Welcome to your December newsletter
Find out more about Sustainability at York in December 2024.
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Green Impact action spotlight: December
Well done to our 36 Green Impact teams across the university, who are making great progress at improving the sustainability of their departments. 168 positive sustainability actions have already been completed by these teams.
This month, we are spotlighting some winter actions from the Green Impact toolkit that you can take. Go to the toolkit now to try these in your team.
- General 005: Set up and maintain bird feeders/houses around your building to ensure birds have sufficient food this winter. Make sure they’re filled up before the winter break!
- General 052: Encourage colleagues to send e-cards or sustainable Christmas cards this festive season.
- General 019: Carry out an energy audit of your work area. This action is particularly useful to do in winter when lights come on more frequently and heaters are running.
- General 013: Think about your digital footprint! As you wind down for the winter break, why not have a virtual clearout to reduce the negative impact of cloud storage, and start 2025 with a clutter-free cloud!
- General 024: Encourage individuals to regularly step away from their desk, which could include setting up walking meetings. With shorter days, it can be harder for us to spend time in daylight, so going for a daytime walk, instead of being at our desks all day, can be beneficial for wellbeing and getting important vitamin D!
If you haven’t yet joined Green Impact for 2024-25, you can still form a team in your department on the toolkit here, or contact GreenImpact@york.ac.uk for more information.
SOS-UK Webinar: Joining the dots - Sustainability, climate and social justice
Tuesday 10 December 2024, 11am
The climate crisis and ecological collapse are a threat to everyone, but some people are more at risk than others. Those who have contributed the least to these problems are facing the worst effects. We have a choice in how we respond to these crises: will we come together to help those most at risk and work to fix the deep inequalities nations like the UK have benefited from, or will we keep resources for ourselves? Will we create connections or barriers?
This webinar will discuss how sustainability is linked with inequality, oppression, and a history of colonialism and exploitation. We will look at the dangers we face and the chances to create a fairer society based on justice and solidarity.
12 Days Wild: A midwinter nature challenge
12 Days Wild is a festive nature challenge from the Wildlife Trusts, encouraging you to do one wild thing a day from the 25th December to the 5th January. Winter wildlife is waiting to be explored! Your wild acts could be little things to help nature - like recycling your Christmas tree or feeding the birds – or ways to connect to the natural world, like taking in the calm of stargazing. Find out more and get involved here.
UoY research spotlight: Ethical business practice can be the key to success
Companies can thrive without compromising their principles, according to new research by the University of York in collaboration with the Good Business Charter (GBC). The report delves into the journey of responsible businesses and organisations accredited by GBC, emphasising the Charter's pivotal role in fusing ethical values with business success and sustained profitability. Find out more here.
Eat ethically this Christmas
If you are gearing up to celebrate Christmas, check out Ethical Consumer's guide to eating ethically this Christmas.
Covering palm oil, plant-based food, ethical mince pies and food gifts, this guide walks you through the ways in which you can lower the impact of what you eat this festive season.
Concluding COP29
COP29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan in November, marked a critical juncture in global climate negotiations. Financing for climate adaptation was a key focus, with commitments agreed to financially support nations and vulnerable communities to deal with climate change. However, the amount committed fell short of what climate-vulnerable countries have been calling for.
Challenges remain in fully implementing measures and increasing global ambition for mitigating climate breakdown, so the stakes are high for COP30 in Brazil next year. Read an in-depth analysis from Carbon Brief here.
Carbon Literacy course dates
Sign up to online carbon literacy training in January to gain a free qualification and become a carbon literate citizen. Successful completion gives you a nationally recognised accreditation from Carbon Literacy Project.
January 2025 training dates - you will need to attend both morning sessions to complete the course.
- Session 1 of 2: Friday 24 January Online (Zoom), 9am to 1pm.
- Session 2 of 2: Friday 31 January Online (Zoom), 9am to 1pm.
More dates to follow. Please note that all places are available on a first come first served basis. As soon as we receive your email requesting a place at sustainability@york.ac.uk, we will then contact you to confirm availability and provide further details.
Save energy, save resources - switch off before you leave
Before leaving for the winter break, complete our switch-off checklists for the office, labs, and your accommodation, to help us meet our energy and cost-saving targets. Small changes made by everyone can have a big impact.
Links and further information
Don’t forget to follow UoY sustainability on social media.
You can also check out UoY Sustainability on our wordpress blog, or click the links below to find out more!
- UoY Sustainability pages
- Our Sustainability Plan 2021-2030
- Staff can join the Green Impact slack channel: #green-impact.
- Green Impact toolkit (registration code: 40238)
- Green Impact google site
- SOS-UK webinar series