December 6, 2013, by Helen Whitehead
Advent calendar #6: Reduce, re-use, recycle
The 3Rs of sustainable waste practice are a key part of one of the weeks of our course Sustainability, Society and You, as they have been in the pilot which was run within the University – the NOOC. Students discuss their own recycling practices (or not!) and often find there are obvious actions that they can take to reduce their amount of personal waste.
Students found take-away food packaging and paper waste loomed large in their lives, as well as waste of food itself, especially in student accommodation where fridges were not provided. Planning meals in advance for the week was recommended to avoid too much food waste, as well as eating more communally.
Yet some found positive actions already being taken. A participant staying temporarily in Japan found that the local family she stayed with were very resourceful about not wasting food. In the UK buying milk from a local milkman not only has the advantage that it’s delivered to the door, but it is provided in re-usable glass bottles and not difficult-to-recycle cartons.
Sustainability starts at the doorstep! Hopefully the MOOC will provide us with lots of examples of small changes we can make to reduce, re-use or recycle – if you have any tips right now, why not leave a comment?
The University of Nottingham MOOC Sustainability, Society and You starts on January 6th and you can sign up now for free on the FutureLearn website.
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