This week is Green Week

Monday, 07 November 2011

Can you beat the Hopkins building in the Big Shut Down competition?

This week is Green Week! The aim of the week is to celebrate our energy-saving success so far, whilst boosting our efforts to make sure we are still working towards achieving the University's 35% carbon reduction target.

A Big Shut Down competition will be running all week to see which building can make the biggest reductions in their electricity consumption, and Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Tony Downes will be keeping staff updated on our progress each day.

The University has already identified over two thirds of the savings that need to be made to reach the 35% target, but the rest is down to the small day to day changes that can be made by staff and students. Green Week is the perfect opportunity to start making your contribution, so have a look at the array of events on offer to see how you can get involved, and see below for lots of easy ways that you can do your bit to help your building get to the top of the Big Shut Down leader board.

To mark the start of the week as many staff as possible are needed to help us create a huge aerial photograph using a remote-controlled helicopter! To get involved, come along to the Green Week launch event in the Cole Museum at 12.45pm on Monday; everyone will be guided to the aerial photo location, then we'll head back to the Museum where lunch will be provided.

Other events taking place throughout the week include:

• Whiteknights walk - start your Monday morning with a brisk walk around the Whiteknights campus, which was recently awarded Green Flag status.
• Bike to work breakfast - on Tuesday go to Eat at the Square, Park Eat or the Eat café in HumSS to prove you have walked, cycled or caught the bus to work and you will receive a voucher for a free breakfast bap!
• Go Green Exhibition - taking place in 3Sixty in the Students' Union on Tuesday, this exhibition provides a great opportunity to meet some of our green suppliers, pick up some freebies including University 'keep cups' with soup, and enter an E.On competition to win tickets to the O2
• What caused the extreme weather of 2010-2011 - in the second Public Lecture of the series, Dr Nicholas Klingaman will talk about the extreme weather events that affected hundreds of millions
• Harris Garden Walk - spend your lunch time outdoors on Thursday and join a guided walk around the beautiful Harris Garden on the Whiteknights campus.

View the full event timetable for Green Week 2011 >>>

Collect at least one stamp (stamp card available from the above link) from Green Week events and be in with a chance of winning a fold up bike or Reading buses season ticket!

How can I help the Big Shut Down?

Here are a few simple things you and your colleagues can do to help your building win...

• Turn off your computer when you go home, or even better, when you leave your desk for more than 30 minutes. Saving: £1 per week per computer if you turn off for eight hours per day
• Turn off lights and desk lamps when you leave the room
• Only fill the kettle with the amount of water you need
• Wear warmer clothes instead of turning up the heating. An increase of 1°C will raise our energy bills by 10%
• Resist the temptation to run electric heaters. Save £1.50 per week if you turn off an electric heater for two hours per day

Visit the Clean and Green website >>>

Why not follow the Environment, Energy and Sustainability Team on Twitter for the latest green updates - @UniRdg_EEST