Environmental Issues

Environmental sustainability is an important issue for the Students’ Union. We have made a long term commitment to environmental sustainability in our Students’ Union Strategic Plan 2012-15 and have policy approved by the Students’ Union Council demanding that we prioritise environmental issues within the Students’ Union.

Within the Students’ Union, our environmental activities are overseen by the Students’ Union Council’s Environmental Committee and the operational day-to-day activities are led by our Green Awards Working Party.

Environmental Committee Meeting Minutes

Environmental Policy

Green Impact Awards

The Green Impact Awards is an environmental accreditation scheme with an awards element designed specifically for students’ unions. The scheme seeks to encourage, nurture, reward and celebrate good practice in students’ unions.

Queen's Students' Union won the silver award in 2010-11 and the Gold Award for 2011-12.

Recycling in the Union

The Students' Union is constantly looking at ways we can lessen its impact on the environment, and make students aware of the difference they can make by being more environmentally aware.

We do our best to make the Union as environmentally friendly as possible.
The Students’ Union’s bars serve Fairtrade tea and coffee.
All areas of the Students' Union provide public recycling facilities for plastics, paper/cardboard and aluminium cans for the use of our patrons. We also have a battery and mobile phone recycling station located in our ground floor foyer.
Behind the scenes, our bars and retail outlets have made massive strides in the last few years in decreasing the amount of commercial waste (packaging, glass etc) that we send to landfill. You just need to look at our Goods Yard full of recycling bins to see this in action!
Our commercial partners in the Union building all offer Fairtrade tea and coffee options.
All the paper that we use for photocopying and printing is recycled and recyclable.
We have successfully lobbied the University to participate in the Green Impact Universities and Colleges programme < http://www.green-impact.org.uk/green-impact-universities-and-colleges>
Adopted a beehive! < http://www.bbka.org.uk/shop/product/adopt-a-beehive-northern-ireland/>

Environmental Campaigns

This year during Green Week we are concentrating on the following areas:

Increasing awareness of environmental issues and trying to change the habits of the thousands of Queen's students.
The Students' Union has led the way in trying to reduce the Carbon emission of the University.

Green Week is the environmental highlight of our campaigns calendar.

Students' Union Presentation on Carbon Management

Students' Union Environmental Performance Plan

Fairtrade

The Students' Union is very proud of its status as a Fairtrade Union, and leads the way at promoting the Fairtrade message and Fairtrade products across the campus. All coffee/tea sold in outlets and bars in the Union are Fairtrade, and the SU Shop stocks a wide range of Fairtrade goods including; confectionary, stationery, household goods and clothing.

Our annual Fairtrade Fortnight reinforces this message annually to students and staff.