Author: yl22363

Tips on reducing your plastic waste

Posted on by yl22363

Swap disposable plastic bottles/coffee cups for re-usable

Café Nero, Costa, and Starbucks all have offers when you get your coffee in a re-usable cup, so instead of adding to the 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups that are thrown away each year (estimated by Costa), save money by taking your own!

Save yourself that £1.50 for a plastic bottle of water, and invest in a steel water bottle. It keeps your water cool throughout the day, and you can fill up at home, in your local coffee shop, or at one of the University’s water fountains around campus, for free! Find your nearest campus water fountain here.

 

Take your own bags to the shops

Did you know that bags for life use up to three times more plastic than single use carrier bags? They’re also sturdier, making them much more detrimental when getting into natural environments. Make sure you’re getting the most of your bags for life, remember to take them to the shops with you and avoid buying more than you need. Or, take your backpack with you to shop, or any other bags that you use in your day to day life to avoid the plastic option completely!

 

Say no to plastic cutlery when you order in

Plastic straws, forks spoons, are included in many fast food options, and many can’t be recycled. However, most places on Deliveroo or UberEats let you choose whether or not they include plastic cutlery. Whenever you’re able, make sure you’re saying no to these single-use plastic items.

 

Cling film can’t be recycled, but tinfoil can!

Clingfilm is made from polyvinylidene chloride (PVC) and does not degrade. Manufacturing PVC releases dioxins that is toxic to humans. Swap out cling film for tinfoil, which (once clean) can be recycled! Even better, use reusable lunch boxes or beeswax wraps. Either way, make sure you’re avoiding clingfilm wherever you can.

 

Ditch the glitter

Glitter is made from aluminium or plastic coated in paint or metal and it’s everywhere. You can find glitter in body lotions, bath bombs, eyeshadows, and generally all over the beauty industry. Glitter is made of microplastics and microplastics never dissipate. It wreaks havoc on biodiversity and marine life.

 

Did you know there’s no limit on how long it takes a product to break down when it’s labelled ‘biodegradable’? Or that some biodegradable material require specialist treatment in order to do so? That means even when products like glitter are labelled such, it doesn’t guarantee that the product is eco-friendly. By the time some biodegradable plastics have broken down, they’ve already caused harm to the environment.

Some eco-friendly glitter alternatives are coloured sand, salt, coloured rice, certain face paints, sugar, and crushed glass. Of course not all of these can be used cosmetically, but options like glass can work great for craft projects.

 

Controlling waste at the University

Did you know that less than 5% of the University’s overall waste ends up in landfill? This is because the University is committed to maximising reuse, recycling as much as possible, and reducing the amount of waste produced.

 See more on the University’s sustainability efforts here.

 

The Borgen Project

Posted on by yl22363

The Borgen Project

The Borgen Project is a non-profit organisation raising awareness for global poverty by mobilizing ordinary citizens and pushing for positive change.                                                                          Student Comms caught up with Mohammed Farrash, third year International Social and Public Policy student, currently interning for the organisation.

Mohammed, how did you find The Borgen Project?

It was an accident really, I was looking for some work experience, as I’m now in my third year, and I kind of found this project through other organisations.

What are the main beliefs of the project?

The Borgen Project aims to tackle global poverty. The belief is that tackling this massive concern will impact other global issues, such as public health, overpopulation, and national security, as well as creating more jobs for the future.

So, what work do you do with the project?

I get set tasks weekly, usually sending emails to MPs and helping to mobilise others to do the same. I also research current world events, help fundraisers, network, and investigate current bills going through Parliament. All the work is done online, as there isn’t an office in Bristol. I usually spend around 8 hours a week completing work for them.

Are there any surprises that have come up in this work? What successes have you been able to enjoy?

This has been my first work environment, so it’s been interesting to see just how much you can accomplish from just talking to people. Just getting the internship was such an achievement, the acceptance rate is quite low. It’s been great to connect with people within my community.

