Events - 2023-24

This May, AU will be participating in Plantlife's No Mow May.

Read more here, alongside wider biodiversity works being undertaken by the University. 

As March is sustainability month, AU's hospitality services are running sustainability event to help encourage the reduce the carbon footprints of students, staff and Aberystwyth University as a whole. 

Events include:

• 4-10th March - Keep Cup Week: with 25% off all hot drinks when purchased using your keep cup 
• 11-17th March - Palm oil and ethical purchasing week, with stands explaining the traffic light system for palm oil and RSPO promotion
• 18-24th March  - Plastic Free week, labelling all single-use plastics to highlight the issue. 

On the 20th March, we coordinated a litter pick event around Penglais Woods to support SAS' Million Mile Clean.

Between the group, we collected 10kg of litter from across the woodlands!

The SU are taking part in Greenpeace' Big Plastic Count!

To take part, track all of your plastic waste for the week using the tally available on the Big Plastic Count Website or on the SU's webpages.

Submit your results by the 31st March to ensure they're included in the survey.

Sustainability was at the heart of CareersFest '24, with sustainability stands throughout the week and an entire day dedicated to green careers. 

Sustainability Challenge

Lead by guest speaker Traci Lewis, the challenge involved a series of thought-provoking 'visionary questions', in which over 30 students across 7 groups developed their answers through the appreciative enquiry (AI) approach of the course of the morning. 

At the end of the session, participants produced presentations with answers to their questions, showing creativity and ingenuity by presenting their ideas through different mediums, including games, acting and music. 

The session was followed by a group discussion, in which student suggestions and feedback regarding sustainability at the university were considered and discussed.

Your Green Careers Q&A

In the afternoon, we held a live Q & A with individuals and organisations working in sustainability to help students gain the inspiration and knowledge to pursue their eco-career journey. The panel featured change-makers and local employers from a range of sectors, including those who have made ending poverty, combatting inequalities and protecting the environment integral to their career and business aim.

To celebrate St. Teilo's Day, pupils from 3 primary schools around Aberystwyth helped to plant a heritage orchard, with traditional Welsh variety apple trees to line up with Aberystwyth University’s Living History Garden project. Read more about the event here. 

Before the Christmas closure, a digital comms campaign was sent out to encourage staff and students to turn off all electronics and heating before leaving accommodation or offices for the Christmas period. 

During the closure, we saved 60 tonnes of CO2 - equivalent to 60 flights from London to New York!

In November 2023, the SU and university staff organised a tree planting volunteer day to plant a mix of oak, silver birch, hazel and hawthorn next to our Fferm Penglais campus. 

In total, 400 trees were planted, and volunteers learned how to plant trees safely, and ensure the trees have the best chance to thrive. 

Read more about the day here: Tree Planting Action Day

EuroBioBlitz is an annual wildlife recording event that takes place across Europe. In 2023, we joined the challenge and helped to record research-grade wildlife data around Penglais Woods through a leaded walk, supporting other academics and encouraging students to learn how to identify native wildlife. We helped add many observations to the staggering 50,000 made across Europe! View the observations on the EuroBioBlitz iNaturalist Project Page 

We want to promote transparency around our sustainability efforts, as allowing students to be involved and understand decision-making processes is essential to any environmental goal. 

This is why at the start of the academic year, Pro Vice-Chancellor Neil Glasser delivered a talk accessible to all students, discussing Aberystwyth's net zero ambitions and plans. 

Read the PDF version of the Net Zero Ambitions and Plans.