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Winter 2019/20

Winter Issue of the 2019/20 academic year.

Book Reviews

"No-one is too small to make a difference" - Greta Thunberg

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“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....

Creative Pieces

A collection of sustainability themed creative pieces like poems, photographs, art

Against the clock

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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

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.

Fresh Water – the truth for Aboriginals communities in Canada

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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...

Ghost Fishing: the spectre of unsustainable scale haunting our seas

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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...

Food inequality: humanity's biggest moral failure?

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 “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...

The Earth's Forests are at their tipping point

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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...

The casualties of consumption (it’s not just the environment)

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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...

ICT products make our life prosper. But a problem is emerging.

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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,...

Born to Be Killed: The Unsustainable Scale of The Meat Industry

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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...

Long Read

How to reduce the increasing environmental footprint of aviation

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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...

Profiles

Interviews and profiles of sustainability students, researchers and activists

The New Story Run and Post-growth Zurich

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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...

Reviews

"No-one is too small to make a difference" - Greta Thunberg

Date
Category

“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....

Student Research

In this section, students provide interesting insight into their current sustainability related research projects

Student Sustainability Research Conference 2020

Coverage of the Student Sustainability Research Conference 2020

Local research towards global goals: The 2020 Student Sustainability Research Conference

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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...

Against the clock

Date
Category

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...

Sustainability Architects

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.

Local research towards global goals: The 2020 Student Sustainability Research Conference

Date
Category

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...

Biodiversity Action Planning across the University of Leeds residences

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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...

Understanding waste management at the University of Leeds

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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...

Impacting life at student accommodations through circular resource economy

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As a Student Sustainability Architect, I have the opportunity to promote a Circular Resource Economy to the students living in the University’s Halls of Residences, by awareness of the issue of waste consumption and offering new opportunities to donate and reuse items. In December, we held a Christmas food bank collection within the residences and...

Uncategorised

The New Story Run and Post-growth Zurich

Date
Category

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...