Is this something you’d like to focus on in your future career?

Honestly, I’m not sure yet. There’s so much that I would like to explore in the world, but I wouldn’t rule it out. In terms of career, I am originally from Saudi Arabia, and I would love to be able to contribute to The Vision 2030 and help bring Saudi Arabia into the future. One of the main objectives of the Vision 2030 is to strengthen national identity by sharing our culture with the rest of the world.

And what brought you to Bristol?

So, I graduated from school during COVID-19, my exams were cancelled, and I didn’t end up with the grades that I wanted. I originally wanted to apply to study finance but didn’t meet the requirements. I ended up going through clearing to just try and find a spot doing something. I planned to get onto a course and then change programmes, but after a few weeks in International Social and Public Policy, I realised I was really interested and decided to stay. I don’t regret that decision. Bristol was so helpful when I emailed in during clearing and made me feel that this place would value me. My mother is an Alumna here – she did a masters in Blood Banking; she’ll hopefully be coming over from Saudi Arabia for my graduation soon.

What’s been your favourite thing about Bristol?

The food! I’ve discovered so many cuisines that I haven’t experienced before. I love the local food markets and I’ve now discovered vegan food. I never really liked vegan food before, but now it’s one of my favourites. Living alone has really let me work on my cooking skills, my favourite food to cook is definitely Indian dishes.

What do you need to do now that you’re nearing the end of your internship?

I’ll be filling out my feedback survey and sending that in. This blogpost will probably be the last thing I do for it. I’ve enjoyed my time as an intern with the project and would recommend internships to other students.

You can learn more about The Borgen Project at The Borgen Project.

To get advice on internships, volunteering and career opportunities, get in touch with The Careers Service. 

New campus Wi-Fi network coming in 2023 and 2024

Posted on by yl22363

Work begins this month on a new high-performance network for our world-class campuses. The work will assess the Wi-Fi coverage of the current network before its upgraded on a building-by-building basis at the end of 2023 and throughout 2024.

As the single biggest investment ever made into IT infrastructure, University of Bristol Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Evelyn Welch believes, “Our capital investment is not about shiny new buildings, but about providing the right environment…particularly our digital infrastructure”.

When the current network was originally designed, no one could have anticipated the extent to which digitisation would transform teaching, research and learning in the decade that followed. Many replacement parts to the current network are no longer manufactured, making the structure in its current state vulnerable. Our new network has the potential to move us permanently towards more interactive learning and inquisitive teaching in the future.

Post-pandemic, we increasingly access the connected world through our fingertips. COVID-19 accelerated the need to exist online, so much so that traditional face-to-face teaching has been enhanced by shifting the student experience to a virtual space. Our University now promises an in-person education enhanced with the very best of blended.

Upgrading our network will…

  • Enable an academic to live stream lectures on campus with fluid, stable connectivity to thousands of students around the world.
  • Mean that a student can link multiple devices securely to support their study, social and entertainment platforms anywhere on campus.
  • Allow a researcher scalable connection to conduct experiments and store data autonomously on a secure service.
  • Empower a member of Professional Services to seamlessly join meetings and carry out tasks on the move, or from their desks, on a network that is sustainable.

The benefits of a new network will be felt by all 30,000+ members of our community. Anyone who joins the local network on, or away from, campus will experience a seamless, secure, sustainable, and fully supported digital environment.

Chief Digital Information Officer Keith Woolley says, “We’re excited by the possibilities this investment will bring and can’t wait to see the full potential of our new next generation network. With this transformation the University of Bristol will be better connected to one another, our partners, and our communities… it will provide a platform for innovative global research, creative teaching and facilitate options for inclusive learning for years to come.”

If you have any questions, we’d love to hear from you. Please email modern-network-project@bristol.ac.uk  or visit our SharePoint pages to find out more.

This scope of work is part of the Digital Strategy, which feeds into the objectives set out in the 2030 Vision and Strategy. 

Written by Aggie Hewitt, Communication Officer, Digital strategy