Students energised by sustainability as Green Week blossoms at Collyer's

Dr Ian Carr, Collyer’s Sustainability Co-ordinator, and Deputy Director of the Science Faculty said: “A large audience heard Dr Sarker link together a lot of the themes from Green Week, including the designing for the circular economy, how human activity has caused climate change and how we can plan for a sustainable future.”

The session was part of the Kirsty Brown Series, which focus on geology and the environment, in memory of geologist and marine biologist Kirsty Brown, who studied at Collyer’s and Royal Holloway, and was also a former colleague of Dr Carr.

Jurgen Adam from Royal Holloway University of London also gave an inspiring talk, which was broadcast to colleges from across Sussex and Surrey, on ‘Why we all need a Sustainability Mindset’. Dr Adam took the students on a personal journey, showing the positive results from around the world and locally where nature restoration projects have rescued barren landscapes and transformed them back into lush green habitats.

Meanwhile, the Collyer’s student union, the RCU, also got involved with the college’s Green Week buy baking green themed cookies, that students could buy and decorate. The bake sale also raised awareness about alternatives to meat, and in addition the RCU held a sale of edible bugs that also proved very popular!

Dr Carr added: “Head of Engineering Amarjit Chana and his students, who have been running an enrichment group upcycling furniture to give it a new lease of life, took several of the pieces they have worked on to display in the college café at break and lunchtime. The items included rescued cabinets and coffee tables. Their work linked well with the themes of the circular economy.”