Week of events sees University Collaborate for Change
The University has collated a programme of events and activities to raise awareness of the Climate Emergency and highlight the measures we can all take to reduce carbon emissions.
Posted on
October 25, 2021
The Collaborating for Change Week runs from today (Monday, October 25) until Friday, October 29 2021 and is organised by the University’s Sustainability Unit. The aim of the week is to bring people together to collaborate and develop ideas and solutions to transition to a Net Zero world and create a resilient University.
Events throughout the week focus on exploring the impacts and opportunities to influence change from a global, local, University and personal level and explore how to influence change in our wider communities.
Professor Peter Cox from the Department of Social and Political Sciences will start the week by explaining what the COP is and its significance. Moving from the global to local, representatives from the Climate Emergency teams at Cheshire West and Chester and Warrington Borough Councils will discuss their Climate Emergency commitments, actions and achievements to date and the role we play in meeting these targets.
Towards the end of the week, there will be opportunities for students and staff to get involved in shaping the University’s sustainability strategy and taking part in energy and waste audits, litter picks, signing up to the Climate Action Programme, Carbon Literacy Training and starting a Net Zero Challenge in partnership with Jump (who have developed the Net Zero challenge) – where individuals are encouraged to implement changes in their personal and working lives to contribute to lowering carbon emissions. Cheshire Wildlife Trust will be sharing details to create a new youth-led campaign for nature in Chester.
Tamara Hunt, Sustainability Officer, said: “This week is the first of many events we are planning over the next year, as part of our longer-term commitment to work towards the University’s Net Zero target by 2030 and build a legacy of action beyond COP 26, both within the University and with our local communities.”
Sam Hay, Waste and Recycling Officer said: “Climate change is the defining challenge of this generation! I’m very much looking forward to hearing from a variety of different individuals across our institution, and hopefully this is just the beginning to a more joint effort going forward which is needed to achieve our Net Zero goals.”
Heather Johnson, Environmental Administrator, who co-ordinated the programme, added: “We hope that this week of activities is the start of our journey of bringing together individuals from different backgrounds and subject areas, as it requires each of us to play our part and work together to contribute to a cleaner, better planet for all.
“We hope these workshops and talks will inspire and engage our students, staff and wider communities to take action to find innovative solutions to the climate emergency, both within and beyond the University.”
The full programme of events can be found here https://www1.chester.ac.uk/sustainability/cop26
