At Keele SU, we know that massive problems facing students include the cost-of-living crisis, climate change and student housing. Your Wellbeing Officer 2023/24, Tom Robinson, has created a campaign to help tackle all three at once!
As such, we are more than excited to announce the trailblazing Warmer Winter Campaign!
What is the Warmer Winter Campaign?
The campaign aimed to educate and support students and lobbied landlords to help keep our students warm and save money this winter! In doing so, the campaign helped prioritise students' health and well-being by providing Keele students with the tools and knowledge to live a financially and environmentally sustainable university life!
How did Warmer Winter help?
The campaign predominantly consisted of two elements: The Greenovation Station and The Green House
The Greenovation Station
The Greenovation Station consisted of energy-saving resources to help reduce students' energy bills and carbon footprint whilst boosting the energy efficiency of their homes! The project featured over 600 items, consisting of:
- 20 Eco-Friendly Shower Heads
- 45 4-Minute Shower Timers
- 55 Toilet Cistern Water Saver Device
- 44 Radiator Clothes Airers
- 114 500ml Hot Water Bottles
- 30 Fleece Blanket Throws
- 30 Draught Excluders
- 110 Radiator Reflector Panels
- 11 6x Wool Dryer Balls
- 100 Hand Warmers
- 30 Washing up bowls
- 21 Electric Blankets
- 125 Eco-friendly Energy-Saving tips leaflets
The item stall was held on the 22nd of January, during Refreshers Week and it was funded by Staffordshire County Council’s Climate Action Fund, a fund set up to help tackle the climate crisis. Following a successful application, three county councillors committed £500 respectively; the application totalled £1500 and funding was approved and allocated to the campaign. All items were free of charge and were given out on a first come first serve basis - but key groups were offered the items first so that those students most in need could access the support they deemed appropriate.
All in all, the project was a massive success with over 210 individuals being recorded receiving free energy-saving items! Once these items have become a permanent fixture in student homes, it is likely over 1000 students, and many more in upcoming cohorts, are set to benefit from the campaign!
The Green House
The Green House was the mechanism we used to educate students about energy-saving measures they can take to practically reduce their energy consumption. It consisted of an interactive and immersive energy-saving house at Keele SU's Housing Fair on 30th January and it featured alongside stalls from members of the local council, university finance and over 19 landlords.
The Green House highlighted to students who are looking for accommodation the hidden costs of off-campus private housing and showed landlords who also attend that it is a pressing issue for students. To accompany my exhibit there will be a quiz aimed at educating students on effective methods to reduce household energy consumption with the chance of winning an air fryer for one lucky student who completes it.
The Green House was a massive success, with over 100 students completing the quiz and multiple University staff members enquired about re-creating the house to emulate its success at a later date!
If you want to find out more about the campaign, household bills or sustainability, all relating to Keele students, please opt into our Warmer Winter mailing list to stay in the loop!