WELFARE AND LIBERATION

ENVIRONMENTAL AND ETHICAL

Hi JCR!

We are Ellie (HSPS) and Alice (Geography), and we are the Ethical and Environmental officers this year! Our role is all about sustainability and we want to make college as environmentally aware as possible. What we do ranges from holding the college accountable to their environmental goals, to putting on fun events (like green week, and clothing swaps) throughout term time. 

Climate change is something that affects all of us, so we need to work together towards a solution. Because of this, we need your help - if you have any thoughts on how we can improve what we’re doing at the moment, or have any other ideas, questions, queries, worries or concerns, please get in touch at jcr.eande@caths.cam.ac.uk !

Accidentally vegan!

• The environmental benefits of veganism are well known such as through a reduction in carbon footprint, and to some people there is a significant ethical component as well

• But we know its not always possible to be vegan/plant based - life is too hectic, dietary requirements are unavoidable, and it can be really expensive (among many other valid reasons)

• Because of this we wanted to highlight some snacks which are surprisingly vegan

  • Oreos

  • Skittles

  • Bourbon biscuits

  • Jacob’s cream crackers

  • Biscoff spread

  • Betty Crocker Cake Mix – Super Moist, Devil’s Food, Vanilla, Chocolate Swirl, Carrot Cake

  • Warburtons crumpets

University Green Week (Easter term 2023):

Green Week:

Green week in Easter Term 2023 will be held from the 25th of April to the 2nd of May. There will be uni wide activities (such as wellness yoga, plant based food classes and a repair café). As well as some Catz specific events which are in the works - if you have any ideas get in touch!

Our Ideas/ Current Projects:

• Create a student guide on how to live as sustainably as possible in college and at home.

• Work with the Financial Department to ensure Catz endowment is being invested sustainably, and to work on using the financial weight of the college to lobby for change at an institutional level.

• Work with the catering officer to get better and more affordable vegan and vegetarian food in hall during both everyday meals and formals.

• Improve recycling facilities within college.

• Create a Student Green Group where we can have weekly discussions over green and environmental issues or have practical sessions for clothes mending etc.

• Set up laundry/food/formal wear swap schemes to cut down on waste.

If you have any ideas or want to get involved with any of these don’t hesitate to get in contact with us!

Updates on Sustainability in the College community:

• The new Catz sustainability report

• Nurturing Environmental Sustainability Across College Life: https://www.caths.cam.ac.uk/sustainability

• Sustainability in College https://www.caths.cam.ac.uk/about-us/community-wide-initiatives/sustainability

How can you get involved?

• Check out the Catz green working group (maybe come to one of the meetings)

• The Carbon literacy programme (https://www.cambridgehub.org/activities/carbon-literacy)

• Cambridge green impact (https://www..admin.cam.ac.uk/green-impact)

• Follow the University of Cambridge Sustainability Team (University of Cambridge sustainability)

• Have a look at some of these tool kits: Our Toolkits - Earth Day, Earth Day Tips | Earth Day Network, Waste Not Want Not | Inspiring People to Lead a More Resourceful Life (wastenotwantnotliving.co.uk)

  Here are some Instagram accounts you can follow for sustainable living:

• Ecospire1 (@ecospire1)

• Sustainability at Cambridge (@cambridgesust)

• The Eco Warrior (@the.eco.warrior)

• Brightly (@brightly.eco)

• These are just a few eco and sustainable living accounts but there are many out there!

Activist groups and societies within Cambridge (follow by Instagram):

• Cambridge SDG Hub (@sdghubcam)

• Boycott Banks’ Destruction (@boycott.banks.destruction)

• Cambridge Climate Justice (@cambridgeclimatejustice)

• Cambridge Climate Society (@cambridge.climate.society)

• Cambridge Hub (@thecambridgehub)

• Cambridge SU Ethical Affairs (@ethicalaffairs)

• Cambridge Uni Amnesty (@camuniamnesty)

• Cambridge Zero (@cambridgezero)

• CU Vegan Society (@camvegansoc)

• Demilitarise Cambridge (@demilitarise_cambridge)

• Healthy Planet Cambridge (@healthyplanetcambridge)

• XR Cambridge Universities (@xr_cam_unis)

Additional Recycling Facilities in Cambridge City Centre: (TerraCycle)

L’Occitane (opposite McDonald’s), Boots and John Lewis are all accepting beauty, skin and hair packaging from any beauty brand to be recycled - go to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle With L'Occitane and TeraCycle | L'Occitane UK (loccitane.com), Recycle at Boots and BeautyCycle | John Lewis & Partners for more information.

• You can recycle any brand of razor with Gillette - Gillette Terracycle Recycling | Gillette | Boots

• Boots’ Opticians also recycle contact lenses and blister packs, including the foil lids - Contact lens Recycle programme | ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses

• Superdrug will take your used medicine packets - Waste & Recycling | Doing Good Feels Super | Superdrug

• Ryman’s have pen recycling schemes in all their branches.

• M and S have a plastic recycling scheme (eg crisp and snack packets, plastic film, plastic bags) in Cambridge - Plastic Recycling Scheme (marksandspencer.com).

• Costa, Cafe Nero, Pret and McDonald’s all recycle any brand of paper cup.

• Cambridge has installed some new collection banks for small electricals - New collection banks installed to recycle small electricals - South Cambs District Council (scambs.gov.uk)

Our past newsletters:

June 2022

October 2022

November 2022

January 2023