Catz students celebrated at Sustainability Showcase
On 14 June, Oxford University held its fifth annual Sustainability Showcase at the Museum of Natural History, with staff and students from across the University gathering to recognise their contributions towards making the University more environmentally friendly. We’re pleased to say that St Catherine’s College picked up multiple awards at the event.
St Catz students were rewarded for receiving a Platinum Award in Student Switch Off, an intercollegiate energy saving competition. This is the highest possible award in the scheme, with St Catherine’s being one of only six colleges to reach this standard. As part of the scheme, 13 students became ‘Student Switch Off Ambassadors’, attending training on how to reduce energy usage in student accommodation and communicate this with others at Catz. Screenings of David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet II’ were also run, to raise the profile of Student Switch Off across the college.
A team led by current students Harry Holmes (2016, Law) and Clarisse Pierre (2016, Geography) were also awarded a Bronze award in the NUS Green Impact programme, which rewards environmentally friendly policies and actions within colleges. The changes they made at Catz to receive the award included introducing a charge on plastic straws in the JCR, creating an online forum for students to publicise excess food they have going to waste (which others in College can then claim, reducing food waste on site), and introducing recycling facilities and reusable mugs at the JCR’s regular welfare meals.
Finally, Harry received the 2018 Green Impact Student Award, which commends the student who has contributed most to sustainability within the university. The award recognises Harry’s work as the St Catz JCR Environment & Ethics Rep and in wider university sustainability campaigns.
Our congratulations and thanks go to Harry, Clarisse, and the many other Catz students who have helped to make the college, and the wider university, more sustainable over the past year.
Pictured above: Harry and Clarisse with the College’s awards.