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THE GREEN SCENE

February 2019

In this issue:

Sit back, Relax and Educate

A sustainable success: UoL’s IIB

Green does look good on you!

Achieving sustainable development at UoL

Its Our Planet, But Unfortunately it’s a Plastic One

Green Reading

Veganuary Verdict

The University of Liverpool’s Sustainability Focused Newsletter

This month, Going Green

Want to learn more about

sustainability?

Follow @livunisustainability on

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Twitter!

Sit back, Relax and Educate

There are a variety of movies and TV series available that provide interesting insights into the consequences of lacking sustainability. Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime provide multiple great platforms to watch these movies or TV series such as:

Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Frozen Planet: David Attenborough

The famous David Attenborough collection present an opportunity to see nature like no other way. The variety of episodes display the wonders of the word and provide any needed justification to try and preserve these habitats. Each episode presents a new species or habitat in which he will follow around throughout the episode, so you can be pick and choose the environment which you have most interest in and want to see in greater detail. If you’re unsure of which one to watch the soothing voice of David will make sitting back to watch any of these episodes more than a treat.

Watch Out!

Watching any of these movies or series can help develop your understanding in a laid-back manner or spark environmentalism within yourself. The sustainability team have plans to show other movies like this alongside other events, so keep updated by following our Facebook page… Instagram… and Twitter….

Before the Flood: Leonardo DiCaprio

This movie follows DiCaprio as he investigates the consequences of climate change and how this is changing our environment. He provides an accessible understanding of the contemporary political issues in the United States, in which many climate change deniers are still leading in America’s environmental sectors. The movie includes interviews with Barack Obama and Elon Musk in which DiCaprio discusses possible ways forward and what the future holds for sustainability in not just the United States but the rest of the world.

An Inconvenient Truth/An Inconvenient Truth the Sequel: Al Gore

Al Gore is the former vice president on the United States has now turned his attention to environmental awareness. His two movies provide a shocking insight to the impacts of climate change and negligence for sustainability. An Inconvenient truth shows the impacts of temperature increase across the planet and the effects it is having across the globe in a variety of regions. Al Gore also shows how climate change is affecting our weather systems and how this is only creating a greater domino effect which will impact on the planet in an even greater magnitude

Go Green Week 11th-15th February

The Green Guilds ‘CLOSING THE LOOP’

- The world’s first feature-length documentary film about the circular economy

Wednesday 6th March 2019 2pm to 5pm

Visit the guild website to book your ticket!

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A Sustainable Success: The Institute of Integrative Biology

Joan Robinson and Alexandre Holme have been sustainability advocates for the IIB for several years, frequently attending sustainability advocate meetings and attaining a Green Impact Silver award for the IIB back in 2012. Ensuring sustainable efforts are maximised, they have recently set up a sustainability project team, comprising of 6 individuals all striving to promote sustainability throughout the IIB. Both Joan and Alexandre act as project managers, with fellow IIB colleague and sustainability enthusiastic Debbie Stevens acting as project champion.

However, the efforts of the IIB do not stop there. Each year Joan and Alexandre run an incredibly successful plant sale in front of the Biosciences building. The plant sale will make its third and I’m sure just as successful reappearance in 2019. All past proceeds have benefitted New Ferry Butterfly park, a conservation initiative and registered charity which is maintained by nationally recognised conservation champion, Paul Loughnane, another member of IIB. 2018’s donations contributed to the purchase of solar panels for the maintenance area of the butterfly park. The proceeds have also helped further the IIB’s sustainable efforts with the purchase of two compost bins and a wormery maintained using food waste form the IIB common room. The compost and liquid feed hopefully generated will be used in preparation for 2019’s plant sale.

