Loughborough’s recycling offers a good lesson

Students at Loughborough are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental impact, in part because of the work of their student’s union.

Steve Black, the union’s vice president of finance and commercial services, said: “We aren’t just aiming our environmental policy at our own staff, but the whole student population of Loughborough.”

The union’s environmental activities, Black explained, encompass not only the 14,000 students in attendance at the educational institution, but also the 4,000 attending college courses in the city, and 1,000 distance learners.

One of the most important activities the union holds to promote environmental awareness is Reality Check week. Occurring on an annual basis, the campaign tries to educate students about their environmental impact. This year, the union educated students about car-sharing, distributed energy-saving light bulbs, organized a clothing swap and offered free bike checks.

The union encourages green activities all year with an ongoing recycling competition in the university’s residences which also encourages residents to cut down on their consumption of energy. Students who win the award for recycling the most are given a donation in their name to any charity.

As a result of their activities, the Loughborough student union won an award for being the greenest the past two years in a row.