NTU’s Green Week – 13-19th November 2023 – Unite. Act. Deliver.
Join us for Green Week 2023 as we explore how NTU can unite, act and deliver solutions to one of the most pressing global challenges of our time. We will also be celebrating our status as a Nature Positive University.
Green Week invites students, staff, and the public to reflect and take action. Across the week, we’ll be hosting a series of engaging and insightful events and workshops focused on sustainable behaviour change and climate action.
Coordinated by the Sustainability Team, Green Week will showcase collaborations with various departments including NTU Green Academy, NTSU, NTU Employability, and the School of Agriculture, Rural and Environmental Sciences, that are enabling on-site, local, and even global influence through practical activities, innovative research, and education for sustainable development.
What's On
There are a host of events, workshops, actions and lectures for students, staff and the public to get involved in. Browse our events here:
| Date | Event | Sign Up |
|---|---|---|
| 13th and 14th November | Sustainability FairsLocation: City Central Court, Newton Building, Monday 13th November. 11 am - 3 pm. Clifton Pavilion, Tuesday 14th November. 11 am - 3 pm. From student societies to wildlife charities to local vegan and zero-waste shops, come and meet a range of groups who contribute to sustainability in a range of ways. We'll also have e-bikes to have a go on and sustainability-themed games. | Drop-in |
| 14th November | Wind and Solar DemonstrationLocation: In front of the Pavilion, Clifton Campus. 11 am- 1 pm Join us for a sustainable energy showcase! Are you curious about harnessing the forces of nature to create clean, renewable energy? The Department of Engineering invites you to a live showcase of their Wind and Solar Lab Kits during NTU's Green Week. Whether you're an aspiring engineer or simply passionate about a greener future, this event is for you!
| Drop -in |
| 14th November | Centre for Sustainable Construction & Retrofit launchLocation: City Campus, Lecture Theatre 1, Newton Building 5:30 pm Join us to celebrate the launch of the new Centre for Sustainable Construction & Retrofit in the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment. The Centre will enable further progress to Net-zero by 2050, a target which presents a huge challenge to the construction sector. The centre will provide low-carbon skills to level up and tackle socio-economic challenges facing Nottinghamshire. | Sign up |
| 15th November | Tree Planting with Sherwood Forest TrustLocation: City Campus, Meet at Student Union Entrance at 12 pm. The Sherwood Forest Trust is hosting NTU and NTSU for a session of tree planting on the outskirts of Sutton in Ashfield. We'll be helping a project that aims to plant over 9000 trees on-site! This contributes to the wider work of the Sherwood Forest Trust to replant lost areas of the Sherwood Forest. We can provide transport for 8 people on the day, which will be first come first served. Others are welcome to make their own way and meet us on site. | Sign up |
| 15th November | FoodShare Allotment GardeningLocation: Clifton Campus, Foodshare Allotment. 1 - 3 pm. Our weekly session at the Clifton allotment - join us for some time outdoors, learn some gardening skills and take home your own handmade seed bombs! Open to all staff and students. You can find the Foodshare Allotment behind the Peverell Halls Reception. | Drop-in |
| 15th November | Waverley Dye Garden Drop-In SessionLocation: Waverley Building, City Campus, 2 - 4 pm Last winter, technical colleagues from the Nottingham School of Art & Design turned a pocket of empty space outside of the Waverley building into a sustainable natural dye garden. Visitors can see the garden in action and are also welcome to our dye room to see examples of naturally dyed and eco-printed fabrics. Hosted by Kay Davis natural dye specialist and costume maker. | Drop-in |
| 16th November | Sustainability Summit: Embracing Sustainable Careers for a Responsible FutureLocation: City Campus Conference Centre, Newton Building. 9 am - 4 pm. Discover how your career choices can support a sustainable future!
