Category: Events (Page 1 of 11)

King’s Climate Action Network: 2023-24 plans and relaunch

We would like to invite you to the King’s Climate Action Network and the re-launch event next week, as we want to hear from you. If you’re interested, you can register here.

Below you can find out more about the King’s CAN plans for 2023-24, details about our upcoming re-launch event and various initiatives you can get involved in.

What is the King’s CAN? And updates

The King’s CAN is an inclusive and collaborative space that aims to foster groundbreaking ideas to address the climate and sustainability crises. We harness the passion and diversity of our interdisciplinary community, consisting of students, staff and alumni, to co-create innovative solutions with a meaningful impact within King’s and beyond.

Originally established in October 2020 to co-create the King’s Climate & Sustainability Action Plan, the CAN has since made significant progress. Last year, we focused on implementing five key projects (you can read more about them in the 2022-23 sustainability report). With the publication of the King’s Climate & Sustainability Action Plan (CSAP) and the establishment of governance structures, including a Steering Group and an annual CSAP review process, our focus is now on the entire King’s community having a direct say in the plans being developed. We invite your feedback, ideas and, hopefully, your energy to turn these ideas into action, including continuing with last year’s projects.

The network includes:

  • Community-building: We hold termly CAN plenaries to unite the network in person, building an engaged climate community while celebrating and reviewing the progress of the CSAP.
  • Focused brainstorms: Throughout the year we concentrate on specific CSAP areas, generating fresh ideas and sparking discussions.
  • Consultations: The CAN plays a crucial role in the annual CSAP review process, providing feedback and helping set priorities. Beyond planned consultations, it serves as a platform for ongoing dialogue, connecting community voices with key decisions.
  • Funding for projects: The Sustainability Projects Fund allows CAN members to turn their ideas into action, and we plan to set this up in term 2.
  • Vibrant hub: The CAN Teams channel serves as a connected community where members share relevant opportunities, events and resources.
  • Events to empower: Throughout the year, CAN members have access to a range of events and training sessions to enhance their knowledge, including the Sustainability Seminar Series and King’s Climate & Sustainability Month.

King’s CAN re-launch: 18 October (2-4pm, MB2.1)

Mark your calendars! You will soon receive an invitation to our King’s CAN re-launch event, which is scheduled for October 18th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Macadam Building MB2.1 (Strand Campus). During this event, we will outline our plans for the King’s CAN this year, initiate brainstorming sessions for fresh ideas and provide an opportunity to connect with fellow CAN members. Refreshments and snacks will be provided.

If you are unable to attend the event, we will follow up via email with a summary of the discussions and provide slides with more detailed plans.

Get involved

Here are some ways you can engage beyond the King’s CAN:

To stay up to date about all things climate- and sustainability-related going on at King’s, you can also subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Get involved in climate and sustainability action at King’s  

Are you interested in all things sustainable and want to make a positive impact whilst at King’s? The King’s Climate & Sustainability team have a range of volunteering opportunities, events and resources to help you learn more about and take collective action on climate and sustainability. 

Sign up for the Sustainability newsletter and follow King’s Sustainability on Instagram and Twitter for all updates. 

There are also KCLSU student groups dedicated to sustainability such as the Climate Action Society, Eco Soc and the Vegetarian & Vegan Society. 

Find out how to get involved below or view all opportunities here. 

  

Learn and boost your CV: Sustainability module and seminar series 

The KEATS module on Sustainability & Climate is an open-access and interdisciplinary module covering the biggest topics in sustainability, from climate change and food to sustainable finance and social justice. Fully co-created by a Take Action Team of students, staff and alumni, it is a module that is designed by the King’s community, for the King’s community. The module aims not just to equip you with sustainability knowledge, but to help you develop the agency to take action on the issues that most concern you.  

To boost your employability, you can gain a King’s Experience Champion for Change Award upon module completion, which goes on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) that you receive when you graduate from King’s.  

A Sustainability Seminar Series accompanies the module and runs monthly between October and July with seminars from climate justice to sustainable economics.  

Register online to keep updated.  

  

Take collective action: King’s Climate Action Network 

The King’s Climate Action Network (CAN) is an open forum bringing together more than 400 people from the King’s community who are passionate about climate action. It is a place to foster innovation, brainstorm new ideas and discuss what action King’s needs to take to reach our targets.  

By joining the King’s CAN, you will get an opportunity to hear from stakeholders about progress in theme-specific sessions, discuss fresh ideas and get a chance to implement them through the Sustainability Projects Fund.  

Find out more and join the King’s CAN. 

  

Make a difference: Volunteer for sustainability  

Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community and the King’s Climate & Sustainability team offer exciting opportunities to help drive sustainability and gain valuable employability skills.  

