1. Planning
The key to running a successful Go Green Week is to start planning the event as far in advance as possible. You will also need to meet regularly to plan the week’s events.
Start by brainstorming all your ideas for actions and events and then decide which you want to do, and which day of the week to have them on. Make sure to post your Go Green Week events on the What’s On.
Remember the Big Green Lobby will be on Thursday 21 February. We are also asking every group to plan a fundraising event for People & Planet as part of the week.
Talk to other people in your university, college or school who are interested or could help you, for example Environment Managers, Teachers, Trades Union Reps or Students’ Union Officers.
Draw up a list of tasks for each action or event and when they need to be done by.
Decide who is responsible for each task. Make sure everyone is clear who is doing what, how to do it and when to do it.
Have regular meetings to check progress.
Warwick art attack
2. Actions/Events
Here are a few ideas of what you could do:
Have a different theme each day, e.g. Energy and Water, Purchasing and Waste, Travel and Traffic, Food and Drink, and Buildings and Grounds.
Do Go Green banner drops (A mix of 50/50 powder paint and PVA glue is the best way to make waterproof paint). Or spell out Go Green in a human banner. You could also make Go Green flags, or chalk Go Green/Green footsteps/future tide line/or a map of climate chaos.
Take photos of all the ‘climate crime scenes’ at your institution, this could be lights left on, a full car park, waste not being recycled. Make some fake police tape from strips of white paper, tape off the climate crime scene and take photos. Make a display and present the photos to your VC/Principal, or write an article on the crime.
Hold a Go Green Stall. Set it in a prominent place. Use some posters and other decorations to make the stall look appealing. Have plenty of Go Green action cards/pledges/petitions on the stall for people to sign.
Hold a Go Green event. Have Go Green lessons/lectures and assemblies. You could also put on a club or film night and have debates. Remember the P&P support office can supply speakers for your events as well as running workshops. Contact Alex to organise a speaker or workshop.
Go Green art attack. Wrap trees in green crepe paper and rubbish, make words and images out of rubbish, or attach Go Green signs to sign posts.
Carry out a carbon audit of your school or college.
Go Green critical mass. Get everyone you can to cycle around your institution to highlight the need for better cycle facilities.
You can increase your impact by linking up with other groups to hold regional or inter-institutional events such as debates, and club nights. Use the uni and sixth form P&P groups lists or contact the support office to find other P&P groups in your area.
Use the I Count map to find other environmental groups.
To find out what groups have already organised for Go Green Week, check out the What’s On page. You can also list events you’re organising here.
Posters advertising this year’s Camp of Climate Action
3. Publicity and press
Whatever events and actions you organise it’s crucial to publicise them so that as many people as possible come along and join in.
- Make Go Green Week fliers. Print them on green, recycled paper. Spread them around. Download a template to make your flyers:
Go Green Week leaflet for use with Open Office
Go Green Week leaflet for use with Microsoft Word
Create Go Green Week posters, to advertise your Go Green Week actions and events and put them all over the institution in prominent places where people are likely to have time to read them.
Be sure to update your web page with details of your week along with your Facebook page and send out emails. Ask your Student Union or staff if they will email all students with details of the week.
Add your events to the What’s On page on this website, so that other P&P groups can see what’s happening in their area.
As well as publicising your events to other students, it is really important that the press are aware of what’s happening. Send out a press release for your local and student press. Download a template press release:
Go Green Week press release for use with Open Office
Go Green Week press release for use with Microsoft Word
Make sure that the People & Planet Support Office know what you’re planning so that we can inform the national media of what groups across the nation are doing. The best way to do this is through the What’s On page, where you can submit details of your events.
Alternatively, contact the office through your group’s intern or contact Alex.