Green Newsletter

Spring 2024 Green Newsletter

Each term, we’ll be looking at a new theme and keeping you updated on what we can do to get green!
Spring 2024 Green Newsletter
Published on: 29 Apr 2024

Great British Spring Clean Event

During the first room inspections of 2024, we encouraged our students to have a spring sort-out and declutter their rooms.

Well done to all the winners of this event last month, we had some great photos in of your clean and tidy spaces! The best rooms at each site won £10 and the best flats won £25 to share. We hope you had fun spring cleaning and feel better for it! Research shows that having a neat, well-organised, and sparkling clean home plays an important role in mental health and general wellbeing. You know what they say… tidy home, tidy mind, and all with the added benefit of being able to donate some items you no longer need to the British Heart Foundation.

Did you know?

As much as 80% of the things we throw away could be recycled, why not visit the team at reception to find out more about the extensive recycling options we have on-site?

Pack for Good

As some residents are starting to think about moving out, we have kicked off our Pack For Good campaign which supports the British Heart Foundation (BHF). If you have belongings you don’t want to take with you when you move out this summer, please drop into the BHF collection boxes at your site (please ask Reception for the location of your collection point).  

Did you know?

Only 27% of batteries are recycled in the UK, resulting in more than 20,000 tonnes of battery waste straight to the landfill. Check at reception and find out where our battery recycling point is.

No Mow May

For the past three years, all Sanctuary Students’ properties with grass areas have joined in with No Mow May where we actively choose not to mow our garden areas. The Plantlife's initiative aims to raise awareness of biodiversity loss in our built environments and encourage habitat recovery by allowing our lawns to grow, to diversify, and the wildflowers within them to bloom. We’re looking forward to taking part again this year! Please share any photos of our diversified green areas with us on social media or email GoGreen@Sanctuary.co.uk.

Did you know?

Aluminium can be recycled indefinitely! Recycling just one can saves enough energy to power a TV for 3 hours.

Sustainability Survey

Thank you to everyone we responded to our sustainability survey, we got a great response rate and it was fantastic to hear your views. A few highlights were:

·       74% said that sustainability plays a part when choosing where to live, the most important aspect being the location (so you are within walking distance to your place of study).

·       Just under half gave a favourable response to “How sustainable do you think Sanctuary are right now” which shows that we’re making a difference but we still have some work to do!

·       80% knew what recycling is available at their property which is great news

·       Residents were also asked what would most encourage them to save energy and the top answer was incentives and competitions - watch this space!

·       The most popular things that residents do now to reduce their carbon footprint is walking to the shops rather than getting items delivered and walking or using public transport more than driving.

·       The most popular thing that students would like to do but don’t do now is getting joint food deliveries – so talk to your flatmates and friends and chip in on the delivery costs

·       The most popular thing that students would like Sanctuary to do is better recycling.

·       Finally, a resounding 75% said the best way to inform you of events and initiatives was by e-mail – so keep watching that inbox for how you can get involved.

Let's talk about the weather!

In our last newsletter, we shared some tips on how to keep warm in winter and still reduce your carbon footprint, but now the better weather is on the way, it’s time to get out and about. If you have any photos of the flora and fauna at your site, please send in a photo to GoGreen@Sanctuary.co.uk – the best picture wins a £10 voucher.

Next term we’ll be focusing some more on the environment and how we can look after it, got any ideas or tips to share? Drop an email to our dedicated green inbox GoGreen@Sanctuary.co.uk) and if we use your tip you’ll win a £10 e-voucher.

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