The annual plant sale and new compost facility are just two of the IIBs brilliant initiatives to achieve sustainable behaviour. Sustainable champion Joan has also established a book exchange library in the IIB common room, and a battery recycling scheme. To date around 100Kg of batteries have been recycled via Battery Back. The team are looking into ways of recycling glass as such an ability is not yet held. The team are also fortunate to have the good will and support of their senior management within IIB and an example of where this support has been invaluable is in funding the installation of a door next to the ground floor kitchen area greatly aiding the maintenance heat within the building. Where possible the team also strive to upcycle and recycle waste generated in IIB. Several members of IIB’s technical team have allotments and they are very imaginative when it comes to upcycling pallets and other waste materials from the Institute.

Other initiatives that team hopes to develop in the future include a wildflower garden and raised beds for growing fruit and veg that the whole of IIB can benefit from. Finally, the team has recently started to collect crisp packets with a view to sending them off to tetracycle for recycling.

The IIB is setting an incredible example as to how individual departments and institutes can help further the University’s quest in achieving sustainable development and the 17 SDGs.

Thanks to Alexandre Holme and Joan Robinson for their contribution to the newsletter.

IIB’s newly bought compost bins and wormery

2019’s plant sale will be held on the 10th May—the seed growing has already commenced!

If your department is doing anything extraordinary to accomplish UoL’s sustainability goals, email sbility@liv.ac.uk to feature

February 2019

Upcoming Event: Bikers Breakfast

12th February Guild Walk

8:30 am to1pm

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February 2019

Green does look good on you!

The modern fashion industry as a whole, is contributing more to climate

change than the aeronautical and shipping industries combined. Unlike

some forms of pollution, you don’t notice the extent of damage that waste

clothing has on the environment. A staggering 300,000 tonnes of clothes

are sent to landfill every year in the UK and it’s suggested to be the fastest

growing waste material on planet earth. Furthermore, if trends continue, the clothing industry could

account for a quarter of the worlds carbon budget by 2050. It seems the reason for such waste is the

recent boom in fast fashion… This is the constant purchase of cheap poor-quality clothes from stores

such as Asos, Primark, Boohoo, Zara and Topshop to name and shame a few. These corporations’

source low-priced clothes in less developed countries, creating poor working conditions and major

environmental harm. Processes involved in the use of heavy machinery and far distance transportation

release hazardous gasses into the atmosphere, and also toxic dyes into aquatic systems. These clothes

are then bought by customers mainly in the developing world and shortly end up as wardrobe cast offs,

finally finishing their short-lived lives in landfill sites.

Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

As a student in Liverpool, it’s not always easy to live a sustainable lifestyle due to money constraints,

but we can create a difference as individuals by applying the three ‘Rs’ when buying clothes. Firstly, we

can simply reduce the amount of clothes we buy and instead mix and match different clothes to create

varied outfits. This is a simple way to look fresh and save the planet! Waste can also be reduced by

taking our own bags when clothes shopping – just like we’re expected to do when food shopping.

Attempting to buy better sourced clothes of higher quality means we’ll be supporting sustainable

processes and they should also last much longer. A good example is Patagonia, a popular brand

fighting fast fashion and supporting environmental activist groups.

Before buying new clothes, we could consider reusing friends

or family’s clothes or shopping at second hand stores. Some

alternatives include charity shops like Oxfam or Barnardo’s.

We could also explore a range of vintage shops across

Liverpool such as COW, Pop Boutique, Soho’s and Total

Recall Vintage. Usually these are cheaper than your standard

high street shops and also pride themselves in recycling-tired

pieces into new outfits.

Finally instead of throwing away our own clothes when we don’t want them anymore, we could sell them

online at stores such as Ebay, Depop and Tradesey. Another modern and upcoming sustainable

alternative is renting clothes such as at ‘Rent the Runway’, a ten million member strong website which

allows you to rent outfits for a set time. It’s essentially combatting the throw away style the fashion

industry seems to promote by allowing clothes to be used multiple times by multiple people. Hopefully in

the future, society will become more aware of how clothes end up in our wardrobe!

£140 Million

worth of

clothing goes

into landfill

each year

Do you have any stories or

published academic research

linked the SDGs? Do you want to

feature in the monthly newsletter,

or interested in joining the team?