You can become an ambassador raising sustainability awareness across King’s, a Sustainability Champions Assistant supporting staff teams to make their work environments more sustainable, and much more.  

Check out all opportunities on King’s Volunteering platform (look for: King’s Climate & Sustainability) 

  

Learn & take action: King’s Climate & Sustainability Month 

King’s Climate & Sustainability Month takes place every year in February, offering you an opportunity to learn more about sustainability topics, collaborate and connect with others from across King’s and take action on the climate crisis. The month includes an inter-university London Student Sustainability Conference with an opportunity to showcase your sustainability project or research to a London-wide audience.  

Interested in organising an event? That is possible! King’s Climate & Sustainability Month includes exciting social and educational events organised by people from across the King’s community focused on one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

Subscribe to the newsletter to keep updated 

  

Discover: Spotlight on Sustainability podcast 

The King’s Spotlight on Sustainability podcast aims to draw attention to sustainability at King’s and beyond. The goal is to get you thinking about some of the issues and challenges we face regarding climate change and the natural world by highlighting the excellent work on sustainability happening at King’s and on local, national and global levels. 

Start listening online 

  

Climate and sustainability ambitions and progress  

King’s Climate & Sustainability Action Plan was developed in consultation with students, staff and alumni members of the King’s CAN and went live in February 2023. The plan sets new targets across 13 key impact areas, including at least a 25% reduction in carbon emissions by 2025 and a 50% reduction by 2030 across energy use, business travel, our supply chain, commuting and waste. The plan includes a 2030 net zero target and prioritises the absolute reduction of carbon emissions over offsetting and carbon removals.  

Our annual Environmental Sustainability Reports summarise the efforts made by the entire King’s community to make the university more sustainable: from managing our estates and providing sustainable food to engaging with our local communities and driving Education for Sustainability. Have a look – we hope it inspires you to take action on climate and sustainability, whatever your role within or beyond King’s! 

  

We’d love to hear from you! 

If you want to set up your own sustainability project, you have any ideas or feedback to share, or you would like us to promote any of your initiatives, please get in touch with the team: sustainability@kcl.ac.uk 

Sustainability at Welcome to King’s September 2023

Are you interested in all things sustainable and making a positive impact whilst at King’s? This Welcome Fortnight, the Sustainability team have prepared an exciting range of events for you to learn more about climate and sustainability. Check them out below. You can also find us at various hubs, fairs and inductions – come have a chat!

Introduction to sustainability and climate action at King’s 11/09/2023, 14:00-15:00 Microsoft Teams Are you passionate about sustainability and making a difference? What action is King’s taking on the climate crisis? How can you take individual and collective climate action while at King’s?

Join the King’s Climate & Sustainability Team to learn more about what King’s is doing around sustainability and climate action, and how you can get involved.

How to be sustainable in London 13/09/2023, 14:00-15:00 Microsoft Teams Do you care about sustainability but not sure where to start? Join this session to hear some useful tips from the King’s Climate & Sustainability Team on how to be more sustainable – and possibly even save some money!
Explore King’s campuses and try a bike for free 18/09/2023, 16:00-19:00 (time change) Meet at Swapfiets (E1 6LT) Want to get to know King’s campuses? Want to save money and get active? Unsure about cycling in the city?

Cycling is a great way to get active and to get around London. However, it can be scary in London with lots of other traffic on the roads.

Join this guided cycle tour around King’s campuses led by King’s Cycling Club. Bikes will be provided FREE of charge by Swapfiets for the afternoon and you’ll learn the rules of the road and tips for staying safe whilst cycling. The tour will start at the Swapfiets store so that you can pick your own bike (including e-bikes) and will take 2-2.5 hours including a coffee break.

Great way to meet new people!

How to champion sustainability in King’s labs 19/09/2023, 14:00-16:00 Meet at Guy’s Memorial Arch Join this session to learn more about sustainable labs at King’s!

Labs are extremely energy and resource intensive, so you’ll hear about what labs at King’s are doing on their sustainability journey. You’ll explore why lab sustainability is important, while also experiencing a guided tour of two labs to see what they’re doing.

There will be lots of space for questions with lab sustainability champions, and you’ll hear more about how you can get involved!

Building and connecting King’s climate communities 21/09/2023, 15:00-17:00 Macadam Building 4.2 (Strand Campus) Join us in exploring ways to change the world during your time at King’s! We’ll be tackling the UN Sustainable Development Goals through collective action.

We’ll get creative and listen to YOU – what are your priorities? What would you like to see King’s do? We’ll provide a range of creative prompts and art supplies to help you collaboratively create solutions to some of the biggest climate and sustainability challenges.

