How to make an impact this Earth Day
2025 marks the 55th year of Earth Day, which is happening on the 22 April.
This years theme is 'Our Power, Our Planet', calling for everyone to unite around renewable energy so that globally clean energy can be tripled by 2030.
We know that at a student level this is quite a big thing to make an impact on during one day, but we wanted to highlight small things you can do on campus and events you can get involved with during Earth Day and across the next few weeks.
How can I be more sustainable on campus?
As part of the University's commitment to sustainability there are some small things you can do to make a big impact whilst you are on campus:
- Bring a reusable mug to food fellows outlets for your drinks orders, reducing single use cups but also saving yourself 25p!
- Use a reusable water bottle instead of buying water bottles on campus, there are lots of taps across campus for you to use to refill throughout the day.
- Save printing on campus by using the library's resources for downloading digital articles to support your studying through Findit@Bham.
- Bring your own food onto campus and make use of the microwave facilities in study spaces to reheat any meal prep.
Events I can get involved in
Over the course of the next few weeks, following Earth Day, there are a lot of sustainable activities you can join in taking place across Birmingham and campus.
Earth Day Digbeth Litter Pick
To mark Earth Day 2025, the Birmingham Friends of the Earth community are hosting a Community Litter Pick event in Digbeth from 10am to 12 noon. You can register to join online and help make a positive environmental impact in the local community during your spring vacation. They run more of these throughout the year so we recommend keeping an eye on their webpage for more events in the city.
Junkbusters with The Guild
Moving home for the end of the year and not sure what to do with your excess stuff? Donate to Junkbusters or even better volunteer to join them!
The aim of Junkbusters is to promote a more sustainable way of living by collecting unwanted items that still have life in them. All donations raise money for the British Heart Foundation and Birmingham Hospice, contributing to better wellbeing in our local community and across the UK. We’re proud to say that with your support, we’ve raised over £30,000 in the last 3 years.
During June there are lots of opportunities to volunteer so it’s a great way to make a positive impact on the environment and raise money for two wonderful charities. If you are interested, please contact Meg Donovan m.donovan@guild.bham.ac.uk
UoB Xtra Activities
As part of UoB Xtra, there are a series of events taking place that you can join to improve your sustainability awareness and get stuck in with activities to make campus greener. For the full list of activity you should visit the UoB Xtra What's On Guide but here are a list of our highlights:
- Lego Serious Play on 9 June
- Sustainability in Action training on 16 June
- Ten Talks Session 4 - Energy, the Universe, and Evolving Perspectives on 18 June
For more information on sustainability activity at the University and in the local area you can find more information on the university website.