Writtle University College and ARU have merged. Writtle’s full range of college, degree, postgraduate and short courses will still be delivered on the Writtle campus. See our guide to finding Writtle information on this site.

Get involved in sustainability

"No one is too small to make a difference" – Greta Thunberg, 16-year-old climate activist.

Students are at the heart of our sustainability work. Find out how you can get involved using the links below.

Attend a sustainability workshop

Join a workshop hosted by the EfS team and Sustainability Society, or browse these slides for a quick introduction to the Youth Strike for Climate movement. 

Change our University

To date, students have secured the following changes at ARU: 

  • A pledge to remain free of fossil fuel investments, now and in future. Read more about this here.
  • A switch from polystyrene containers to vegware containers in the canteen, saving roughly 40,000 from landfill each year 
  • An increase in the number of vegan options available in the canteen 
  • The banning of helium balloons from campus

Contact the Environment Team, or Nigel Cooper, if you have an idea for a way to make our campus more sustainable. 

Join a society

In 2018-19, the Sustainability Society set up a full-day event called 'Save our World' day, designed to support students to learn more about the climate and ecological crises.

Visit the SU website to view the full range of societies on offer at ARU, or browse through the below list of sustainability-related societies.

Improve your wellbeing at the Edible Garden

Research from our own GSI has shown that spending time growing your own food can have a positive impact on your mental health. The wellbeing network runs a bi-monthly gardening session at the Edible Garden on the Cambridge campus. Use this map to find your way over there, or contact [email protected] for more information on when the sessions are taking place.

Attend a Global Sustainability Institute seminar

These lunchtime talks explore issues as varied as food, the fashion industry, health and wellbeing, nature and nature's value. Visit the GSI events page to find out when they are taking place.

Pick up a copy of So What magazine

Read about research happening at the Global Sustainability Institute.

Apply for a Green Fund for your society

Win up to £250 from the Environment Team to help make your club or society more environmentally friendly.

Intern at the Global Sustainability Institute

Become part of an internationally recognised research institute and learn about sustainability. Find out what previous interns have been working on and how you can get involved.