You’ll get to know other fellow students and passionate staff teams, think about social and environmental impact, and work together to shape the future direction of the King’s Climate & Sustainability team.

Snacks, refreshments & supplies will be provided!

Have a look at how you can get involved with King’s Sustainability. Make a difference during your time at King’s!

How to register

  1. You’ll need to download the Welcome to King’s app from the App store (you can download onto iOS and Android.)
  2. ​​​​​​You’ll need to download the Welcome to King’s Guide for all information for new students. To access this guide, you’ll need to enter our passphrase reggielion23 (no spaces)
    • The Welcome to King’s Guide will be the first stage of welcoming you into university, offering a range of information from ID card collection to new opportunities at King’s.
  3. ​​​​​When you’ve downloaded the Welcome at King’s app, you will need to create an account; we advise that you use your King’s email address to create an account. ​​​​​​
  4. Once you’ve set up your account, allow ‘push notifications’ on your device, so you can receive important messages.
  5. Go to Welcome Events & Workshops and scroll down to “Climate & Sustainability”
  6. Check out our events across the two weeks and register by clicking “+”

A rare peek inside King’s Food’s new supplier: Reynolds

This blog post was written by Minseok Ryu, first-year Neuroscience and Psychology student at King’s and member of the King’s Climate Action Network


Staff and students from the Sustainability Team (Jone, Jaydeep, Avash and Minseok) visited our new fruit & veg supplier on July 3rd to find out what makes them “more than just a greengrocer”. In March 2023, King’s Food held a veg and fruit tender where potential suppliers were assessed on – among other things – their responses to a set of sustainability questions, including product sourcing, food surplus, organic and Fairtrade certified produce, and carbon footprint measuring. Reynolds’ answers stood out.

12:00 Sustainability Overview

We start off with a delectable buffet to satiate even the most jaded appetite inside the ‘Avocado Room’ reserved for meetings which, to my dismay, is not entirely made of avocados. The vegetarian sandwiches subvert my preconceived notions with their authentically chewy texture, leaving me to chew on whether I should change my diet for good. Project Associate Nick Reynolds – one half of generation four within this family business – presents a high-level overview of company operations as relates to sustainability. One particularly noteworthy initiative in this vein is the recent introduction of reusable crates to replace their wasteful cardboard counterparts. To our delight, more than half of Reynolds’ clients – including King’s – have embraced this environmentally friendly scheme, returning the plastic boxes to the distribution centre at the end of the day. The only ones not joining the crate party are those tightly secured locations like airports, where even fruit and veg get patted down for guns.

Group of students and staff wearing hi vis vests in the Reynolds office.

13.00 Site Tour I

We are given hi vis vests and safety boots to wear with pride. It makes us sharp and confident, remarks Jone, instantly instilling a sense of team spirit as we leave head office. Stepping outside, we gain a glimpse inside their all-electric vehicle fleet boasting the latest monitoring gears to keep an eye on tyre particle pollution, in turn delivering significant emissions savings across the UK. Entering the warehouse, we are transported into the intricate world of grocery stack management. Towards the back, some of the potato piles attempt to channel their inner Leaning Tower of Pisa as they break into sweats in skewed fashion. The original potato supplier has evidently cut corners by reducing the thickness of its cardboard packaging, resulting in mouldy, damp produce posing a danger to Reynolds’ workers. An employee tags it bright red – rejected. Declared not fit for commercial standard, Nick explains they will back charge the farm source alongside a stern warning to improve delivery conditions as per contract.

13:30 Site Tour II

We are soon joined by several of his colleagues upon moving base to the quality control lab. Here, various equipment, such as an avocado pressure sensor, actively test the viability of randomly sampled produce to vet only the finest fruit and veg growers before Reynolds can safely sell them onto customers.

14:00 Site Tour III

A walk-in fridge greets us next, where we get to see (and touch!) live lobsters, swimming so serenely as if to silently indicate – much like how my Cambridge bestie can’t help but “silently” drop the C-bomb at the club – that they reliably hail from MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified sustainable fisheries. Strolling into the labyrinthine freezer further afield, breathing in the hauntingly refreshing air chilled at a nice and crisp -18 °C, there’s only one thing left to do to fight the numbing cold:

Three students holding icecreams

15:00 Departure

Next time I bite into my juicy avocado salad in the canteen, I’ll be sure to remember the behind-the-scenes efforts of Reynolds and their extraordinary dedication to our environment. Certainly, they’re not just a greengrocer – they’re the pioneers of greener transport, the protectors of pristine produce, and the guardians of a more sustainable future at King’s and beyond!

