Tuesday 18-08-2020 - 15:42

Trustee Board agree funds to continue to support the union’s commitment to the Climate Emergency work

The students’ union is committed to tackling the climate emergency and inspiring sustainability at Lancaster. Green Lancaster is an integral part of the charity. Our Environmental Sustainability team work to improve sustainability within the union, on campus and in the wider community.

Climate change is the most significant threat we face and immediate action is essential to avert further global catastrophe. Student’s voted in favour of the union declaring a Climate Emergency in October and have since been calling on the University to follow suit.  

In the context of COVID19 sustainability has in many cases, fallen by the wayside, as organisations prioritise quick, short-term and often unsustainable solutions, as they contend with the unprecedented pandemic. But, pandemics such as these are symptomatic of our continuous environmental onslaught. Their occurrence will only increase in frequency unless we take action to limit our impact on our environment.  

In the face of an 8% cut in University funding for Green Lancaster, the Students’ Union Trustee Board has approved funding to be allocated from reserves to support continued activity throughout 2020/21 after a funding request was presented by Darren Axe (Development Manager for Environmental Sustainability) and Misbah Ashraf (Interim CEO). Funding such as this is essential to maintain the integrity of the union's sustainability projects such as #DontDitchIt, Schools Go Green, EcoHub, Forest of the Future and so much more. 

Amy Merchant (VP Welfare) said: “I am thrilled that the Trustee Board have unanimously approved this funding. It is crucial that, despite the pandemic, we continue and strengthen our commitment to the Climate Emergency work. There is an increasing need for the Green Lancaster projects, such as the EcoHub and Forest of the Future, as they provide opportunities for students to get active outdoors whilst maintaining safe social distancing. These projects are fantastic as they not only benefit the environment but also student wellbeing.” 

Darren Axe (Development Manager for Environmental Sustainability) said: “With the Climate Emergency declaration and policy endorsed at the AGM, there is a clear remit from the membership for us to both take the lead and hold the University to account with regard to a scaled and appropriate response to the challenges of the climate and ecological emergency. This funding will ensure that the momentum and progress to-date is maintained, and hopefully we can also increase the pressure in the year ahead.” 

You can view the impact report for 2018/2019 and we are currently working on the impact report for 2019/2020 which has been delayed due to operational impact on project delivery during the COVID19 pandemic. We hope to share this with you all very soon.  

Find out more here.

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