Harper Adams University’s position is cemented as the institution for food production and technology, animal health and wellbeing and their contribution to sustainable, living environments. With that, the Students’ Union wants to promote and celebrate the work of it’s members who actively strive toward making a difference in these areas. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal is something that the University, Students’ Union and individuals should be working towards to become better environmental ambassadors.
Aims and Objectives of President and Vice-President 23/24
- Sustainable Farming / Back British Agriculture
- ‘Harper Adams is the University for food production and technology, animal health and wellbeing, and their contribution to sustainable, living environments for our planet’s inhabitants’ - https://www.harper-adams.ac.uk/about/840/about-us/ . With this, the students of the University are or become well versed in the importance of agriculture and maintaining the land; they become champions of sustainable farming practices and take their knowledge of sustainable living solutions onwards throughout their careers. HASU recognises that many of our students come from agricultural and rural backgrounds (and have done since the formation of the college) and so endeavours to continue to support the work of both students and the wider university community throughout their academic studies through awareness and engagement campaigns.
- Social media outputs for numerous events throughout the year that celebrates work of members that get involved in events/campaigns.
- Agricultural society to be supported where possible and encouraged to engage with HAU outputs including Farm Sessions, speakers, School of Sustainable Food and Farming etc.
- Current info on website to be updated – how students can support British Agriculture themselves.
- Cup Scheme at HASU Events
- On 1st October 2023, the UK Government banned the supply, selling or offering of certain single-use plastic items in England – this ban did not extend to the use of the types of cups used in our venue or at our events. Nevertheless, the HASU Venues Manager moved suppliers so that a better, biodegradable alternative might be used by students and visitors to the Barn or Welly Inn. In light of not knowing when the ban may be extended to these cups, and of the University’s commitment to becoming operationally sustainable when working towards achieving Net Zero by 2030, HASU introduced reusable cups during Term 1 of the 2023/24 academic year.
- In the short-term, the aim is to reduce reliance on disposable plastic cups. These cups are available as merchandise to begin with – students will be able to purchase one, bring them empty into the venue and leave with an empty one. When new drinks are bought, the cup will be exchanged for a clean one to comply with H&S regs. The branded pint glasses and non-branded half-pint glasses are stackable using their handles and can hold a shot-glass in the handle too. The soft launch of these cups gives the students the choice to make a conscience decision to make a change and not contribute to plastic waste while not forcing them to buy into the scheme.
- The long-term plan would be to only use these reusable cups in our venue. We need to be reducing plastic waste and segregating waste in order to better recycle what we can. The success of the campaign in the first term will determine whether and how we push this further throughout the rest of the year.