Reflections on the King’s Cycling Tour with Swapfiets

This blog post was written by Kathryn Mercedes Cassidy Pachon – King’s student and President and Treasurer of the King’s Cycling Club – and Lukas Popp – a third-year International Relations student and Cycling Project Coordinator for King’s Climate Action Network. 


Picture of people standing at the entrance of the Swapfiets shopLondon’s finest gray skies gracefully appeared for the King’s Cycling Tour with Swapfiets, where a dozen or so of King’s bike enthusiasts came together to share the experience of cycling in the heart of the city. It offered an opportunity for more experienced cyclists to explore sneak routes and access options to King’s campuses, but especially for those unaccustomed to the hustle and bustle of city life, it was meant to allay the fear of this and showcase the joy and convenience of cycling in London. Members of the King’s Cycling Club (KCC) committee guided the group from the Swapfiets store in Spitalfields West through the back streets of the Barbican, down to the magnificent Strand campus, south across the river and then through the infamous Stamford Street directly to Guy’s campus and back to Swapfiets: A truly sustainable trip around the great King’s College campuses dotted all over the city. 

The mission of this collaboration between the King’s Sustainability Team and the King’s Cycling Club was to eradicate the fear of cycling among the big “boys,” the trucks, the cabs, the buses, as well as jaywalkers, unpredictable Deliveroo drivers, and electric scooters; in other words, the plethora of potentially disheartening factors that might prevent students and faculty alike from cycling in and around the city. Prior to our adventure, the group gathered for a team meeting discussing the rules and guidelines on how to cycle safely in the city, ensuring that everyone was up to speed on cycling etiquette, obeying the rules of the road, and instilling confidence in cyclists that they have a right to ride on the road. And off they went. The Swapfiets city bikes rolled smoothly and adapted perfectly to the riders’ abilities. To adhere to the traffic-friendly rules established, the group was split into two, with one rider following shortly behind the other on their bike. When arriving back at the store, the group was in high spirits. It seemed like everyone was more confident in their abilities as urban cyclists, and even those who had less experience with biking seemed undeterred, rather encouraged to bike more. This Sustainability Event thus embodied the KCC’s beliefs that the best way to get around the city is by bicycle, not least for reasons of accessibility and sustainability, and that this opportunity should not be hindered by the challenge of cycling in one of the world’s busiest cities, but rather inspired to cycle appropriately and safely. 

Cycling is a fantastic way to get active and get around London. As a collaborative event, the King’s Experience Ride forms part of the wider King’s Climate Action Network and its King’s Cycling Project. The latter works mainly on three goals. Firstly, through communication with King’s Residences and Campus Operation Teams, abandoned bicycles are located, assessed and donated to charities, as well as returned to the King’s community in order to make personal transport more climate neutral. Each year, more than 50 bicycles are left on campus and at King’s residences. This has led to a review of cycling at King’s, and the redistribution of these bikes is thus a major focus of the project. Further, it seeks to raise awareness of King’s facilities to educate staff and students who wish to bike on how to access and implement this option for them. Finally, and as the broader framework in which the event explained above also sits, the goal is to promote bicycling as a carbon-neutral, enjoyable, and independent active transportation option for students, staff, and visitors at King’s. 

Lukas, a third-year International Relations student and Cycling Project Coordinator for King’s Climate Action Network, said, “It’s sad to think of how many bikes are left abandoned on our campuses when, at the same time, we realize that there are plenty of students who would love to cycle but can’t afford to do so. This is why I’m excited about our King’s Cycling Project, which not only allows us to offer students the opportunity to experience cycling in London and breathe new life into old bikes, but also helps to make individual transport more accessible, sustainable and independent.”  

If you would like to get involved with the King’s Climate Action Network, visit the website to find out more. 

Listening at The Big One and reflections from a King’s student

This blog post was written by Wendy Whittall, studying the Climate Change – Environment, Science & Policy MSc at King’s.


Someone talking on a stageI was watching the Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir on the main stage. The Choir had not made the stage, maybe not even the UK, so we (a melange of protesters, environmentalists, protectors and activists at The Big One) watched hypnotised by the Revered Billy with his Elvis-style white shock of hair, dog collar and shiny, bright pink suit who had arrived from NY to give us an impassioned talk about the Earth which was interspersed with him singing enthusiastically…. Earth-a-lujah, Earth-a-lujah.

Earlier in the day, it was trying to rain when I had met up at the COVID memorial wall, the heart-covered wall on the Westminster side of the bridge, with members of thGroup picture of listening teame King’s Climate Action Network and South London Citizens to carry out a Listening Project on the first day, Friday 21st April, of The Big One, the four-day marathon XR event which had attracted over 200 organisations. The event was a change of tactics to be family-friendly, educational and fun with the hope of creating momentum to end all new government fossil-fuel licences.

