Listen to our podcast series to hear current undergraduate and postgraduate students share their experiences of studying at Bath.

Episode 2: Sustainability at Bath

Alice: Welcome to this episode of the A Place for Possible podcast. I'm Alice Lowe, a member of the University's Sustainability team, and today's episode is all about sustainability at Bath and how you can get involved as a student.

Sustainability is a core value for us at Bath, and here you'll be part of a community who are motivated and committed to delivering fair, positive, and real change for people and the planet.

Today I'm joined by three students who will be sharing their first hand experience of sustainability at Bath with you. They’re each going to introduce themselves, so first to Xandi.

Xandi: Hi there, I'm Xandi, and I'm a second year undergrad studying biochemistry.

Angelica: Hi, I'm Angelica. I'm a final year politics and international relations student.

Lydia: And I'm Lydia, and I'm studying a PhD in climate justice.

Alice: Welcome, all. So, to kick things off, I want to find out what sustainability means to each of you and how you incorporate it into your daily life as a student. So I'm going to start with Lydia.

Lydia: Sure. Sustainability for me means trying to live my life in a way that's good for the people and also for the planet. So trying to make decisions that align with social justice and also contribute to combating the climate and biodiversity crisis. That's all really idyllic thinking, but I think in practice it's much more difficult to do that, especially when you're living on a student budget.

So I think that my reality falls short of my ideals in that sense. I try to do what I can in terms of taking public transport, eating less meat, trying to make informed purchases. But really, I think the biggest way that it impacts my life as a student is the fact that I am still a student. My undergrad wasn't in climate change, I developed that passion later. So the decision to do a PhD was fuelled by that. That's why I'm still here.

Alice: Great, thank you. A lot of nodding in the room at student budgets. Over to you, Angelica. What does it mean to you?

Angelica: Yeah, similar to Lydia. Sustainability to me means doing what's best for the planet, for the community. How can you make less waste of things? Having informed decisions of what you purchase and the actions that you take, and keeping the environment in mind. How do I incorporate it into my daily life? Public transport, taking the bus, walking where I can. I also try to buy secondhand on apps such as Vinted and things like that. But right now I have decided to do my dissertation on climate change, so that's something that's really big in my life right now.

Xandi: Really good points. I definitely try and think of it - what is sustainability? How to be more sustainable? - in a way that everything around us has come from somewhere, that there's been an impact that that process has had to get it where it is. When you're buying something from the shelf in a supermarket there's a whole pipeline. So, for me, the most important thing is being aware of that process and being aware of how much impact that process has, and then from there, changing your lifestyle to mitigate the impact it has, to lower that impact.

The biggest contributors to climate change are transport, diet, eating less red meat, I definitely try to do that. I take public transport as well. But I think what's also interesting is you can spend a lot of time sort of reducing yourself and taking away from your own life, whereas a lot of the time it's very clear that the fossil fuel industry is the biggest contributor. And so that sort of thing is a really interesting paradigm.

Alice: Thank you for sharing what sustainability means to each of you. There are many ways that students can get involved with sustainability and build skills and experiences in their time here at Bath. So I'm really keen to understand from each of you how you've been involved in any sustainability-related societies, groups, teams, or projects on campus, and to understand what you've learned from those experiences. So I'm going to start with Xandi first.

Xandi: I am chair of a society called People and Planet, which is a student-wide organisation. So there's a People and Planet in Bristol, there's a People and Planet up in Edinburgh. It's quite a wide network, and People and Planet runs very specific campaigns that they see as quite achievable for students to do. An example of a campaign we're doing is called Fossil Free Careers, and it's looking at the platform that we give to fossil fuel companies at careers fairs.

I've learned so much from, one, being on a committee at Bath, and, two, about being in that sort of green corner at Bath. A couple of things to mention are just how much is going on. You never really realise, until you step into that space, how many different societies there are and how much people really value this topic and how much is going on. It's really important to mention that if you just dig a little deeper there's a lot going on.

I'd also say it's one of the best ways to meet interesting people. I wouldn't be here doing a podcast about sustainability if I didn't get into that. I've been able to speak to a huge range of staff at the University, postgrads, undergrads, different members, that kind of thing. So it's a really, really good way to break the barrier of meeting cool people, seeing what's going on at Bath. So those are some of the things I've learnt.

Alice: Thank you. So I'm going to come to Lydia next.

