Sheffield University’s SU launches first ever climate and sustainability festival

‘Festival for the Future’ invites students to think about sustainability on campus in line with the COP26 Summit


Sheffield University’s Student’s Union is hosting a series of sustainability and climate-related events in line with the COP26 summit currently being held in Glasgow.

Festival for the Future will take place from the 1- 7th November, inviting students to think about sustainability on campus and changes that can be made to battle the current climate crisis.

Events will include panel discussions on how the university can help tackle the climate emergency, as well as daily drop-in slots for students to share ideas about on-campus sustainability.

Societies such as Engineers without Borders and Effective Altruism Sheffield will also be running events during the week on sustainable urban farming and the reducetarian movement.

On Saturday, university societies will gather outside the SU at 11am to walk to Devonshire Green, where they will join the COP26 Climate Justice Protest.

The protest falls on the Global Day of Action – a date in climate activists’ diaries to demand action from world leaders on the environment. Over 300 groups around the UK organise the events, ranging from ‘stunts’ including visual props to demonstrations.

Alongside the festival, outlets across the SU will be running ‘green deals’ all week long, including 2-4-1 on low-impact burgers in Bar One and vegan sausage rolls at Proper Pasty.

Coffee Revs will double loyalty stamps for customers with a reusable cup, while Interval will charge an extra 50p for pizzas with dairy cheese, as opposed to the week-long vegan default.

Making the university more sustainable is a large objective for Sheffield SU. Last week, Sheffield University partnered with local dairy farm to reduce plastic waste in cafes on campus.

The sustainability project is set to remove 27,000 single-use plastics bottles per year by switching to milk churns supplied by Our Cow Molly, a dairy farm located four miles from university campus.

Sheffield Students’ Union Welfare and Sustainability Officer Anesu Matanda Mambingo, said: “Our universities need to take more action to help limit the damages caused by the climate crisis, and to prepare us for the future we face.

“Whether you’ve been interested in sustainability before, or this is your first time getting involved in campaigning, your opinion really matters. Be part of our student movement to protect the planet and join the conversation at our first ever Festival for the Future.”

The UN Climate Change Conference, known as the COP26 summit, began on Sunday and will end on Friday 12 November. World leaders will meet to discuss how to address sustainability goals, including driving down global emissions.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the Queen will not attend Cop26 due to ill health and has been ordered by doctors to rest.

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish Activist arrived in Glasgow today in preparation for the climate discussions which officially start on Sunday 31 October.

Thousands of activists have lined the streets in the city ahead of tomorrow’s discussions.

For more information on Sheffield University’s Festival for the future, click here.

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