August 11, 2014, by sustainablenottingham

Student voice on environment and social justice

In her first post, Emily Holmes introduces her role in the Students’ Union and plans for 2014/15.

In March 2014 the Students’ Union elections took place and I succeeded in getting the position of Environment and Social Justice (ESJ) Officer, taking over from my predecessor Michael Olatokun in July.

The Environment and Social Justice Officer role at the Students’ Union is a part-time position, which I will be undertaking alongside my degree. I study Geography with Chinese Studies which is where my interest in environmental issues and sustainability stems from. After getting involved with various opportunities at the University I witnessed the various issues facing students in terms of the environmental activism and also social justice concerns, for example achieving a Living Wage at the University. Bearing this in mind, and being friends with Michael at University, I was able get an insight into the role of the Environmental and Social Justice Officer.

The University of Nottingham has three outstanding campuses with great potential in terms of its green spaces and potential sustainable and renewable energy. I am aware of the larger projects currently underway and planned for the future; as a student voice there are several things I will be working on in the forthcoming year, however I have particularly noticed that there is a great lack of environmental activism in students. I would like to close this gap and find out what students do (or don’t do!) in terms of being environmentally friendly – including recycling and energy consumption, and identify how the University and Students’ Union can assist students in becoming more environmentally active, particularly in private accommodation off campus. Other things that I will be working on include making better use of the beautiful green spaces that all of our campuses encompass and making them much more welcoming, and various projects within the social justice aspect of my role.

We have just elected our first ESJ committee, however we always welcome more students, so if you would like some more information to get involved or have any other questions please email me.

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