Email sbility@liverpool.ac.uk

for a chance to feature and

register your interest

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February 2019

Achieving Sustainable Development at UoL; Research paving the way to a more sustainable future

In 2017 the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) provided the University of

Liverpool with an allocation of Institutional Sponsorship to help researchers explore the potential

development applications of their work. We asked the three recipient UoL academics to discuss their

research projects, all of which touch on different aspects of SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy.

Prof Andy Plater from the Liverpool Institute for Sustainable Coasts and Oceans:

Our research aimed to raise awareness and build research capacity in decision-support, modelling and

monitoring tools for establishing resilient coastal economies in small island developing states. Along with

colleagues from the National Oceanography Centre, we delivered training in the application of geographic

information systems and satellite data for assessing and mitigating the hazard from sea-level rise and

hurricane-induced storm surges for coastal communities, transport and energy infrastructure, and habitats

on St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Barbuda. The collaboration provides a case study in the Caribbean

region for delivering environmental protection hand-in-hand with sustainable coastal economies that is

aligned with SDG13 in taking action to combat climate change and its impacts, as well as feeding into the

design of future sustainable energy infrastructure (SDG7). The team has since delivered further work-

shops, presented a public exhibition of research on Coastal Resilience, and is working on a combined

hazard modelling study of hurricane-induced flood risk for Argyle International Airport, St. Vincent.

Dr Maulik Patel, Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering: Solar-assisted water-splitting has the potential to satiate our energy

demands in the long run, thereby eliminating our reliance on fossil

fuels. Efficient solar water-splitting requires semiconductor materials

that can utilize a major fraction of solar photons to split water and

produce H2 fuel. However, the present technology relies on use of

expensive materials that increases the cost of H2 production, making it

difficult to implement on a wider scale. Our research, in collaboration

with the University of Mumbai, India, focuses on the development of

inexpensive materials (mixed-oxide titanates) that can mediate solar

water-splitting and increase its efficiency to deliver H2 at an affordable

cost. In order to increase the efficiency of these materials, novel Z-

scheme hybrid systems are being developed in our lab. The fabrication

of these materials is a stepping stone towards development of a lab-

scale reactor prototype that can be up-scaled industrially.

A Z Scheme System involved in Dr Maulik Patel’s

solar water-splitting H2 energy project.

The training workshop held by Prof Andy Plater and colleagues, with attendees from government

departments and agencies with responsibilities for both strategic and emergency planning.

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The Green Scenes Recommended Reads:

1. No More Plastic by Martin Dorey-a

simple, light hearted and yet still serious

read providing easy and effective ways

to combat the global ‘plastic plague’

2. Is green your colour? Try The Sustainable

Fashion Handbook. This book not only

emphasise the throwaway culture adopted

by millions of people worldwide, but explores

the detrimental impact the global fashion

industry places on the environment (an

environmental culprit often forgotten

3. A personal favourite of mine David

Attenborough's Adventures of a Young

Naturalist. So I must confess this book

doesn't directly relate to climate change or

adopting green behaviour. But, I promise this

book will force you to fall in love with the

natural world and highlight the importance of

respecting and protecting the wildlife

February 2019

Dr Raechelle D’Sa in the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering: The submerged structures of marine-based renewable

energy devices are susceptible to biofilm growth, hindering

efficiency and increasing costs. We collaborated with the

National Environmental Engineering Research Institute,

India, to develop antifouling coatings for marine renewable

energy devices and, subsequently, water filtration

systems. The lack of clean drinking water in many rural

communities throughout the world is a significant human-

health concern. Point-of-use (POU) water purification

systems offer a convenient way to reduce exposure to

pathogenic microorganisms, however low cost options are

yet to be developed. POU technologies should be

appropriate to the needs of the community and consider

factors such as cost, performance, water throughput, and

environmental impact. Satisfying all of these criteria is

ideal however this is difficult to accomplish especially for

resources limited settings. The fund has allowed us to

understand the country specific challenges faced and

develop new solutions.

