We, as students of New College, are writing today because we want to see a change in the way the college is run so it is more environmentally friendly.
After all, it is our generation that will face the majority of consequences if nothing is done now. You may be wondering why it is so important New College reduces its carbon footprint, as we are only a minuscule fraction of the entire country. Since the college provides education to over 3,000 students, a reduction in the college’s emissions will ultimately reduce students’ emissions as well, compared to those who go to a college that is not reducing its carbon footprint.
New College is a well-known establishment in Wiltshire so if we continue to become more eco-friendly, this may inspire other schools and colleges to follow our example. This would result in a larger amount of individuals releasing fewer emissions. Furthermore, global warming as an issue will affect the UK severely, so we have an incentive to do as much as we can to prevent it. If we don’t, the UK will see an increase in extreme weather such as storms and heatwaves which have the potential to be deadly to some. To do even better, we can also motivate students and staff at college to engage in environmental actions.
This can be done in a variety of ways such as educating everyone about the consequences via eye-catching posters around college, emails to students & teachers and presentations in tutor groups. But we should not only dwell on the negatives, especially during these unprecedented times.
As a college, we should also provide solutions that they can contribute to as an individual, even if it is as little as switching computers and lights off. It may not seem like much, but if we work together and turn these small actions into instinct, we can really make a big difference!
The college building itself is also an important factor for environmental change. We understand that changing this will be a costly process but in the long run, it has its advantages. Installing solar panels on the roofs would mean we are using more renewable and sustainable energy sources and we would be producing this energy ourselves.
This would reduce the amount of money spent on energy for the college which could then be put to use elsewhere. More to add, we could also make a vertical garden in some of the external walls of New College. Not only would this be aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it will promote biodiversity in the local area, attracting interesting wildlife. New College should also endorse its own buses to encourage the use of public transport, once again reducing individual carbon footprints.
We understand that focusing on climate change is just one of many issues during these challenging times.
However, we can not wait until tomorrow. We need to take action now, before it is too late, to stop climate change.
Thank you for reading.