Tuesday 06-12-2016 - 09:00

In the early hours of a frosty November morning, members of the LUSU Green Lancaster team ventured to the northeast to the NUS (National Union of Students) Sustainability Summit hosted by Newcastle University. The Summit is held annually at a different University with the aim of equipping students and staff with the skills and connections to make their student unions more sustainable and environmentally focused. For NUS this aim is crucial, as while governments and other public institutions fail to make progress in the face of widespread environmental decline, they believe students hold the power to make real change.

What may initially seem an impossible task for our world is challenged when our Universities lead the way, testing and demonstrating what can be done at a campus level, before being translated to larger areas. Just as each city and country is competing with different issues, the nation’s Universities face a variety of challenges. For example, many of the Universities Sustainability officers at the NUS Summit expressed the limitations city campuses face in comparison to campuses such as Lancaster University, where space for ventures like our wind turbine and allotments is in abundance. Hence the importance of meetings such as the NUS Summit, allowing for a collective space for sharing ideas and building on each Universities experiences, strengths and weaknesses.

The NUS Summit was split into numerous sections including discussions, workshops and talks delivered by interesting key speakers such as Danielle Paffard from 350.org and the NUS Vice President. The day covered a variety of different issues and campaigns, from the NUS Emissions Impossible campaign to ethical procurement and the Fairtrade University clothing brand Epona. The day was equally informative and inspiring, as students and staff from across the country came together to try and achieve real change.