Concerned about the climate crisis? Cut your textile waste written by Dominic Parry, edited and images by Heather Sykes Clothes are a necessity; they show our personality and individual style. They can hold more value to people than a lot of other everyday items. Every year around £140 million worth of used but wearable clothes are sent to landfill. Textile… Read more →
Category: Community
Concerned about the clothing crisis? Upcycling makes your old look new.
Tired of throwing out clothes you used to love and spending a small fortune to replace them? Fear not; all you need are fabric scissors, a needle, some thread, and your old clothes. Read more →
Concerned about the clothing crisis? Hold your favourite brands accountable
‘Concerned about the clothing crisis? Hold your favourite brands accountable’ written by Hannah Edgar, edit and images by Becky Adams Hold your favourite brands accountable We can shop more ethically by making smart choices about the clothing brands that we support, and holding fashion brands accountable for their sustainable actions. Or lack thereof. The fashion industry is the second biggest… Read more →
Concerned about the clothing crisis? Buy second hand for sustainability
Concerned about the clothing crisis? Buy second hand for sustainability written by Julie Kovacova, edited and images by Heather Sykes When you buy second-hand clothes, you can make fashion more sustainable. It also sounds cool when you tell your friends you found a real gem in a charity shop. There are a few key points that could persuade you to quit fast… Read more →
Concerned about the clothing crisis? Create a capsule wardrobe.
You can start your sustainability journey with the clothes you already own by creating a capsule wardrobe! With the help of useful apps and your own fashion intuition, you can streamline your wardrobe with timeless pieces that keep you always on trend. By keeping your wardrobe limited but versatile, a capsule wardrobe enables you to start making mindful decisions as a consumer of the fashion industry, whilst fighting fast fashion’s negative impact on the environment. Read more →
Concerned about the clothing crisis? Why do we impulse buy and what is bad about it?
Concerned about the clothing crisis? Why do we impulse buy and what is bad about it written by Julie Kovacova, edited and images by Heather Sykes We all impulse buy at some point in our lives. There are different reasons why we do it. For example, for some of us, it is a coping mechanism. With pressures seemingly increasing every… Read more →
PPE and its impact on the environment
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used to help limit the spread of infectious diseases to others and the wearer. It is widely used throughout healthcare sectors which come into contact with blood and other bodily fluids. Studies suggest that if each person in the UK wore a single-use face mask every day for 1 year, over 66,000 tonnes of unrecyclable plastic waste would be generated. Read more →
Go Green Week 2021 – online
Designed and delivered by the university’s first-year Human Nutrition students, along with many supporting volunteers and the help of the Students’ Union, this year’s Go Green Week signified a new opportunity to reach a wider audience and promote global participation. Read more →
Mapping PNR parking for reuse
Through the University of Worcester’s continuing partnership with Worcester Polytechnic Institute, students have collaborated on a research project to quantify and map PNR parking in Worcester. The purpose of this research is to highlight the potential opportunities for reuse and redevelopment associated with local surplus PNR parking. Read more →
Promoting the use of e-bikes
The second in a series of three student-led projects, the aim of this project was to assist the University of Worcester and Worcester City Council to roll out the pilot e-bike share scheme. Read more →
Why we need to help hedgehogs thrive
With an average of over 5000 spines, their powerful sense of smell, and their tendency to travel up to two miles a night as they forage (read more here), hedgehogs are consistently recognised as one of our most-loved wildlife animals in the UK. Read more →
Ideas to reuse glass jars for sustainable living
In my first year at university, a flat mate of mine shared his ideas to reuse glass jars as drinking glasses and storage. It transformed our kitchen into a sustainable space, with jar-lined windows and an overflowing supply of quirky glasses for drinking. Read more →
Repair cafes, learn and repair, free of charge
Before throwing a broken item away, consider taking it to a repair cafe. Repair cafes are meeting places where you’ll find tools, materials and volunteers to help you make any repairs you might need, free of charge. Read more →
Save Water Drop by Drop with Five Top Tips
Save Water Drop by Drop with Five Top Tips by Heather Sykes We all know how important it is to save water. Not only do we have a global eco-crisis, but we also are dealing with a cost of living crisis. In the UK, we use roughly 14 billion litres of water a day. Some estimates believe households of four… Read more →
Sustainable young minds: our Recycling Workshop at Oldbury Park School
The kids at Oldbury Park Primary’s Eco-club were joined by The University of Worcester SusThingsOut (STO) team this year, for their very own Recycling Workshop. Read more →
Beacons DEC Conference: Climate Change: Risk, Resilience and Sustainability.
With guest speakers from The Green Party, E. Mission, Extinction Rebellion, Birmingham City University and many others, the discussions and speeches captured the open minds of everyone attending. Read more →
Making It Simple For Students and Landlords to Support Sustainable Living
Industry professionals, landlords, students and the National Union of Students held a conference directing the next phase of this longitudinal student-led study into decision-making about heating in student shared houses. Read more →
The ‘Tiyeni’ deep-bed farming conservation agriculture system: a climate-resilient food system for Malawi?
Dr Alan Dixon and Albert Mvula from the University of Worcester’s Department of Geography have been researching the social-ecological sustainability of a new farming system in Malawi… In its 5th assessment report on the impacts of climate change, the IPCC (2014) placed sub-Saharan Africa at the front line of climate unpredictability, suggesting that it is here where people will be… Read more →
University of Worcester collaboration with NGO Self Help Africa – informing government sustainable development policy in Zambia
Dr Alan Dixon’s work on developing a Functional Landscape Approach to managing wetlands has recently been integrated into the work of international non-governmental organisation Self Help Africa in Zambia, where it will inform the Zambian government’s ongoing efforts to implement climate-resilient sustainable development and its national wetlands policy. Their PRESERVE Kafue programme is a three-year project that aims to improve… Read more →
Heating Decision Making in Student Housing: influences and future options
Despite the efforts of landlords, local authorities and government, houses in multiple occupation (HMO) are often perceived as cold, and sometimes damp, with the tenants spending disproportionately large sums on energy. A 2018 report by the National Union of Students on students’ experiences nationally found that: “49% of students described their HMOs as drafty and cold as a result of… Read more →