You might not think that sustainability and your future career have much in common. But the climate crisis and other wider environmental issues are putting pressure on all organisations to demonstrate their values and equip their employees with the suitable skills needed to respond. This year's summit will see NTU Sustainability, NTSU and external companies update you on their sustainable actions and how to apply ‘values-based job hunting’. NTU Careers Consultant Julia Bristow will also chair a panel of representatives from external organizations, who will detail how they followed a sustainable career path. A free lunch is provided to attendees. Students, recent graduates and staff are welcome. | |
| 17th November | Nature Positive DayLocation: Brackenhurst Campus, Lyth Building. 11 am - 3 pm. Join the Sustainability Team, Notts Wildlife Trust, and members of the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences to celebrate NTU's status at a Nature Positive University. We will be making bird feeders and bug houses at 11 am, heading on a nature walk and bird hide visit at 12 pm before returning for a range of short talks and film showings on biodiversity. Activities will be ongoing in the Lyth building throughout the day. | Drop- in |
| 14th November | TILTTalk: Education for Sustainable Development- Where are we going?Location: Microsoft Teams, 12 pm - 1 pm Against the backdrop of the climate and ecological emergency and static global progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, hear from our panel of TILT academics and join the conversation as we explore future directions for integrating sustainability into the curriculum and co-curriculum at NTU. | Sign up |
| 15th November | TILTSpotlight: Education For Sustainable Development in Biomedical Sciences and adaptability for coursesLocation: Microsoft Teams, 12 pm - 1 pm Sustainability is the balance between the environment, equity, and economy. It is well documented that we are experiencing a changing climate, and this change is impacting our health and the health of the planet. As healthcare professionals, we have a responsibility to consider our impact on planet health and we need to take action to move towards a more sustainable future. Join Senior Lecturer Sheri Scott from the Department of Biosciences as her presentation looks at how Education for Sustainable Development has been embedded into the Biomedical Science curriculum and how this can be transferred to other courses. | |
| 15th November | Transitioning energy systems towards 100% renewables: Practical experiences from BarbadosLocation: ENG101, Engineering Building, Clifton Campus, 1 pm - 2 pm In 2019, Barbados committed to becoming a 100% renewable energy and carbon-neutral island by 2030 –setting one of the most ambitious energy transition goals in the world. This seminar recounts the speaker’s observations and experiences of the events that led to this target being set, including the energy modelling that resulted in a paradigm shift in local energy sector attitudes, the main stakeholders involved in driving the political change, and the external circumstances that aligned. Led by Dr Tom Rogers, senior lecturer in sustainable energy engineering in NTU’s Department of Engineering. | ENG101 Clifton |
| 16th November | TILTSpotlight: Creating Space to Discuss DegrowthLocation: Microsoft Teams, 12 pm - 1 pm In this session, Dr Amy Twigger Holroyd (Associate Professor in Fashion and Sustainability at Nottingham School of Art & Design) will talk about the Degrowth Discussion Series, an informal staff development activity that brought together colleagues from the Fashion, Textiles and Knitwear Design department to explore ‘big-picture’ questions about sustainability, growth and consumption in relation to fashion and textiles education. | Sign up |
| 17th November | Nature Connectedness WebinarLocation: Microsoft Teams, 11 am - 12 pm Join Dr Ryan Lumber from Psychology as he talks us through his research findings on pro-nature behaviours and the role of nature in human wellbeing. The pathways framework which came out of Ryan’s PhD research has been adopted by numerous organisations including the National Trust, Durrell Conservation Trust, Natural England, the Scouts and the New Zealand Department for Conservation. We will consider the potential applications of the pathways to create more nature positivity in our own lives. Everyone welcome. Hosted by NTU Green Academy. | Sign up |
| 17th November | TILTSpotlight: Sustainable Childhoods: a module with sustainability at the core of teaching learning and assessmentLocation: Microsoft Teams, 12 pm - 1 pm Using staff and student and perspectives on the development and delivery of a new module within the BA (Hons) Childhood Degrees, this session will explore the teaching and innovative assessment of the concept of sustainable childhoods and consider how to develop analysis, critique and evaluation of effective practice within aspects of sustainability in childhood in undergraduates on the BA (Hons) Childhood degrees programmes. Julie Kent, Senior Lecturer from the Nottingham Institute of Education, will share how students were able to share their learning and academic work from the module in a real-life context at a key national practitioner conference to challenge and support key aspects of sustainability in practice. | Sign up |
Green Rewards
NTU Green Rewards. Sign up to our free app where students and staff can take part in a range of environmentally friendly activities! Points are on offer for interaction, with individual and team winners earning vouchers for local shops or charities.
