Winter Issue of the 2019/20 academic year.
“No one is too small to make a difference” is an inspiring book by Greta Thunberg, the girl who in 2018 started a global youth movement on climate change through school strikes. She attempts to show that we need collective action from scientists and businesses to politicians and regular people to stop the climate crisis....
A collection of sustainability themed creative pieces like poems, photographs, art
For the fifth young person queuing in front of me, an assembly line boxing opinions and ideologies in confined choices, I see the young ones; a pale faced girl, left fist tensed, clutching fingers across crisp ballot paper, hand sticky, ink transferring to stamp blank skin, voting decisions etched like palm readings, turning a vote...
Ecological Economics addresses the interdependence and coevolution of the economy, society and the natural environment, understanding the economy as an embedded subsystem of the planet. Student work in this section discusses social and environmental issues from this perspective.
We don’t need no wealth taxation. We don’t need no land controls. Re-distribution? Not on our watch. Hey, Corbyn, leave our wealth alone! As house prices increase, so do rental costs. Recent studies highlight that the average monthly rental cost for a two-bedroom house in London is £1730 [1]. Meanwhile, the London Living Wage pays...
Water covers over two-thirds of our planet, yet, less than 3% is freshwater suitable for consumption [1]. Certain countries are water-rich, while many others are facing water scarcity. The inadequate access to water gives rise to disease, with shigellosis being the most prominent bacterial infection resulting from poor water quality [2]. Many of us who...
We’ve all heard about the plastic problem in our oceans. We’ve seen pictures: great floating garbage islands, and remote beaches covered in straws and bottles. However, the majority of large plastic items are not from consumer waste [1]. Instead abandoned or lost fishing gear “ghost gear” makes up at least 10% of all marine plastic...
The Amazon and Australia are burning. England and Venice are flooded. Indonesia is having to relocate its capital to Borneo as Jakarta is sinking (1). Seven million people were displaced as a result of climate change and climate disasters, not over the last 3 or 5 years, but in the first six months of 2019...
“The number of overweight people in the world, suffering their own health problems, is roughly equal to the number of hungry people” [1]. A shocking United Nations statistic revealed that there is enough food on the planet to feed every single one of us a diet of around 2,800 calories per day [2], which is...
100 billion is a big number. Whilst it may be trivial to understand what this number and its digits represent in a purely mathematical sense, we cannot truly comprehend how large a number this really is. Try it, picture 100 billion individual apples in your mind right now. I got to about twenty before finding...
The average life span of a tree in the amazon is approximately just over 300 years old, and have lasted generations, though due to deforestation these trees are being cut down [1]. Deforestation is one of the most critical contributors to climate change and is estimated to contribute 25% of World greenhouse gases, excluding the...
Many have seen the film ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’. The protagonist, ‘Girl in the Green Scarf’, racks up masses of debt due to her compulsive spending. She muses “when I shop the world gets better…and then it’s not anymore and I have to do it again”[1]. She is depicted as an addict and ends up...
We…are living at the point in human history where, within perhaps two generations, most languages in the world will die out [1] There are around 7000 languages spoken in the world today. Roughly every three and a half months, one of those goes extinct [2]. In fact, 4% of people hold 94% of the world’s...
Essential things for modern life, such as smartphones, laptops and televisions may influence on our health. How many years have you used your smartphones? The answer depends on you, but I’m sure many people did “model change” several times this decade. As rapid technological developments, many people live with smartphones and computers. However, at the same times,...
We have been fed yet another lie and quite literally this time. A little white lie that emphasizes eating meat to receive adequate levels of protein for our body to effectively operate. We have been influenced by our doctors, our parents, the National Food Guides, and even the ads on our TV into thinking that...
Although the aviation industry emphasizes that aviation is only responsible for around 2.5% of global CO2 emissions (Chèze et al., 2012) there is no denial around the fact that the emissions of this sector have risen by 38% in five years (from 2013 to 2018). This makes its growth rate 70% higher than predicted by...
Interviews and profiles of sustainability students, researchers and activists
In December 2019, two former Leeds students met for a conversation about System Change and Degrowth in Zurich. Rosie Watson (BA Environment & Business graduate) was passing through on her amazing New Story Run: Climate Activism journey, a solo and unsupported run across Europe and Asia. Viktoria Cologna (MEnv Sustainability and Environmental Management graduate) is working...
“No one is too small to make a difference” is an inspiring book by Greta Thunberg, the girl who in 2018 started a global youth movement on climate change through school strikes. She attempts to show that we need collective action from scientists and businesses to politicians and regular people to stop the climate crisis....
In this section, students provide interesting insight into their current sustainability related research projects
Hello – I’m Ale, my current sustainability project is to develop the second phase of Colour Hyde Park Project! We are looking to create inclusion and a positive contribution within the Hyde Park community. Our project aims to improve the visual appearance of the area and celebrate the spirit and diversity of the community through...
Coverage of the Student Sustainability Research Conference 2020
As a Student Sustainability Architect working on the Leeds Sustainable Curriculum and Conference projects, the days and weeks leading up to the 2020 Student Sustainability Research Conference on 26 February were filled with logistical preparation, back-and-forth coordination with student presenters and related staff, and a posting up a healthy amount of directional signage. These preparatory...
For the fifth young person queuing in front of me, an assembly line boxing opinions and ideologies in confined choices, I see the young ones; a pale faced girl, left fist tensed, clutching fingers across crisp ballot paper, hand sticky, ink transferring to stamp blank skin, voting decisions etched like palm readings, turning a vote...
Student Sustainability Architects work closely with the University of Leeds to develop and deliver projects that are in line with the University Sustainability Strategy. This section provides an overview of some of the research projects that architects are working on.
Hello – I’m Ale, my current sustainability project is to develop the second phase of Colour Hyde Park Project! We are looking to create inclusion and a positive contribution within the Hyde Park community. Our project aims to improve the visual appearance of the area and celebrate the spirit and diversity of the community through...
As a Student Sustainability Architect working on the Leeds Sustainable Curriculum and Conference projects, the days and weeks leading up to the 2020 Student Sustainability Research Conference on 26 February were filled with logistical preparation, back-and-forth coordination with student presenters and related staff, and a posting up a healthy amount of directional signage. These preparatory...
We all need food. We do not need food in the same way that we need transport or clothes or anything else that makes our lives run a little smoother. Food is necessary for all life. At the same time, a lot of us are showing more and more concern for the planet, with the...
Habitat loss and fragmentation are key drivers of biodiversity loss [1], with urbanisation having a greater impact on species than any other habitat conversion [2]. The 2019 State of Nature Report has revealed that since 1970s, 41% of all UK species have experienced population declines, whilst 27% have decreased their ranges [2]. With a growing number...
Who knew waste management could be so interesting? During my time as an architect, my role is to understand the current waste management practices at University of Leeds and implement solutions to reduce the overall single plastic usage. My main priority is in collaboration with Leeds plastic free ban, where the university has committed to...
In December 2019, two former Leeds students met for a conversation about System Change and Degrowth in Zurich. Rosie Watson (BA Environment & Business graduate) was passing through on her amazing New Story Run: Climate Activism journey, a solo and unsupported run across Europe and Asia. Viktoria Cologna (MEnv Sustainability and Environmental Management graduate) is working...
100 billion is a big number. Whilst it may be trivial to understand what this number and its digits represent in a purely mathematical sense, we cannot truly comprehend how large a number this really is. Try it, picture 100 billion individual apples in your mind right now. I got to about twenty before finding...