Month: January 2022

Fast Fashion and how students can fight it

Posted on by Dan Cragg

Following the holidays, students have loads of new clothes from shopping themselves or as gifts from loved ones. The growing trend of fast fashion sees an increase during the holiday season and is responsible for increased environmental damage due to its cheap and harmful form of manufacturing.

Fast fashion can be defined as cheap, trendy clothing that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments in high street stores at breakneck speed to meet consumer demand.

According to Business Insider, fashion production comprises 10% of total global carbon emissions, as much as the European Union. In addition to this, it dries up water sources as it takes up to 20,00 litres of water to make one kilo of cotton. While washing the clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibres into the ocean each year which is the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles.

As fast fashion is not designed to last, it results in textile waste as consumers throw out the last seasons clothes with the hope of buying what is trending at the moment. Enormous landfills of discarded clothes then become a reality as it is incredibly difficult for companies to effectively recycle their materials.

What can you do

Fast fashion is attractive to students due to its cheap prices and multiple deals but as global citizens, we have a duty to source sustainable and environmentally friendly options. This can be done by:

  • Recycling clothes that would usually be disposed after the holiday season. You can do this by taking the clothes to Bristol’s Reuse and Recycling Centres or alternatively by leaving it outside your homes or student accommodations in the black recycling box.
  • There is a huge market for reselling items online on websites like De-Pop that would allow students to sell their second-hand clothes.
  • Students can also donate the clothes to charities like OXFAM or clothing banks located in Bristol.
  • To purchase clothes, there are thrift shops found in Bristol that could appeal to students such as:
    • The Vintage Thrift Store (35-37 park street)
    • Sobeys
    • Uncle Sam’s
    • The Magpie

More information on what you can do as a student at the University of Bristol is located on this website:  https://bristolwastecompany.co.uk/clothing-waste/

Written by Student Champion, Marvin Karenzi 

Veganuary

Posted on by Tyesha

Did you know the first animal-free cookery book, Kitchen Philosophy for Vegetarians, was published in England in 1849 by William Horsell of London and the first cookery book to use the new word ‘vegan’ in its title was Fay K. Henderson’s Vegan Recipes pub?

 

 

For many people the start of the new year means setting resolutions and goals for the next 12 months, whether that is to read more books, drink more water or take up a new hobby. Since 2014, however, many have been taking on a different challenge, Veganuary.

Veganuary is a month-long challenge during which participants give up animal products for 31 days. No milk, no cheese, no eggs, no meat, no chocolate. Sounds like no fun, right? Wrong. Since it was launched eight years ago Veganuary has only grown in popularity; 400,000 people took the pledge in 2020, this increased to a whopping 582,000 in 2021.

In 2019, the Vegan Society estimated that 600,000 adults, or just over 1% of the population, were vegan and market research group Kantar said last year that 1.9% of households include at least one vegan.

So, what is the difference between vegan and plant-based?

 The term plant-based is often included in the same conversations as veganism, but the two aren’t to be conflated. Both terms mean different things to different people, but the consensus is that being plant-based is solely about diet whereas veganism is about ethics.

For a plant-based individual the percentage of plant-based meals you eat can vary, you can be 100% plant based or mostly plant-based. Whereas with veganism you are either in or you’re out, you can’t be 20% vegan. There are also some issues that vegans can have differing opinions on such as pet ownership, zoos/aquaria, eating figs, honey, wearing wool/leather/silk (even if second-hand), medical treatments etc. Confusingly many vegans actually chose to use to refer to themselves as plant-based to separate themselves from controversial or preachy vegan figures.

 

 

Is it hard to be vegan?

 Veganism, like any new habit, can take a while to get used to and slip-ups can happen. But the important thing is not to put any unnecessary pressure on yourself and put your health at the forefront. If the vegan/plant-based diet doesn’t agree with your body or it starts to encourage dangerous restrictive eating patterns, it is okay to stop.

With that being said, vegan food is so readily available in the UK and in Bristol in particular, that you don’t need to miss out on your favourite meals, snacks or recipes.

Did you know that the University of Bristol has been ranked #2 by Veganuary as one of the most vegan-friendly universities?

Where do you get your protein?

This question is perhaps the most likely to elicit an eye-roll from anyone who does not eat meat, it is up there with “would you eat an animal if you were stranded on a desert island?”.

Nobody has denied that products such as eggs, beef, chicken, offal have high levels of protein, it just seems that people have not been taught that beans and vegetables also have high levels of protein. Some of the largest and strongest animals on earth are herbivores, just look at rhinos, gorillas, and elephants.

Each meat-eating individual eats over 10,000 animals (including fish) over the course of their lifetimes.

So, is veganism worth it?

Some say yes, some say no. It totally depends on the individual.

But if you are interested in taking part in Veganuary this year or in subsequent years, or just want to try new foods, our Source Cafes have a wide range of food offerings to cater to all tastes from salads and sandwiches to smoothies and pizza.

House Hunting Tips

Posted on by Dan Cragg

If you’re starting to think about accommodation for next year, there are several factors that you should consider before making decisions on where and who to live with.

The Accommodation Office has put together some useful resources to help you find your student house in the private sector.