Lydia: I was actually at Bath for my undergrad, so while I was here, I was also part of People and Planet. While I was there, we were working on a food waste campaign. There were already food waste bins in the uni accommodation, but we didn't have any in the restaurants and canteens around campus. So our campaign was around that and trying to get food waste bins there, which was successful.

Now, alongside my PhD I actually have a part-time job with the lab sustainability team at the uni. So that's about trying to make sure that our lab activities have a reduced environmental impact in terms of energy and waste and all sorts of things, including just research culture being more sustainable.

I think for me, for both of those things, the biggest lesson was a lot of nuance around sustainability. Like I said, I think we have quite idyllic visions of what it should be, but in practice, it's much harder. I think lab sustainability is a really good example of that, because actually, there are quite valid reasons sometimes why it's difficult to introduce sustainable practices into labs. Sometimes people are just reluctant for being set in their ways, but actually a lot of the time they have really valid concerns. Especially at Bath, where we're doing really important research, I can see why some people are hesitant about sustainability. But even though there are all those factors to consider, I think there's a real enthusiasm in the uni. And that nuance and broader understanding of that enthusiasm I definitely wouldn't have got if I'd stayed in my own student bubble, if that makes sense.

Alice: Thank you. I think you touched on some really interesting points there around how sustainability change can sometimes be hard, and sometimes takes a really long time. But it's really great that you've got some examples of where students have made actual change happen here on campus. So, going on to Angelica next.

Angelica: So over my time here at Bath, the first time that I got involved in something sustainability-related was when I used to be on the committee for BULU [Bath University Left Union], in my second year. We would organise climate marches in town, and a few times in London as well. Then, following on to my third year, I did my placement with the Climate Action team. I learned a lot more about the sustainability world here at the University. As Xandi was saying earlier, there are so many different things to get involved in, so many societies, so many projects taking place, both academically and with students for fun.

But now I work in my part-time role as a climate champion, and echoing on what Lydia has just said, it can be challenging. Creating behavioural change is hard, but every action matters, whether it's big or small. I've definitely learned to keep with it and to keep trying your hardest. There are always people who want to get involved and to really encourage them.

Xandi: Just off the back of that, Bath is a great university, it's super sporty and the people are very, very focused on their degree. So it can sometimes be that there's so much on your plate, where do you fit it in? But if you're really passionate about it, if you want to get involved, then it just will happen like that. That's the kind of thing that does happen, it comes through with all the other commitments.

Alice: I think there's a really strong culture around sustainability in both our student and staff communities. And having that come together is really powerful, and that's how we're going to tackle some of the biggest challenges we have at the University.

There are many ways that students can drive positive change at the University. What role do you think that students could or should play in driving sustainability initiatives at the University? I'm going to come first to Angelica.

Angelica: Students play a very important role in driving new initiatives. For example, there was a former student project around dairy milk, and now we've seen a change where there's no extra cost for non-dairy milk. That's something so small, but I think the small things also have really big impacts. I think students shouldn't be shy about sharing their voice and what they think. They should definitely just keep at it, and keep sharing their thoughts on sustainability because at the end of the day, they're here at the University of Bath and they'll be here for several years, and it's almost their second home, so definitely voicing their thoughts and opinions is very important.

Lydia: To pick up on that, universities literally exist because of and for students, so what students want actually does make a difference to how the University works. Which is quite a unique environment to be in, where if there's enough support for something in the student body and obviously if something's reasonable and fair, the University will eventually start to pick things up. I've seen that a lot through my undergrad and then my PhD.

I think there's a lot of ways to do that. I think the societies that we have are amazing, and I think what Bath does really well is give students access to the staff who can then actually initiate those changes. So you're getting involved in societies and also you can make it part of your course in something like a dissertation and that kind of thing. So there's a lot you can do, and I think remembering that the University is there for you and will listen if you give them a reason to.

Xandi: That's my thoughts exactly. I've sort of come to the conclusion that students are the most important thing. Exactly like you're saying, this is a university for students. And one of the cool things I think students bring or young people bring is a real energy to change if they feel something's up. If they want to do things a little differently, then they will bring that energy or bring that enthusiasm, and it's so important for sustainability initiatives, because they can drag on. If you're trying to push something through a board or if you're trying to, in my experience, push something through The SU, you've really got to be a bit relentless, like, no, this is something I'm really passionate about and this is what I'm going to do.

I've had a couple of conversations with staff. One was Sandhya Moise, the Green officer for the UCU, which is like the equivalent of the Students' Union, but for staff. One of the things she talks about is there's an awareness among staff that sustainability and climate change are important issues. But without the student voice, nothing's gonna happen. So for me, it's the most important thing.