 3 people holding up banners

I joined up with Paulina and Jone to chat with several people to find out their reasons for coming to The Big One. Our first conversation was with a worker who, with her large board, had taken the day off to protest against the government’s inability to push through the Buildings Bill which, if passed, would reduce dramatically the 50mt of carbon emission by the UK construction industry.

We then spoke to two lovely well-dressed ladies, one had graffitied the back of her expensive coat and re-Two people standing below a green umbrellaengineered a green umbrella for the occasion, who had never been to an XR event beforehand and were motivated to attend as they understood it would be peaceful. They had arrived to support XR’s initiative to keep a future for their grandchildren. We also spoke to a couple of new sustainable businesses and long-time activists from Brighton.

Family holding up bannersWhilst we were watching the XR parade which included lots of drummers and spooky-looking people dressed head-to-toe in lipstick red floaty dresses, we met a young family from London whose boys had made their own banners, one stating “Don’t Wreck our Future” and the other “Don’t Throw it Away”.

Big ben and parade of people wearing red costumesAfter we had all gathered for a debrief of the project and left to go our separate ways, I continued down the length of Milbank dotted with many pop-up marquees à la festival including activists from Climate Justice, Greenpeace and Doctors and Psychologists were represented plus different forms of art activities. I was interested in talking to the Climate Fresk promoters, a collaborative workshop teaching the science of climate change based on the IPCC reports motivating a wider understanding of the problem.

To my delight I met, at the Climate Fresk stand, some environmentalists who had arrived from several different countries in Europe, Sweden, Germany & Belgium to name a few, to attend all four days. I People holding up flagsspoke to a doctor from Germany who had arrived by coach with 50 other passionate environmentalists. He had in the past organised climate-related events and was at The Big One to understand the positives and negatives of the event to create a similar event in Germany. His motivation was the experience of heat exposure during the summer months, and how the media does not talk about the number of deaths in the elderly, the young and the vulnerable, over 8,000 in 2022. He said that Germany had already passed the 1.5C IPCC bar and that the summers are longer and hotter. He also spoke about adequate wind farm energy for the entire country but due to an archaic law, whereby, if there is surplus energy being produced the energy is reduced by ‘switching off’ the newest (renewable) energy, thereby leaving coal as the burning, polluting energy source. He also acknowledged that the Greens, in the coalition German government, had sold out politically.

And it was about then when the Reverend Billy entered on stage. It had stopped raining, the sun was out, and there was the heavy scent of patchouli and the faint whiff of weed in the air. After the final and rousing Earth-a-lujah, Earth-a-lujah, I wended my way back down Milbank to Westminster tube.Person holding up an earth craft

I hadn’t gone far when I met up with the Mothers’ Climate Action Network with one of the mums dressed in an eye-catching French blue sequinned trouser-suit together with a turquoise bobbed wig all framed by a massive globe that she wore like a giant circular wing.

Two people holding up plants and craftsJust a bit further on I met two lovely ladies carrying a gorgeous-smelling wreath made that morning in one of their workshops. Each flower and stick of herb that had been added to the wreath had a prayer attached and the following day, Earth Day, they were going to hold a service by the Thames and return the wreath to the Earth by floating it on the Thames and releasing all the prayers to the world.

Over the weekend, I attended a couple (6 hours worth) of Climate Fresk workshops in Canada Water where I met Ruth, who had been an XR Steward. I offered to return her aprons to The Big One on Sunday, and while doing so, I was persuaded to stay for a 10-minute Climate Justice comedy sessionWall painting by Kate Smurthwaite (www.linktr.ee/katesmurthwaite). Big shout out.

The Big One was an interesting and wonderful event that brought people together, those that have voiced on our behalf for years and those who would not have normally attended an event, speaking for our future. There were the loud and passionate Earth-a-lujahs to the quiet and spiritual wreath laying of our prayers. All of us whether loud, angry, hopeful, funny, spiritual or sad were all there for the same aim. It was a mess of emotions in a world of business as usual on a warming planet.


This listening exercise was carried out as part of a climate listening campaign being carried out by King’s Climate Action Network in collaboration with South London CitizensThe campaign brings together community members through a community organising approach and invites them to talk about issues related to climate change they care about and reflect on why they are important to them. By listening to and connecting with people, the campaign aims to build our collective power and create a local climate movement that puts our communities’ concerns first.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2023 at King’s

This guest blog post was written by George Hill, Library Assistant (Frontline Services) in Libraries and Collections at King’s.


