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- Step 1 - Meet, discuss and plan
- Step 2 - How green is your uni?
- Step 3 - Launching the campaign
- Step 4 - Keeping the pressure on
- Step 5 - Holding a Green League Award Ceremony
- How your University might respond
- Case study - Nottingham's Campaign
- Sample Campaign Timeline
- How to get your campaign noticed
- Ask Richard: Go Green advice page
Launch the campaign
The reason this is split into 3A and 3B is because you need to launch the campaign publicly just days after sending the report to the University decision makers. See the sample campaign timeline.
3A. Send the ‘Going Green’ report to your University decision makers
People & Planet has produced a report called Going Green, for you to give to University decision makers. One of the great things about this campaign is that the campaign target is right on your campus - your University’s Vice Chancellor, Principal or Director! The Going Green report sets out:
The 4 key factors that the University needs to adopt to Go Green.
Case studies of universities that practice high environmental performance.
Practical guidance for going green.
Send the report with a covering letter to your Vice Chancellor, Principal or Director. We have provided an example letter you can use as a base for your letter.
Send the letter from the P&P group, plus the Students’ Union Environment Officer if there is one. We suggest you send it to the Vice Chancellor/Principal/Director, and the University Environment Officer if there is one, or Estates Manager.
Finally, keep a copy of the report for your group - it’s packed full of the info you need to know your stuff.
3B. Launch the campaign publicly
Your letter will probably be the first time that the VC/Principal/Director has heard about the campaign so you need to make them take notice! A few days after you have sent your letter to the University decision makers, launch the campaign publicly.
Action #1: Get students to sign the petition!
Action #2: Organise a Go Green Week or Environmental Awareness Day
Holding a Go Green Week can be a great way to build awareness of the campaign throughout the university. Loads of P&P groups have teamed up with their Student Unions to organise awareness raising events with speakers, green and ethical markets, stalls, concerts, debates and Go Green stunts. National Go Green Week is 9-13 February 2009, so why not organise your week then?
Action #3: Use the student media
Using your student newspaper or radio station is also a very effective way of getting your campaign message out to students and staff at the university. You should be able to get some really good pictures and articles on the campaign in to the student paper and stories on the radio. Imperial College students produced a 4-page spread featuring an eye-catching Green Page 3 and practical pointers for students wanting to be ‘greener’ themselves. For top tips on using the media and a sample press release see the P&P groups guide.
Don’t forget to send your photos and news in to the P&P office as well so we can share them with the network.
For more ideas see ‘How to get your campaign noticed’.
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