Alice: This is really, really assuring to hear as a member of staff. I think sometimes students don't know the value of their own voice. In some of these sorts of challenging processes to make change happen, the student voice can sometimes be more powerful than staff voices. So hearing you all is really motivating for me.

I'd like you to share a little bit about some sustainable practices that you've seen on campus that you think should be adopted more widely. I'll start with Xandi.

Xandi: I have less to add on this, but one specific thing that I went to, I think it was last semester, was the carbon literacy programme. For those who don't know, I think it's an NGO, but done all through volunteers, and it's effectively an education programme. I think it's about a day-long session where you go in and you're put in groups, have interactive exercises, and it's all about understanding what the climate crisis is.

I think it's just a really core building block for everything else that comes after it. You certainly have to understand the problem to address the problem. You sign up if you want to do it, and for those who are looking for something to put on their CV, it can go on there. If they're interested, it should always be a starting point. So I think I would love to see that sort of pushed a bit more and this is something if you want to get started, go here, learn about it, and then go from there.

Alice: Great. Nice little plug for that course, which is available for all new students.

Angelica: I think there are several different sustainable practices here on campus. I guess the most obvious one would be the Exchange Cup scheme. I definitely think that it could be more widely used. I know some coffee shops give you a discount if you have your own reusable cups but I think that could be integrated more widely. Thinking more locally, adopt a bike. I think that would be a great initiative to have in the workspaces and just encouraging staff or the local community to cycle more often. If that could be more widespread to the rest of the UK, something similar to that initiative would be really, really cool.

Lydia: I think one of the nicest things we have is the swap shops that are organised on campus. So you can bring in clothes that you don't want, for example, and then swap them for free with other clothes. We've got a few things like that that are trying to combat unsustainable consumerism. I know there have been repair cafes on campus before, where you can bring things in to be fixed.

I don't know if it has a name, but outside Fresh, one of the shops, there are baskets of things that people don't need anymore, and you can pick them up if you want to. There are a couple of fridges if you have food that you're not going to use that people can take from there. It's quite a unique community, and sharing things and exchanging things, making sure that we're trying to make more informed choices with what we buy, is a really great place to do that.

Alice: And all of those solutions are great for student budgets.

Xandi: Yes, exactly. So the repair cafe, a slow cooker that someone had brought in had stopped working. So we took it along to the repair cafe. I'm unsure about their experience, but it's members of the community who can repair these sorts of things, and you go in and it almost comes out brand new. It was really cool. That's my one experience of the repair cafe.

Alice: So sustainability is a global issue that will impact our student and staff community in all sorts of different ways. How do you think small, local actions on our campus can have a real impact on the future for people and the planet? I'm going to come first to Lydia on this one.

Lydia: I think, like I keep saying, it's a very unique community. So we're really well placed as a university to initiate sustainable actions. There's a lot more time and money and willingness that we can actually spend on sustainability here, as opposed to, for example, a business, which is a lot more profit-driven. It's harder to actually get sustainable actions picked up there. I think the biggest thing that we can do at universities that's quite unique is research things. We can try to think of more creative solutions that a business doesn't have the time to do. I think it's about thinking about creative solutions and researching them here, and then spreading the word. And obviously the hope is that we find a new creative solution that really works for sustainability, and works for our community. We can tell everyone else about it, and it can be picked up on a wider scale.

Xandi: Almost like a pilot scheme kind of thing.

Lydia: Exactly, and as a research community, we've got the resources to do that.

Angelica: I also agree with that. I think that any action we take here on campus, whether it's through research or coming out with new initiatives, or students creating new change for programmes, or things that are available on campus, can definitely influence the local community. I think small actions eventually create a snowball effect, and the University is a big part of the Bath community in general. Leading by example, it can definitely influence those who live here.

Xandi: It's interesting. I agree with everything you guys are saying, we're on similar tracks, which is very cool. But I think it's definitely something I'd love to see more from the University. It's this idea that we've got a real opportunity to look at our daily lives, look at our daily routines and think about them in a different way because we're so young, because we don't know any different, or we haven't necessarily been in the world of work for that long. We haven't necessarily been in a rigorous business, so I think it's a real opportunity, and if you try something and it doesn't work, back to the drawing board. It's not a problem. Students are a bit like sponges. They absorb what they want to absorb and then take that on into the rest of their lives. So, definitely initiatives and local actions, smaller things. I'd love to see more of them, just trying things out. If there's a better way to heat a building, let's try and implement it. If it's 100% plant-based food at the University, let's try it. If it works, it works. If we get different feedback, we'll try and take that forward.

