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Alistair Brendon, New College JCR's Environment & Ethics Officer, has already made a big impact on sustainability in ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ. He worked with our Catering Manager to bring in new reusable lunch boxes for the dining hall and has organised wildlife walks for students to discover more about biodiversity at ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ. He has now launched the brand new ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Environmental Society which encourages environmental work around the ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ and beyond. We asked Alistair about his role on the JCR committee, what happened at ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ during the University's , as well as Alistair's plans for the future of ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ's environmental efforts.

What do you do as Environment & Ethics Officer for the JCR?

In promoting appreciation and concern for the environment in ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ, I have focused my work on waste reduction and nature engagement. On waste reduction, I worked closely with Brian Cole, the Catering Manager, and the Food & Bar Reps, to distribute Tupperware to all students on a catered lease at the start of this term, to reduce use of single-use takeaway boxes. On nature engagement, I organised a small group to conduct the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch in the ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ gardens in January. I also attend a few meetings each term: the Sustainability Working Group with the Warden and Home Bursar 1x per term; E&E Rep Com 2x per term which is organised by the Oxford SU where I meet other E&E Officers, and we learn about environmental initiatives in Oxford; and a fortnightly JCR meeting and committee meeting.

What did ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ do for Green Action Week (19-23 Feb)?

As E&E Officer, I founded ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Environmental Society (see more below), and signed ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ up for Green Impact, a scheme by the NUS which Oxford University is registered to, that sets actionable tasks for colleges / departments to complete to improve their environmental record. I also organised a Wildlife Walk in the ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Gardens and 45 students completed a survey I sent round on recycling habits, which has provided some very insightful data for ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ. Finally, New College’s annual Women’s Lecture, held this year on Thursday 22 February, was on the topic of saiga conversation, a species of antelope found in Central Asia, by a former ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ student, Dame E.J. Milner-Gulland.

You are launching the brand new ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Environmental Society. What sorts of events/campaigns are you planning?

1. Hands-on environmental work around ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ (such as the planned rewilding of the verges of Weston later this year)
2. Completion of tasks for the
3. Sharing ecological discoveries around Oxford (especially on ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ sites).
4. Discussions where students share ideas and make plans about how to make ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ greener, and discuss ideas to tackle environmental challenges on a global level.

How can students get involved with the Environmental Society?

It’s open to anyone at ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ with an interest in the natural environment – undergrads, postgrads, academics, staff alike.