Someone smiling at the camera against a green jungle background and the fairtrade logo with the text "the future is fair"Every year the Fairtrade Foundation organises Fairtrade Fortnight. This celebration of all things fairtrade seeks to raise awareness around key issues like workers’ rights, sustainability, and climate action; alongside encouraging people to swap Fairtrade-certified products. It also offers an opportunity for introspection and reflection, offering a chance for sustainability advocates and organisers to reflect on the successes of the fairtrade movement whilst looking at where we can improve.

As part of this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight, King’s hosted a talk on Ethical and Fairtrade Consumption. Our two excellent speakers included Ruth Strange from Ethical Consumer – a multi-stakeholder co-operative consumer magazine – alongside Lisa Connellan from King’s Food. Each had the opportunity to share what their respective organisations have been doing to encourage more sustainable and equitable consumer behaviour, as well as discuss what the next steps for achieving a more sustainable future might be.

Ruth kicked off her talk with a quick explanation of the excellent work done by Ethical Consumer in the field of sustainability advocacy and consumer choice. She explained how the magazine, founded in 1989, aims to offer consumers a clear and accessible way to compare how equitable and sustainable different brands and products are. The magazine scores particular brands and products out of 20 for sustainability and then ranks them against alternatives. It also offers a range of interesting ‘deep dives’ into everything from palm oil to tea to travel booking companies – helping to raise consciousness around issues like worker exploitation and climate degradation.

The main body of Ruth’s talk was an explanation and evaluation of the work of Fairtrade International and the Fairtrade Foundation. She framed this talk around five key issues: the meaning of Fairtrade, the importance of Fairtrade, its limits, and the accessibility (or lack thereof) of Fairtrade products. We learned how Fairtrade certification helps give consumers the information they need to help foster better consumer habits, in turn helping small producers – especially those producing products that were traditionally colonial cash crops for the west – to gain inroads into markets traditionally dominated by extractive and exploitative business interests. We also learned how Fairtrade promotes producers who guarantee fair wages for their employees; promotes worker democracy through collective bargaining agreements and trade union rights; and protects their workforce through minimum health and safety standards.

As well as emphasising the importance of Fairtrade and the good work that the Fairtrade Foundation does, Ruth also addressed some of the limits of Fairtrade certification. This includes the ongoing fairtrade certification of products produced by companies implicated in human rights abuses, as well as the problem of the affordability of some Fairtrade products. She nonetheless identified fairtrade as the ‘best option for continuous improvement’ – reminding the audience that it is best to not let ‘the perfect be the enemy of the good’.

Next up was King’s Food Manager Lisa Connellan, who offered an insight into some of the progress King’s Food have been making in implementing sustainable practices, whilst building on their varied and delicious range of food.

First on the menu was a look into King’s increasingly varied range of plant-based food. We learned that 65% of all food offered at King’s 20 outlets is now plant-based, with vegetarian and vegan options now served as default. This includes all kinds of different items, including ice cream, pies, croissants, and vegan sausage rolls (which I highly recommend). The university also no longer serves beef, rarely serves lamb and only sources from farmers committed to high levels of environmental stewardship. The progress King’s has made in reducing the amount of meat and dairy served means the university is now listed as one of PETAs top 10 vegan unis. It has also been awarded 3/3 stars by the Sustainable Restaurant Association.

Lisa also outlined King’s ongoing commitment to ethically sourced ingredients and to using fairtrade certified products throughout the supply chain. This includes King’s continued promotion of Fairtrade products, experiments with ‘reverse menu engineering’, and diligence in looking for the best and most ethical suppliers.

Looking to the future, Lisa said that King’s has a lot of plans for the coming months and years to help build on the university’s commitment to sustainable and ethical practices. This includes working towards getting a three-star Fairtrade University Award, looking into carbon taxing on products, further collaborating with students and researchers specialising in sustainability, and working with King’s Fairtrade and Sustainable Food Steering Group on how to implement policy.

Special thanks to all the wonderful organisers who made the talk possible, and to the King’s Sustainability team for all the work they do in promoting this important topic.


Relevant links:

Energy from Waste Tour: A Visit to Riverside Resource Recovery Plant in Belvedere, East London

This guest blog post was written by Hermione Dadone, Events Officer in the Fundraising & Supporter Development Office at King’s.


On a crisp November morning, a group of King’s College London staff and students set off for a tour of the Riverside Resource Recovery plant in Belvedere, East London. The visit was organised by Energy from Waste, a student-led group dedicated to promoting sustainable waste management practices and raising awareness of the importance of waste reduction and recycling. The group was told ‘just follow the big chimney’ and sure enough, it wasn’t too difficult to find our way, as a very tall silver chimney soon loomed in the distance as we walked from the station.

