JCR Environment & Ethics Officer launches the New College Environmental Society
Alistair Brendon, New College JCR's Environment & Ethics Officer, has already made a big impact on sustainability in New College. He worked with our Catering Manager to bring in new reusable lunch boxes for the dining hall and has organised wildlife walks for students to discover more about biodiversity at New College. He has now launched the brand new New College Environmental Society which encourages environmental work around the College and beyond. We asked Alistair about his role on the JCR committee, what happened at New College during the University's Green Action Week, as well as Alistair's plans for the future of New College's environmental efforts.
What do you do as Environment & Ethics Officer for the JCR?
In promoting appreciation and concern for the environment in College, I have focused my work on waste reduction and nature engagement. On waste reduction, I worked closely with Brian Cole, the Catering Manager, and the Food & Bar Reps, to distribute Tupperware to all students on a catered lease at the start of this term, to reduce use of single-use takeaway boxes. On nature engagement, I organised a small group to conduct the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch in the College gardens in January. I also attend a few meetings each term: the Sustainability Working Group with the Warden and Home Bursar 1x per term; E&E Rep Com 2x per term which is organised by the Oxford SU where I meet other E&E Officers, and we learn about environmental initiatives in Oxford; and a fortnightly JCR meeting and committee meeting.
What did New College do for Green Action Week (19-23 Feb)?
As E&E Officer, I founded New College Environmental Society (see more below), and signed New College up for Green Impact, a scheme by the NUS which Oxford University is registered to, that sets actionable tasks for colleges / departments to complete to improve their environmental record. I also organised a Wildlife Walk in the New College Gardens and 45 students completed a survey I sent round on recycling habits, which has provided some very insightful data for College. Finally, New College’s annual Women’s Lecture, held this year on Thursday 22 February, was on the topic of saiga conversation, a species of antelope found in Central Asia, by a former New College student, Dame E.J. Milner-Gulland.
You are launching the brand new New College Environmental Society. What sorts of events/campaigns are you planning?
- Hands-on environmental work around College (such as the planned rewilding of the verges of Weston later this year)
- Completion of tasks for the Green Impact Awards
- Sharing ecological discoveries around Oxford (especially on New College sites).
- Discussions where students share ideas and make plans about how to make College greener, and discuss ideas to tackle environmental challenges on a global level.
How can students get involved with the Environmental Society?
It’s open to anyone at New College with an interest in the natural environment – undergrads, postgrads, academics, staff alike.