Sustainability in Practice Certificate
Are you a student or staff member who would like to better understand urgent global sustainability challenges and how we could solve them? The four-session Sustainability in Practice (SiP) module on the NOW learning room can help you get started. Access the module.
Global Mobility - Sustainability in Practice
Designed by the Green Academy and NTU Global for students who undertake international placements. The SiP module encourages students to reflect on their international travel beyond academic purposes. It encourages them to consider the environmental impact of their travel and requires online study before, during, and after the travel is completed.
NTU's Interactive Fireworks Show - 6th-17th November
The 2-week interactive fireworks show is the result of collaboration and exploration by the NTU NXT team. Found inside Benefactors’ Court - Arkwright building and projected onto the inner atrium façade, you’ll be able to engage with this installation and create your own visual display. Running between 5 pm and 9 pm on weekdays.
The display celebrates Web3 and emergent technologies across the School of Art and Design and will signpost to the ongoing workshop/lecture series demonstrating AI and Web3 technologies. Supported by the Sustainability Team, the display also provides a much less carbon-intensive alternative to real fireworks and shines a light on Hedgehog protection and preservation specifically at this point in the year.
Come along in the evening to enjoy the spectacle and provide your own input for the nightly shows.
The Wildlife Trust: Hope Week - 6-10th November
Hope Week is a free online event taking place between November 6th and November 10th 2023. The purpose of Hope Week is to bring together young people from across the movement and beyond to enjoy workshops, talks and entertainment and to begin to form an online community of young people passionate about protecting nature and the climate.
Hosted by the Wildlife Trust, a range of online events will be hosted each evening of the week including 'Health Wellbeing and Nature' 'Anxiety to Agency', and 'Have your Say Day'. Find the timetable here
Sustainability at NTU
NTU is one of the most sustainable universities in the world, ranked 2nd in the 2022 The UI GreenMetric World University Rankings. Our Embracing Sustainability and Net Zero Carbon strategy create a culture of sustainable development across the NTU community. From embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals throughout our courses to supporting the NTU community to make sustainable lifestyle choices, we're working together to embed sustainability throughout the university.
Great Minds Series: Nature Positive
We are delighted to announce the next event in our Great Minds series with Emily Stott from the University of Oxford's Nature Positive Hub. The event -which is free and open to all - will take place at our Brackenhurst Campus at 6 pm, Tuesday 14th November. Join Emily to learn how universities can use their power and influence to help lead their communities on a Nature Positive journey, building resilient ecosystems, helping nature to recover and limiting climate change. Reserve your place
Nature Positive NTU
NTU has become a founding signatory of the Nature Positive Universities Alliance, which was launched at COP15 in Montreal on 8th December 2022.
Here at NTU work is underway by our Sustainability Team, Landscaping Team, and wider Estates colleagues to conserve and enhance biodiversity on the NTU Estate. Schools, including the School of Agriculture, Rural and Environmental Sciences (ARES), are addressing how we can implement nature-positive practices through teaching and research, ensuring NTU has a nature-positive impact beyond our campuses and into students' future careers.
COP28 Unite. Act. Deliver
We are at a halfway point. It has been 7 years since Paris, with 7 years to go to 2030. We must respond to the facts. We need to reduce emissions by 43% by 2030 and course correct on adaptation, finance, and loss and damage.
This year the annual Conference of the Parties (COP28) will take place in the United Arab Emirates between 30th November -12th December. The theme this year 'Unite.Act.Deliver' is set to push world leaders to take stock of progress on the Paris Agreement and generate a clear plan of action to hit targets.
Previous year's Conferences have seen positive moves to increase economic support for green transitions but there has been slow progress worldwide to move away from oil and gas and invest in renewable energies. Follow along with the conference here
Connect with us on social media to keep updated with events and activities happening throughout Green Week. Use the hashtag #NTUGreenWeek to join the conversation around climate action.
NTU staff and students can join our Microsoft Teams network "Sustainability@NTU" to keep up to date with opportunities and sustainability news throughout the year