The Riverside Resource Recovery plant, commissioned in 2011 and opened in 2012, is an innovative facility that uses advanced technology to convert non-recyclable waste into electricity and heat. The plant collects waste from 90 vehicles across London and processes 850,000 tonnes of household and commercial waste per year, producing enough energy to power 180,000 homes. The plant operates Monday to Friday, with 200 container boxes unloaded every single weekday.

The tour started with a brief presentation on the history of the plant and the technology behind it. The group then donned high-visibility vests and hard hats before being taken on a guided tour of the facility by a member of Cory Group. The first stop was a view of the barge pier. Waste is transported to the plant via river barges, pulled by tug boats which run on vegetable oil, and can carry 60 containers at a time, equivalent to 22 lorries. The group watched a barge being unloaded and its yellow box cargo being brought up the pier runway via specially designed waste trucks. Next stop is the tipping hall, where the waste trucks tip their loads directly into the waste bunker from an 18-meter height, where the waste is stored before being fed into the furnace. In the waste bunker a colossal-sized round crane, like something out of War of the Worlds, is used push waste to the back of the bunker. There is an oxidizer system that sprays perfume to neutralize odours, and infrared cameras scan the waste to detect any hotspots and manage fire risk. If a hotspot is detected as reaching 60 degrees then the waste hotspot is picked up with the crane and removed straight into the fire chamber. If temperature in the waste bunker ever rises dangerously high then it is instantly cooled by water cannons that come on automatically if the temperature reaches 100 degrees.

The plant also has a system to deal with contamination in the waste. Waste inspections are carried out to identify and correct any contamination, and charcoal is used as a neutraliser for heavy metals, while lime is added to neutralise acids. The lime comes from Lancashire. The group learned that it is four times more expensive to process ‘dirty’ waste eg metals and other materials that shouldn’t be in general waste.

The heart of the plant is the energy recovery facility, where the waste is burned at high temperatures to produce steam. The steam is then used to power turbines, which generate electricity that is fed into the national grid. The biggest challenge for the plant is feeding the waste to keep the fire burning at a consistent level, which is directly affected by weather and how much moisture the waste contains.

Once the waste material has been burned, the plant recovers metals from the ash, which are then recycled for use in construction and other industries. The ash itself is used in making breezeblocks, capping for landfill, or in tarmac for roads.

The group was impressed by the scale and efficiency of the operation, as well as the advanced air pollution control systems that minimise the environmental impact of the plant, turning APCR (Air Pollution Control Residues) material into calcium carbonate pellets.

After the tour, the group had a chance to ask questions and discuss the plant’s role in sustainable waste management. The group learned that an additional neighbouring facility is currently being built that will allow the plant to operate on weekends, and will have a box shape design so that solar panels can be installed. With the addition of this new facility, the plant’s capacity will increase to processing 1.5 million tonnes of waste per year, making it the largest in Europe.

The visit to the Riverside Resource Recovery plant was an eye-opening experience for the King’s College London staff and students. It highlighted the importance of sustainable waste management and the role that innovative technologies can play in reducing our environmental impact. Physically seeing all that waste piling up at such scale should certainly encourage us as a community to be conscious of reducing our waste and always remembering our reusable coffee cup!


Find out more about waste management at King’s here and in King’s Climate & Sustainability Action Plan

Student experience volunteering at the London Student Sustainability Conference 2023

This guest blog post was written by Elisabeth Möhlenkamp, first-year English Law and German Law student at King’s College London and volunteer at LSSC23.


LSSC23 student volunteers from various universities.

This year’s annual London Student Sustainability Conference (LSSC) was a collaboration between ten of London’s universities, offering a space for student-led talks, workshops, conversations, and presentations centered around the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As one of many volunteers helping ensure the day ran smoothly, I was intrigued to see how the conference would effectuate convergence between the differing ideas and perspectives on sustainability.

I am a first-year English Law and German Law student at King’s College London, and up until my final year, where I can choose to specialize in a particular area of law, I do not think my course will cover climate justice and the law in any great depth (although I will have to see). z. However, I have a profound personal interest in climate justice (which was one of my main motivations to apply to law school in the first place). As a result, I aim to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to engage with people who work in sustainability, who can teach me about new developments, who can demonstrate how sustainability is incorporated into various fields of study, research, and jobs. I volunteered at the LSSC conference to meet coordinators and students who shared my interest in climate justice and sustainability more broadly. I wanted to listen to the talks and projects that were presented, and also knew that it would be valuable to participate in a conference where everyone, despite their area of study, had an interest in how we can make the UN Sustainable Development Goals a reality.