Watch the House Hunting for 2022/23 video

Private sector advisors, Louise and Tash, give their top tips for finding a student house in Bristol for 2022/23.

Six-steps to finding your student house

The Accommodation Office has put together six simple steps to help you find accommodation in the private sector.

  1. Work out your budget

Fees, deposits, bills – costs vary depending on the property you rent and who you rent from. Read our summary of the costs involved to work out exactly what you can afford. You should do this before you look at any properties.

  1. Decide who you want to live with

If you have a group of friends who you are planning to live with when you move into private-rented accommodation, there are a few important questions you need to ask yourself – and each other – first.

  1. Decide where you want to live

The many different areas of Bristol each have their own character and community, and deciding where you want to live, or perhaps more importantly, where you don’t want to live, is essential in narrowing down your property search.

  1. Find properties to view

There are seemingly endless places offering properties to rent that can seem overwhelming when you first start looking for a property. We can point you in the right direction in finding reliable lettings, and offer tips on avoiding scams.

  1. Choose the right place

Once you start viewing properties it can be easy to lose sight of what you originally wanted from your new home. Read our information on the important things to look for and questions that you should ask the landlord or agent.

  1. Sign on the dotted line

Found the place for you? Make sure you read our information on contracts and agreements first, as your tenancy agreement is a legally binding document. It is important to spend time reading and understanding it before you sign.

Further help and guidance

The Accommodation Office offers all students the help and expertise of trained private-rented sector advisors, who can advise on everything from budget to issues with a landlord. You can contact them at private-sector-accom@bristol.ac.uk.

 

Happy 2022 & Welcome back!

Posted on by Dan Cragg

Welcome back! We hope you had a refreshing and enjoyable break over the winter holidays. We’d also like to wish a very warm welcome to the new international students joining us this term – we’re delighted to welcome you to our University and amazing city, and hope you will enjoy your time here.

Keeping yourself safe

With increasing cases of Omicron COVID-19, we need to do all we can to keep ourselves and others safe. We encourage you to make sure your vaccinations are up to date as it’s the best way to keep yourself protected. Please also make sure you take a lateral flow test before returning to campus, and then continue to test twice a week, every week. You can access lateral flow tests via the NHS website and from Estates Assistant Lodges in University buildings. Don’t forget to record your results on the NHS website too.

You may have already heard that the UK Government has recently changed the rules around testing for COVID-19. Under the new rules, which take effect from next Tuesday 11 January, people without symptoms can start their isolation from the day of their positive lateral flow test and will not need a follow-up PCR to confirm.

The aim is to prevent prolonging isolation for people who may have been waiting for a confirmatory PCR result. You can read more about the isolation guidance on the government website.

Please remember to wear face coverings when inside all University buildings, including in teaching spaces, when walking around corridors, and if you have any in-person exams. Be aware that staff may remove their face covering when delivering teaching.

Assessment arrangements

For our returning students coming back to assessments, we wish you the very best of luck.  Please take a few minutes to read through our assessment support page and familiarise yourselves with relevant details about the exams and remember we have a range of study resources to help you. The SU has put some top tips together about looking after your wellbeing during assessments and you can also make use of our online wellbeing resources.

If you need medical support

We know that our hospitals are currently under a lot of pressure.
If you feel unwell and are not sure where you should go you could:

  • phone 111 for advice
  • visit your local pharmacy
  • make an appointment with your GP (local doctor).

If you have an injury and think you may need medical attention, but it doesn’t seem urgent, you might find going to a local Minor Injury Unit more helpful than going to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department at the local hospital.

You should only phone 999 or attend the local A&E department in an emergency when you need urgent medical care that can’t wait.

For new international students, please visit our Students Health Service web pages for advice about registering with a GP (local doctor) and lots of useful information about looking after your health and where to go for help when you need it.

Things to do

If you are new to Bristol, there’s lots going on to help you settle in including Bristol Student Union’s  Refreshers events programme. Make sure you also visit the Welcome Lounge run by our friendly Global Lounge Team where you can meet other students as well as get advice and support to help you get started.  We also produce a regular newsletter for international students, so watch out for it in your University email account. You’ll find useful information to help you get used to the uni at our Student Services website.

If you’re planning a night out, it’s important to look out for one another as unfortunately, further incidences of spiking were reported before Christmas. Remember to follow the Bristol Rules to have fun and keep safe. Read the SU’s blog post about safety at night and find out what your elected officers are doing to support safer nights out.

We’d also like to remind you that you can now access your teaching timetable and loads of other useful information through the University of Bristol app. You can download it from the app stores, or update to the latest version if you have downloaded it previously.

Things to look forward to this term include:

  • Source cafés across campus offering tasty plant-based meals and snacks for ‘Veganuary’
  • Refreshers events programme  — 21 to 30 January
  • Time to Talk Day – 3 February. We’ll be planning some activity on starting conversations about positive mental health.
  • SU elections – nominations open between 1 to 23 February. Your chance to elect union officers, course and faculty representatives, network chairs and more.
  • 5K run at Coombe Dingle — 20 March
  • Climate Action Day — 29 April. Keep an eye on the SU website for further details.

We hope you have a happy and healthy spring term.