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Our theme for May is travel; it is a topic that we have many conversations about – particularly in the Digital Climate Cafes! Travel is something that most of us consider each day, and most of the time, we don’t even realise it. Shall I walk to the supermarket instead of driving? Shall I get the train or bus into the city centre? Often, these are quick decisions and our environment and habits can influence our answer to these questions.
There is a lot to think about when it comes to travel and sustainability; the aviation industry, how we transport goods across the world, pollution from transport, habitat damage and destruction. Researchers can spend years exploring these areas of travel and sustainability; for this month’s warble, let’s look at travel on a local level and commuting.
In Chester, a Sustainable Transport Task Force was created in autumn 2020 to ‘consider what the opportunities and barriers may be to deliver ambitious inclusive walking, cycling, public transport and integrated transport projects and what can be done to secure positive outcomes’. The task force looks at the potential of sustainable transport projects and how they can make a positive impact in a number of areas such as public health, air quality and economic recovery from Covid-19. You can find out more about the task force and sustainable transport in Chester here.
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There are many sustainable transport options to consider when commuting to different university sites and travelling around Chester, Warrington and Shrewsbury. However, we understand that it isn’t always as simple as one day deciding to take the bus into Chester, or use the Park & Ride service, instead of driving. There are other factors that can impact travel choices such as financial circumstances, time, disabilities, or convenience. These factors can also change throughout the week and over the year. Of course, in an ideal world, there would be far fewer cars on the road, and those that were on the road were electric, we would see more cyclists and walkers and cities and surrounding suburbs would be well connected with affordable and accessible public transport links.
As a sustainability unit, we often say small actions make a big difference. When looking at travel habits, start small, look for one journey that you could change, or perhaps reduce. If you are a member of staff at the University, take a look at the Commuter Hub pages on portal. On these pages, you can find details on Arriva bus season tickets and the Cycle to Work scheme which allows you to spread the cost of a bike through monthly deductions from your salary. If you are a student and travelling by bus or train, there are often discount or saver ticket options (depending on provider). Arriva buses offer a student saver tickets for those in full time education. National railcards can also save you money, the 16-25 year old railcard is available to those aged 16-25 and mature students.
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World Environment Day has been held on the 5th June, each year, since 1974. The day has covered many environmental themes such as water security, melting ice caps and connecting with nature. The theme for this year is Ecosystem Restoration. This year’s World Environment Day will also mark the start of the United Nation’s Decade on Ecosystem Restoration which is a ‘global mission to revive billions of hectares, from forests to farmlands, from the top of mountains to the depth of the sea’.
An ecosystem is ‘a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscapes, work together to form a bubble of life’. Ecosystems vary in size from a small tide pool to an ocean. Ecosystem Restoration is about recovering systems that have been degraded or destroyed, as well as preserving and protecting existing systems. We rely on healthy, thriving ecosystems to live, they provide us with food, purify our air and much more. Many livelihoods depend on a healthy ecosystem, they provide resources that are essential for our survival and are often used in medicines.
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To find out more about what you can do to help restore ecosystems, have a look at the World Environment Day game. Simply choose an ecosystem you care about: cities, farmlands, forests, lakes or oceans, and you will be given suggestions of what you can do to support.
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This month’s recommendations come from Geography and International Development second year student, Lauren, who recently completed a work based learning placement with the Sustainability Unit and has shared with us her recommendations for the month. Lauren picked these podcasts as being useful for students that are just starting to think more about sustainability and what it incorporates, and who are perhaps looking to carry out further research into the topic.
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What's On?
Litter pick ǀ Friday 28th May 11.30am
Eco Communities/ Friends of the Earth Chester have organised a litter pick to coincide with the start of Keep Britain Tidy, Great British Spring Clean. Booking is required as this event is subject to covid-19 guidelines, click here to book.
Nature Relatedness ǀ Thursday 3rd June 12.30pm
Have you been stuck inside all lockdown? Do you feel like you have lost your connection to nature? Find out how getting in touch with nature can improve your mental health and help the environment!
The Seaborne Library Climate Action Team will be hosting a Nature Relatedness event via Teams on 3 June at 12:30. They will be screening “Hayley Goes Back to Nature”, which sees television presenter Hayley Pearce attempt to reconnect with nature and will discuss ways you can bring nature back into your life, including forest bathing. There will also be the opportunity for you to discover how well you score on the nature relatedness scale.
Click here to join the meeting
Volunteer day at the Allotment ǀ Friday 4th June 10am – 3pm
Join us at the allotment as we continue our spring clean! There will be five clearing sessions throughout the day:
Group One – 10am to 11am
Group Two – 11am to 12pm
Group Three – 12pm to 1pm
Group Four – 1pm to 2pm
Ground Five 2pm – 3pm
This event is subject to covid-19 guidelines, please email greenchester@chester.ac.uk to attend.
Digital Climate Café ǀ Friday 4th June 1.30pm – 2pm
In this open discussion Digital Climate Café, we will be live from the allotment!
Digital Climate Café ǀ Friday 18th June 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Discussions in this week’s climate café will focus on our theme for the month, education.
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Best wishes,
Heather, Tammy, Phil & Sam
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Have you got any news and events you want to share in the next Warble? Just send them over to Green Chester. |
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