What you can do

Did you know that food production is responsible for approximately one quarter of all GHG (greenhouse gas emissions)? Livestock and fisheries account for one third of that.

• Consider choosing vegan or vegetarian alternatives. There are plenty of delicious options available on campus
• Switch to plant-based milks like oat or soya
• When shopping in Exeter buy fresh, seasonal and local produce (try the local farmers' market) and support the local economy
• Check out the Slow Food Society on campus
• Try shopping at Exeter’s zero waste shops, Nourish and Zero
• Find out more about what the University is doing: Sustainable Food and Drink Initiatives

In an ideal world we would all be using the circular economy. This is where things are made and consumed in a way that minimises use of the world’s resources, cuts waste and reduces carbon emissions. Products are kept in use for as long as possible, through repairing, recycling and redesign –  and used again and again. Here are some circular principles for you to consider:

• Check to see if you can make use of something that someone else no longer needs before purchasing something new
• Try to buy sustainably sourced products and check the credentials of the supplier
• Keep things in circulation for longer by reusing, repairing, and re-purposing them
• For more info on projects which help you redirect items for donation (like Students on the Move) check out our waste and recycling page
• For items that do need to be recycled (what and where) go to our A-Z of recycling 

For other ways to reduce waste, have a look at our energy page which asks for your help in reducing our energy consumption

In the UK 7.7 billion plastic water bottles are used each year and we buy more than 3.2 billion drinks in paper cups. Why not:

• Carry a reusable cup and bottle
• As an incentive, our café outlets on campus offer a discount on hot drinks if you use a reusable cup
• Refill your reusable water bottle from one of over 100 free water refill stations on campus

• Consider recycling or upcycling your clothes
• Use our British Heart Foundation Banks on campus to recycle clothes
• Make some cash by selling clothes you don’t wear any more on sites such as:
  • Depop
  • asos Marketplace
  • eBay
  • Vinted
• If buying new clothes, use tools like the Good On You app to help you find ethically sourced and sustainable materials

• Walking and/or cycling is not only great for your health and wellbeing, it also lowers your carbon emissions and reduces congestion on the roads
• Check out Sustrans for some tips on getting active

Active travel isn't possible for everyone. Visit our Travel pages to find out more about sustainable travel, including car sharing and public transport routes.

• Don’t send excessive emails and large attachments
• Change your search engine to help plant trees i.e to Ecosia
• Switch off your work appliances after use
• Unplug your electronics
• Switch to a sustainable energy provider

• Watch Climate Change – The Facts.
• If you want to learn more, check out our series of online courses about climate change and sustainability at Learn Exeter (coming soon)

• Find the area of sustainability that interests you and get involved
• You could volunteer with a charity or society or you could become a student member of CIEEM

Sign the SDG Accord which aims to inspire, celebrate and advance the critical role that education has in delivering the SDGs and the value it brings to governments, business and wider society.  
 
Individual students, researchers, academics and operational staff can sign the SDG Accord to make a personal and professional commitment to playing their part in advancing sector performance.  

Resources

• We The People for the Global Goals - a 3 minute intro video to the goals
• Communication materials - SDG icons, logos etc. 
• Find out more about our approach to the SDGs

Want to make a difference? Green Rewards is the University’s way of rewarding you for taking actions that improve sustainability and wellbeing – both on and off campus, with the chance to earn points and win prizes. If already signed up do let us know what you think through our short survey. 

Even small spaces can be great for biodiversity! Try adding a mini meadow or growing pollinator-friendly plants in pots. Even better, grow pollinator-friendly food plants like rosemary and chives, for food and wildlife. Have a look at this for ideas for rental gardens, window boxes and small spaces.

Let it grow – consider letting grass grow longer, long grass can support 75% more insect biomass than mown grass (which supports birds and mammals like hedgehogs).

Urban hedgehogs are doing better than their rural relatives! Ask your landlord to make sure that there are hedgehog friendly gaps in fences and follow these tips for a hedgehog friendly garden.

Add a bird feeder, especially in winter when other food is scarce (although there should be seed heads in your long grass), advice on food type, location and cleaning is here.

Wildlife surveys – there are lots of citizen science projects which you can do in your local park, or get involved with the ones we are setting up on Campus, keep an eye on our [Events page hyperlink].

Volunteer to help wildlife – with your local wildlife trust or check the options on our Get involved section.

Tell people what you’re doing! Let people know on social media about your biodiversity-friendly actions, and inspire everyone to do more.