I left the conference with a few general observations: Firstly, the featured projects were tailored to speak to people with varying degrees of knowledge. Some projects required basic prior knowledge in the respective field to fully understand the studies: One student presented innovative chemical manufacturing processes of an alternative material to plastic. Someone else had creatively designed a card game to indicate a food’s wastefulness, climate-friendliness, and seasonality to consumers. Thereby, sustainability was presented as a broadly applicable topic, from everyday life to specialized scientific research.

Secondly, the conference undoubtedly mirrored that Sustainability hits a nerve with each and every attendee, and it stimulates dedication and interest in an unparalleled fashion.

The closing event, which reunited attendees for a networking session, clarified that sustainability is near to people’s hearts: rarely have I observed and engaged in this many animated conversations, nor have I experienced proactivity and willingness to collaborate to this extent.

At the end, I noted that my perception of sustainability had changed. I find that in a university environment, sustainability as an idea is often closely connected to a certain career path rather than an end in itself: In an academic environment, sustainability is often mentioned in relation to ESG or Sustainable Finance. Surely, this phenomenon indicates increased awareness to the topic, but it causes loss of sight of all the issues that sustainability truly encompasses. Food Insecurity, socioeconomic status, physical and mental health issues, and the intersection of sustainability and humanitarian needs were discussed in the conference. The diversified content reinforced the need for interdisciplinary exchange to maintain an overall perspective.

I am sure speakers left the conference feeling buoyed by the unanimously positive feedback. Two students contently reported that attendees responded to their respective talks with inquisitive feedback and compliments on the exciting insights. Indeed, a successful event such as this acts as a propelling stimulation for those considering dedicating themselves to a sustainability-related project. To me, the conference meant newly acquired knowledge, exciting ideas, illuminating conversations, and several thrilling book recommendations, which all touch on sustainability, in all ways imaginable.

Elisabeth Möhlenkamp volunteered at LSSC on 20 February 2023. Whilst the conference has now taken place, you can still view the poster submissions for the event here. The conference will take place again in February 2024.

Join the final week of King’s Climate & Sustainability Month

King’s Climate & Sustainability Month offers you an opportunity to learn more about sustainability topics, collaborate and connect with others from across King’s, and take action on the climate crisis. Join the final week for a tree planting afternoon, a sustainability careers night, a climate action Q&A, a community mobilisation workshop, and more. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates.

Check out the events taking place this week:

Monday 27th 12-13 (Strand) Climate Change: What can we do? Join this student-activist-academic-led panel as part of the Associateship of King’s College (AKC).

 

15.30-16.30 (Waterloo) Stitch and Pitch: Volunteering Share your ideas, meet new people and learn about volunteering while honing your creative skills.

 

Various King’s Entrepreneurship Week – Day 1 Join an entrepreneurship hackathon, a workshop on how to build diverse teams, and a discussion about whether cities can be sustainable.

 

Tuesday 28th 12-13 (Online) Q&A with the Collective for Climate Action Find out more about this network of climate networks including 300 government organisations.

 

Various King’s Entrepreneurship Week – Day 2 Learn about how to spark disruptive ideas and gain insight into fast-paced innovation in health.

 

Wednesday 1st 15-16 (Online) Ethical and Fairtrade consumption What does Fairtrade mean? What are its limitations? How accessible are ethical choices?

 

17.30-20.30 (Guy’s) Stolen Climate: Global Perspectives of Fire on Earth Explore how we understand wildfires from their interaction with the Earth’s atmosphere to their relationship with colonialism.

 

Various King’s Entrepreneurship Week – Day 3 Find out how to develop entrepreneurial ideas using feedback and share yours in a speed mentoring session.

 

Thursday 2nd 12-13.30 (Online) Community organising & change-making

 

Join this workshop to hear about the power of community organising to change our societies.

 

16-18 (Strand) Engineering Microbial Biotech for Environmental Sustainability Learn about the role of the Sustainable Development Goals in microbial biotech.

 

18.30-20 (Residence) GradPlus: Climate & Sustainability careers Join the GradPlus team to discover careers related to climate & sustainability.

 

Various King’s Entrepreneurship Week – Day 4 Hear about the career journeys of three successful women and uncover disability bias in entrepreneurship.

 


Friday 3rd
12-14 (Honour Oak Park) Tree planting afternoon  Enjoy being outdoors and meet new people while helping us plant over 200 trees.

 

Various King’s Entrepreneurship Week – Day 5 Learn how to create an entrepreneurial CV and enjoy the week’s closing networking party.
All week Fairtrade Fortnight (27th of February – 12th of March) Choosing Fairtrade supports producers in protecting the future of some of our most-loved food and the planet.

 

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