But like you were saying, it's a real opportunity to experiment and you'd hope that a lot of the new solutions and technologies are coming from young people in universities, because realistically we're the people who are going to have to deal with climate change. So you've got to give us some equipment to tackle it. There's got to be something, some ideas, anything that we can take forward.

Lydia: I think something you said that was really important as well is that students will adopt practices while they're at uni and then take that on throughout their life. I think what's especially important about that in a university setting is we're all going into different careers, so we take these sustainable practices into our different businesses, into different sectors, into the charity sector, into social work, whatever it is we're doing, we take those lessons on. Also, we're an international community, so we take those not just in our own country, but overseas as well. If we adopt processes here that really work, you get that sort of knock-on effect. Then, as students leave, they start to affect other places as well.

Alice: I think they're all really good points and really speak to the power of the education that we can provide here at Bath.

So it's our ambition as a university that every student, every graduate, is empowered with the skills, knowledge, and experience that they need to be a different graduate today than we've maybe had sort of 10 or 20 plus years ago, and really driving sustainable change in all careers, in industries that our students are going on to join. Is there any advice that you'd share to prospective and incoming students related to sustainability? I'm going to start with Angelica this time.

Angelica: I think get involved in as much as you can, take advantage of your time here at the University, whether it's for your undergrad, your master's, or a PhD. There are so many extracurriculars to get involved in, such as VIPs and societies. You can also get involved in part-time work and there's also sustainable oriented placements if you're thinking of doing a placement, and you can even do it in your studies, like I'm doing in my dissertation. Don't be afraid to use your voice, even if it's your first year, and enjoy your time.

Alice: Some really great points there, thank you.

Xandi: It's similar sort of advice. Go digging when you get here. One of the things I did and what I'm really glad I did do is immediately got on The SU website and just had a scroll, went through it, navigated what's on. What can I get involved in? Pretty much everything's free, it's not hard to get into, you just have to sort of find it when it's happening and that sort of thing. There's so much going on, and as you're saying, there are modules you can study. The placements are really good opportunities to get involved in a really fleshy type of work, if that's what you're interested in. There are campaigns and societies. So it's almost quite overwhelming how much there is. But my one piece of advice is just go digging and really scrape away the first bit of what is there to do, and just get involved with it.

Lydia: I think what you have to remember is that coming to uni, it is about advancing your academic skills, of course, but two other really valuable things that you can do is, one, improve your employability, but also most importantly, your life skills and your experience and your understanding of the world. Uni is an amazing place to be where you can really take advantage of meeting new people who have different life experiences to you and different expertise, they have a new perspective on things. So really take advantage of that and make sure that you're taking all of that in.

We're increasingly seeing that sustainability is becoming integrated in every workplace and in all aspects of our lives. If you can take the time while you're at uni to get a really well-rounded understanding of what sustainability actually means, you will be setting yourself up for better prospects in life, not just in terms of your academics and your employability, but also in terms of your experiences and your understanding of the world. The best part of my university experience was doing that.

Alice: Are there any other societies that students can get involved with?

Xandi: So besides People and Planet who I mentioned a little bit about, and I would say we're a bit more on the climate activism side, there's loads of other stuff. Veg Soc, who do a vegetarian weekly meal, sustainable fashion, Chem Eng sustainability group who are looking to host competitions to build more sustainable pipelines, processes, that sort of thing. A very recent society has just been set up called Effective Altruism, who look at a wide range of global issues, climate change being a huge one, alongside AI safety, biologics, that kind of thing. Amnesty International, Model UN, Bath University Left Union, BCAG, which is the sustainability group for architects and civil engineers. Then also just to plug net zero carbon campus fund, a fund for coming up with an idea that reduces carbon emissions on campus. There's just so much going on.

Alice: Are there any other resources or support that you found really useful as a student?

Angelica: Yes, there are plenty of resources available. I would definitely recommend the Student's guide to climate action on the University web page. We also have a Student's guide to living sustainably.

Alice: What fantastic advice from all of you. Thank you all for your time today. It's been really great to chat about the different ways that you're getting involved with sustainability as students in your time here at Bath. It's been really inspiring for me to hear from students who are so motivated to take action in this space, and I'm really excited that our incoming students will be just as motivated to get involved.

And for you listeners, I hope you learned a lot about the wide range of options for getting involved with sustainability at Bath.