Proposed by: Grace McMeekin (Sustainability Officer) & Adam Mitchell
Seconded by: Amelia Jones (Treasurer of Sustain@BL), Rosa Hughes (President of Sustain@BL), Mat Robathan (BLSA President), Tala Wael Musa Sammur (President of the Environmental Society)
What do you want?
To introduce an online ‘suggestion box’, called the Big Green Box, on the SU website where students can report their concerns to detail something that has gone wrong or could be improved in terms of sustainability. The Big Green Box should prominent and easy to access from any page of the website.
We as an SU must be accountable to our students & we as an organisation must hold our university to account. Having a widely publicised tool for reporting and suggestions can give us an evidence base for what needs to change, and the link should be clear and given ample screen space on the SU homepage website.
Publishing of this feedback for transparency should be a responsibility of the SU (termly or annually) and should be presented formally to the reigning executive upon publication.
For example, students or staff could report that the outside lights are on in the middle of the day, a keep-cup discount wasn’t given on campus, the recycling bins were mixed with non-recyclables by cleaners in halls or food being wasted at an event.
As a result, these issues will be documented and can then be solved.
Why do you want it?
Anecdotally, we represent the current sustainability officer and head of student group Sustain@BL. Over the last 2 years we have received innumerable messages on social media concerning lack of proper recycling facilities, keep-cup promotional bargains unkept and issues regarding wholesale food waste.
We believe that with a prominent tool for accountability like the ‘Big Green Box’, the SU can contribute to promoting a cultural shift in line with sustainability as a core institutional value. By giving power to students, we make ourselves and our Uni accountable for our institutional ecological impact. Only with accountability will we ever be able to reduce our impact and stay true to the grand commitments and declarations (of climate emergency) made by our SU. Having the combined reports of many students will further empower the SU to push QM university to change. Above all else this measure will contribute to creating a cultural shift at QM where the planetary crises unfolding are at the forefront of student’s minds, to challenge us to all become collaborative changemakers.
What impact will this have?
Having a clear space where these issues are documented will make it easier for the SU to solve any issues it can and push the university to act on issues under their jurisdiction.