Green Week brought together community organisations, student societies, academics, and Transition: University of St Andrews, for a week-long celebration of sustainable living in St Andrews. How many events did you get to?
We’re still getting together a full report of what happened, but here are some headline figures so far:
- Events listed: 40
- Number of organisations involved: over 25
- Pledges made: 235
- Total attendance: over 700
- Trees planted: 600
- Most seen Facebook Post: The Pledges album – seen by 9,400 people, with 26,000 clicks
The events spanned an awesome range of topics, from the physics of solar panels (as explained by bowling balls), to a discussion of the Pagan, Jewish, Baha’i and Christian faiths’ interpretations of nature and the environment. There were opportunities to enhance both the external environment, by planting trees, and our innermost thoughts with a mindfulness meditation session. KnitSoc made picnic rugs from plastic bags, and the SaintSports teams produced bicycle-powered electricity. Past graduates shared their inspiration for green careers, and academics debated the options for climate change adaptation and mitigation. We danced, drank local beer, and made music together! And lots, lots more……… Check out the Green Week facebook page for lots of photos.
We tried to create an atmosphere that was fun, engaging and supportive by focusing on the positive changes we can make together, and celebrating our successes. This was highlighted by our roving team of pledge collectors, who captured on film over 200 people making their ‘green’ pledges, large and small, towards a better future. What’s more, it was all in the glorious sunshine, which is a huge improvement on last year we had to cancel events due to snow.
We hope that you will want to continue to integrate sustainable actions into everyday life, not just during Green week. To find out what other good, green fun is happening in and around St Andrews for the rest of the year, keep an eye out for events and activities hosted by St Andrews Botanic Gardens, Fairtrade St Andrews, Transition: University of St Andrews, and the Fife Coast & Countryside Trust, to name just a few.
