The Cambridge Green Week in Easter Term 2022 marked one of the first opportunities for students to meet in person and push forwards on climate engagement and action after the Covid-19 pandemic. The week was led, organised and hosted by the elected student Green Officers from across the Cambridge Colleges. A diverse array of 18 events and 8 Green Formal Hall dinners saw nearly a thousand students discuss, act and learn about climate and sustainability action, policy and lifestyle. The range of events on offer was impressive: from green-themed pub quizzes to litter picking and sustainability hackathons; sustainable period workshops, intersectional climate workshops and clothes swaps; plant sales and environmental journalism panels; legal sustainability talks and biodiversity events - there was truly something for everyone.
The pace of open and honest collaboration and organisation amongst the Green Officers organising the week was inspiring. Quoted in an article for the Varsity newspaper, Green Officer Katy Biggs-Williams (Girton College) describes a process that is "so much easier to get things done when you’re working in a big group, and with people with lots of ideas", and that “everybody was really keen to get on board.” This sentiment was echoed by Sylvia Lei, a second-year Education student at Churchill who led the design of the Green Week graphics, saying “you could chip in as much as you wanted really, but there was a lot of enthusiasm.”
Building on the success of the week in increasing student engagement within green activities at the University, a community of student leaders driving this work has begun to emerge. Green Officers are the elected students within the various Student Associations of the Cambridge Colleges, commonly referred to as JCRs or MCRs (Junior / Mature Common Rooms). Green Officers democratically represent the student voice and are often the initial drivers of sustainability or climate related change-making within their respective Colleges. With the Cambridge Green Week, what was individual Green Officers working independently has moved towards a friendly Green Officer Network, with opportunities to meet like-minded green leaders across the University of Cambridge. For example, Green Officer Meg Groom (Darwin College) organised a field trip in collaboration with their Bursar, Giles Greenfield, to the Cambridge Colleges’ new Wood Walton Solar Farm. Meg had this to say on what was a highly informative trip:
“12 Cambridge students and staff made the trip to Wood Walton Solar Farm: we had 4 students, 5 Green Officers, 1 College Second Bursar, 1 Cambridge Zero representative and 1 Cambridge Building Energy Manager- a great mix of keen green minds. We were joined by Toucan and SmartestEnergy, who run the solar farm and provide energy for 31 Cambridge Colleges respectively. Owen, from Smartest, explained how the Colleges premium Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) contract works. Certified by the Carbon Trust, 80% of the energy used by the 31 Cambridge Colleges is generated by this solar field in Huntingdon and another located in Ely. Who knew locally sourced solar was a thing? The remaining energy is provided by other solar farms in the UK. Conversations varied from the need for special badger gates, the future forecasts of static energy storage next to generation sites, how Colleges and companies like Smartest manage risk in a rapidly growing and changing energy market, and a special insight into the University’s plans for energy generation thanks to Adam Fjaerem, UoC Building Energy Manager. The trip not only provided insight into the workings of a solar farm; the mix of attendees allowed different perspectives to be discussed, and an opportunity to network with like-minded people from across the university. We hope to run similar events again, looking at energy generation within the University's estate and at other local generation sites!”
Read the full case study from Smartest Energy.
The activities and connections that made up this first post-covid Green Week demonstrate how groundswell can build towards action through building more resilient communities, improving accessibility, sharing knowledge, and increasing inclusion from all levels, interests and backgrounds. We are one humanity and must come together to affect the action and groundswell that is needed.
So a huge well done to all the Green Officers, volunteers and attendees from across the University for doing just this and making this Cambridge Green Week a reality and success! 🌿 Huge congratulations!
The next student Green Officer-led Cambridge Green Week is currently planned for 17 - 23 October 2022 (Week 3 of Michaelmas Term). To get involved, please contact Green Officer William Smith (Downing College): green@mcr.dow.cam.ac.uk
More information can also be requested from Charlie Barty-King (Cambridge Zero): charlie.barty-king@admin.cam.ac.uk
Photocredits:
- Neelima Mishra
- Sylvia Lei
- Katy Biggs Williams
- Tejah Henningham-Dezoysa
- Saoirse McGuinness
- Charlie Barty-King
- SmartestEnergy