Thanks to the Research, Partnerships and Innovation

team for their contribution to the newsletter

Combined sea-level rise and storm surge levels on Barbuda – Prof Andy Plater and collaborators use such geographic information systems to assist with ensuring resilient coastal economies in small island developing states.

It’s Our Planet, But Unfortunately its a Plastic One

Plastic a low-cost and versatile material. It

seemed like a brilliant idea; however its permanent and

indestructible nature is wreaking havoc on our oceans.

Did you know 400 M tonnes of plastic is produced each

year? No, perhaps even more shocking just over 40%

of this is single-use. Or how about that each year

100,000 sea mammals, marine turtles and countless

fish are killed each year. Now, I bet you’re thinking I

always recycle my plastic whether it’s the fizzy drinks

bottle I grabbed in my Tesco meal deal or the plastic

cutlery that accompanied my pasta salad. You may

think you’re doing everything to accomplish a non-

plastic planet, if so how come only 23% of plastic

bottles produced are actually recycled. Humanity is

addicted to single-use plastic, what’s even more

worrying is it seems humanity is becoming addicted to

not recycling this plastic, or perhaps immune to the

effect plastic pollution is having on our ecosystems.

Right now billions upon billions of indestructible plastic

pieces are choking our oceans, terrorising marine

wildlife. It is up to us, humanity, to accept the

consequences of our actions, and change our

behaviour for the better.

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February 2019

Veganuary verdict

As a challenge for 2019 I decided to give ‘Veganuary’ a try (vegan for January) after the up roar the

movement is getting in the media lately. As I came into February there were two main pointers I have

taken away from it:

Veganism is an incredibly supportive culture.

Not every meal has to have meat in.

There are a lot of reasons why people go vegan – whether it is for ethical, health or environmental

reasons. Yet, there seems to be a negative stigma surrounding vegans. I’d say it is basically with regards

to vegan extremists who demand people stop eating meat, sometimes in controversial ways.

Understandably, this can get on people’s nerves. ‘I eat what I want’ or ‘I can’t live without meat’ are two

common phrases I’ve heard this January. Two statements I can’t argue with – each to their own after all.

Yet when January was over my first thought wasn’t what meat I was going to eat to celebrate, nor was it

how to promote the movement and persuade all people to go vegan. It’s fairly well known now that

humans are damaging the planet one way or another. Pollution, deforestation and excessive livestock to

name a few, but the reality is the world keeps on turning. The biggest lesson I have learnt is that not every

dish needs to have several sources of protein or be layered in oozing cheese. Whilst I have occasionally

added meat back into my diet, I feel much better with the creative variety of dishes I am making.

For green week, why not try some food item’s you’ve heard of but probably never handled, such as Tofu

or Chickpeas? Tofu cut into cubes and grilled until crispy is a great way to bulk up dishes. Soya beans and

Chickpeas are any plant lover’s best friend and yes – good sources of protein (it does exist in a vegan

diet).

Why not have a look around some of Liverpool’s vegan restaurants. They’re literally amazing. Some of the

foods I have eaten taste exactly like the real things but have nowhere near the ethical, health or

environmental impacts that eating meat has. There’s a few eateries around knowledge quarter, Bold

Street and in the City Centre which I had only looked at before (Down the Hatch/ Egg café/ Caribou

Poutine – these were my favourites). Veganism broadened my horizons and I saw the culture of dedicated

environmentalist’s first hand, inspiring me like never before to go greener, and stay greener!

How you can help us go from plastic back to planet

We manufactured it, we created a demand for it and now we’re drowning in it.

We must stop it!

Option 1: Take part in a beach clean up, removing plastic waste from Merseyside coastline—https://

beachclean.net/ - the 2 minute beach clean

Option 2: Start your plastic detox. Focus on one of these 3 single use plastic aspects. 1) no plastic bags,

straws or utensils, 2) no plastic cups, bottles or takeaway containers or 3) a tougher one no plastic

wrappers whether its chocolate, fruit or vegetables!

1 in 3 Brits have

completely stopped

or reduced their

meat consumption