Keele SU Declares a Climate Emergency

KeeleSU Declares a Climate Emergency 

The?climate?crisis is an issue that affects everyone on this planet, including the plants and animals we share it with. We are at the point where urgent action is required to slow down or reverse?climate?change and avoid the potentially permanent environmental damage caused by it.  

At the last UGM, you voted in favour of the Union declaring a?climate?emergency?in line with the University and the local council. We know that declaring a?climate?emergency?is just the first step towards creating a more sustainable future, and that we’ve first got to build a solid foundation with which we can work together to do better. As a result, we have put together a list of ten commitments that we will be working towards going forward, as well as ten examples of what we're already doing.? 

What are we already been doing?

• We have submitted for?Green Impact?every year since 2006 and have earned an 'Excellent' accreditation for three years running 

• This year we took part in the?Sustainable Development Goals Teach-In?for the first time, and won an award for our efforts 

• We continuously work in partnership with the University to help maintain Keele's?Responsible Futures?accreditation, and collaborate on events such as?Keele Green Festival 

• We offer a number of green?volunteering opportunities?for students both on-campus and with our partners in the local community 

• We work with our?clubs and societies?to promote sustainability through training and initiatives such as Fitness February and Society Stripes 

• We actively support student-led sustainability initiatives such as The Great Donate and?Hedgehog Friendly Campus 

• Sustainability will now be substantially included in the job descriptions of all new members of staff in the SU 

• We have reintroduced the?sustainability microgrant?and opened it up to the wider student body, to help fund sustainability events and projects across campus 

• We have carried out a number of social justice sustainability campaigns this year including Black History Month, Disability History Month, LGBTQ+ History Month and International Women's Day 

• We are continuously adding to and improving our zero-waste shop, Weigh-To-Go. 

What are we committing to in the future? 

• The?Climate?Emergency?is to be included in our next strategic plan 

• Starting next year, we will hold a Sustainability Forum once a semester for students to have their say on our Sustainability Work 

• We will establish a Sustainability Working group comprised of staff, officers and students who will meet twice a semester? 

• The Sabbatical Officers will release a Sustainability Report once a semester to update students on what's been going on around the union 

• All staff and officers at the SU will have access to sustainability training, with an aim of making it part of mandatory training in the future 

• Going forward, we will openly promote and support the?climate?strikes and empower students to make their voices heard 

• We will relaunch our Sustainability Voice Reps in time for the new academic year 

• We will update the sustainability webpages on our website to ensure they are engaging, relevant and up-to-date 

• There will be greater promotion of sustainable opportunities on and around campus, to ensure students know how they can get involved 

• We will have at least one big campaign a year that aims to raise awareness of a sustainability issue or the?climate?emergency?in general 

Our aim with these initial commitments is to make sustainability at KeeleSU more student led, and give all students on campus the opportunity to get involved and have your say.  

If you have any further ideas on how we can help tackle the climate crisis, let us know by submitting your ideas here - https://keelesu.com/yourunion/ideas/