University Footprints, Community Handprints event a success!
In March 2010 people from 12 universities attended a day of workshops and discussion at Edinburgh about students and staff using practical projects to make our Universities fit for the future.
43 students from 12 unis across the UK came together to learn how to create Transition Universities
Image © Transition Edinburgh University
In March 2010 people from 12 universities attended a day of workshops and discussion at Edinburgh about students and staff using practical projects to make our universities fit for the future.
University Footprints, Community Handprints Conference
The event, organised by NUS Scotland, People & Planet, and Transition Edinburgh University looked at questions like:
“how can University green projects work together”
and
“how to get funding for practical projects”.
Its aim was also to showcase ideas and activities inspired by People & Planet’s Going Greener campaign to create Transition Universities across the UK.
Event Summary
Session 1: Going Greener: Transition Universities
Adam Ramsay, from People & Planet, presented an introduction to the Going Greener campaign. Inspired by the fast-growing Transition Movement which brings communities together to develop and implement their own responses to peak oil and climate change.
Villages, towns and cities across the globe are running local practical projects designed to dramatically reduce their energy-usage and climate impact. Universities differ from most communities because of their transient student populations, but with P&P’s Going Greener action guide shows how you can help your university make a sustainable transition into a future-proof community.
Get the Going Greener campaign rolling at your college or uni.]
Session 2: Knowledge Café Case Studies
Ruth Bush from NUS Scotland led contributors on short “knowledge café” discussions on a variety of practical carbon-cutting case studies:
• Ben Miller presented Edinburgh’s award winning Freeshop scheme run by the Edinburgh People & Planet Society, where they collected unwanted clothes, household items, and books and shared them with freshers. More info.
• Cameron Munroe, from Aberdeen Shared Planet Society, presented “Becycle”, a community-based workshop which lends out bikes for free and offers tools, spare parts, and help to anyone wanting to fix or build their own bike, help out with the project, or just hang out. Read and see more.
• Ruth Bush, NUS Scotland, led a workshop on the Student Footprints project which empowers students to take a leading role in reducing the carbon footprints of the communities in which they live. Students are given carbon management training to carry out campus and community carbon audits that result in significant carbon savings and positive behaviour change. There’s more info on-line.
• Arthur Vincent, Aberdeen Shared Planet Society, presented Aberdeen’s Veg Bag scheme, where students buy vegetables as a cooperative. [Find out
• Siôn Lanini, Transition Edinburgh University, led a workshop on where CO2 comes from in a University community, based on Edinburgh University’s Carbon Footprint study published in Autumn 2009.
There were also sessions on How to Get Funding For Practical CO2 Projects and Building a Movement and Working Together
