Go Green Contact

Ross Wilson - Reading Go Green Co-ordinator

Go Green Actions

• The Campaigns Forum, under which our Go Green Campaign is run, hosts an open mic night every two weeks in our student union bar Mojo’s. These events have been hugely popular this term with alternative acts including singing, guitarists, bands, poetry, pop covers and songs inspired by world issues. Go Green ran two of these evenings, between performances our comperes talked about the campaign and our own duties to recycle. We also used these as oportunities for petition signing.
• Members of Campaigns Forum met with the VC, Director of Estates and Campus Services Manager to discuss Going Green. This revealed lots of useful information including the fact that the university appointed an Environmental Manager in July 2005 (although he still has some other responsibilities). A new student services building to be built soon will have a geothermal heating system, which will also cool the building in the summer, which is an amazing step for the university to take and shows their intent to improve environmental performance. The group will be having several more meetings to follow-up on the issues discussed and the university’s progress towards meeting all 4 Go Green demands. Group member Tom Chance who attended the meeting said: “Overall it was positive. We’ve definitely had an impact on them!”.
• The group held a big visual stunt on 21 November 2005. Three campaigners arrived on campus early in the cold and frosty morning and began setting up a stand outside the Palmer Building. Posters, large banners, recycled newspaper posters, a small book stand and an electricity and energy table were set up to attract attention, as well as Ross and Fish’s musical entertainment. Green campaigners collected plastic bottles all morning that were brought by students and staff. The event had been well publicised by posters, leafleting and numerous announcements in lectures prior to the event so everyone knew to bring along their recyclable bottles. At 12.45 the manic dash started to create an art attack on the green, and the BIG BOTTLE was quickly born. After explaining the cause to students and staff alike, a hired minibus took all the bottles to the local recycling plant. Our Big Bottle Stunt and Go Green message received lots of press attention and was even featured on the local BBC News.

Go Green Petition

Last term we collected 1400 signatures for our Go Green Petitions on reused/recycled paper. We got them on stalls, open mic nights, events, around campus and in the catering outlets. All we asked were very keen to support the university becoming more environmentally friendly. We even had a number of staff keen to sign and support!

Go Green Successes

• Big Bottle Stunt resulted in university providing additional bottle recycling facilities on campus for staff and students.
• Got Reading University to switch to 100% renewable electricity contracts and commit to choosing green energy suppliers when contracts come up for renewal.
• University is currently looking into appointing a full-time Environmental Manager to implement their environmental policy.

Useful Resources

Daily Telegraph Article about Reading’s Green Electricity Success - This article describes the Step-by-Step approach the group used to campaign for the switch to Green Electricity.
Campaigns Forum Go Green Website - Info on Go Green campaign at Reading.
Campaigns Forum Go Green Photos - See pics of the group’s Big Bottle Stunt and meeting the VC.
Reading Go Green Tips - Written by group members this document includes basic strategy tips and useful resources for others running Go Green.
Interactive resource centre - Contains P&P tips for creating a strong environmental policy.