traveline provide information on public transport in the North East and trains are a brilliant sustainable option for travel throughout the UK and into Europe!
Bees provide a range of important services that help maintain the health and vibrancy of our natural environment in both rural and urban settings. In our beautiful city-centre campus, for instance, urban bees assist our Grounds Team in caring for greenery from the wildflower meadows in Claremont Court to the tulip beds outside King’s Gate. To learn more about these fascinating creatures and their role in creating our sustainable campus, I had a chat with the lovely people at Newcastle University’s Bee Society.
Image: Members of the University community walk through the greenery of the Old Quad. Credit: Chris Bishop
How many beehives does the Society have and how long has the University had bees?
“At present there are 2 beehives, although the number fluctuates between 2-4 depending on how the years go – our hives are called Mary and Delilah! We’ve had bees since the mid-2010s.”
I see! Do you know if there are any other urban beehives in or around the University?
“While I haven’t interacted with them, I’m aware that other university staff have beehives for the sake of research. Newcastle is also home to a chapter of the BBKA (British Beekeeping Association) so it’s safe to assume that there are a few beekeepers knocking around locally.”
So, what sort of thing does the society do to care for the bees?
“The nature of beekeeping changes depending on the season – understanding the calendar and how to respond to it is vital to successful care. In the summer we check on the hives once a week (weather permitting), as the time between April-July is prime for swarms. In early spring and the autumn, we check on them far less frequently, once a fortnight or so. In the winter we don’t go in the hives at all.
How long our checks take is also dependent on the time of year. In the summer it often runs up into the 2-hour mark! We use an acronym to remember what needs to be looked for: D.E.F.R.A, which stands for Disease, Eggs, Food, Room, and Anything Else. The presence of food and eggs are often my main concern, and after a certain point the observations become second nature.
We always wear suits and gloves for the sake of our members. Stings do occur from time to time, but to a significant extent the victims are members of committee who have to engage with the bees when they are at their most defensive. While this is scary at first it is something you get used to over time; I have been known to scold the hives when they’re acting up!”
And do the honey and wax get used for anything?
“When there is surplus honey, we collect it. Last year we involved our members in the processing of the comb and this went down very well, but it isn’t a priority for us. Excess wax has been used by a few of the University’s fine art undergraduates in the production of candles.”
That’s super interesting! How can people get involved?
“The primary way that people can get involved is to join the society! While the hives are now being left alone for the winter, we have talks running throughout the colder months and are always happy to share our knowledge and experience.”
Image: a bed of tulips on campus. Credit: John Donoghue
How do the bees help with local biodiversity?
“Bees are vital to the healthy functioning of plant life and our bees can often be seen collecting pollen and nectar from the flowers on campus. They roam quite widely – up to a distance of around 5 miles – but with so many options on show in our green spaces I imagine that they don’t have to go far for food. Most of the time they’ll travel less than a mile – pollinating a variety of species in and around campus.”
What sort of role can urban bee keeping play in a sustainable future?
“Urban beekeeping has a place alongside the protection of other bee species, but I believe that the awareness it brings is one of the most valuable things it has to offer. The honeybee is not in any danger at the moment, but our native bee populations of bumblebees and solitary bees are in serious decline, and no one pollinator can fill the role of all these individual species. By encouraging informed beekeeping practices and the support of wildflowers/bee-friendly spaces, urban beekeepers can provide both the efficient pollination efforts of their bees and the knowledge and care that we desperately need to protect our pollinators on a wider scale.”
So, there you have it! A huge thank you to our wonderful Bee Society, please go check out the amazing work that they do and next time you’re enjoying our beautiful urban green spaces – spare a thought for the hardworking creatures who keep them looking lush!
