1. Build Community
Key Steps:
- Design a recruitment strategy for Freshers and beyond
- Hold a Going Greener meeting with your Environmental Manager
- Engage staff & student members from across your community
- Build a Transition Steering Group
Engaging your wider community and working with others is key to turning your transition vision into a reality.
Case Study:
Alex Fountain tells us how they set up a steering group at Manchester Metropolitan University:
“Our P&P group set up a Going Greener Steering Group called the Education for Sustainable Living (E4SL) Forum. Together with the uni Environment Team we created a monthly forum that allows students and staff to express their ideas regarding environmental issues around campus. To promote the E4SL Forum and make it as easy as possible for everyone at MMU to join in (both staff and students) we’ve set up a blog, a facebook group, a twitter feed and created posters and short videos to advertise our meetings and work.”
1. Build up contacts:
Freshers Week is a fantastic opportunity to collect contact details, recruit new members and network with other student societies. Remember to promote your first meeting and follow-up events. Look here for more advice
2. Hold a Going Greener Meeting:
Contact your environmental manager/staff at the beginning of term to arrange a Going Greener meeting. Suggested agenda items include:
- This year’s Green League results
- Your plans for the year
- What’s in their Carbon Management Plan or Reduction strategy
- Opportunities for collaboration eg. Go Green Week
- Resources available from the uni to support transition projects
3. Working with staff:
Thanks to the Green League many environmental staff actively seek to work with People & Planet groups. If not, take the initiative and approach them with ideas. By collaborating with university staff you can:
- Share information and skills
- Gain access to resources, funds, logistical support and influence
4. Set up a Transition steering group:
To develop your transition project you need to gather expertise and input from the wider community and form a steering group to help oversee and coordinate the Transition project. Some unis already have Sustainability Committees and existing groups which you could approach to take on this role. If not, work with your environmental manager, student union and other societies to get a range of people involved in your Transition Steering Group. Reach out beyond the usual suspects by promoting the group through the student paper, social media, mailing lists and the university website too.
Try to get representatives from the following groups of people:
- Student unions
- Estates, procurement & management staff
- Student clubs & societies
- Academics
- Staff environmental champions (e.g those involved in the EAUC’s Green Impact scheme.
- Other staff including catering and admin staff
- Local Transition initiatives, community groups and Green Drinks groups
Your Transition University Steering group should be made of people representing the different Transition projects. It is the place where everything comes together and the group will monitor progress towards short and long-term goal to make sure things stay on track. Whilst your P&P group might initially get the Steering Group up and running, it should soon take on a life of its own as new projects and people get involved.
