Greener Living Fund

Added on 01/07/2009

NUS has been awarded £515k to deliver a exciting new project in the University sector. The initiative will be funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as part of their new Greener Living Fund.

The ‘Aim Higher; Greening Universities and Beyond’ project will get 90,000 students and staff altering their behaviour to increase recycling, adopt better energy management, reduce non essential flying, and encourage more people to adopt a low carbon diet.

NUS will co-ordinate three main initiatives through three delivery partners. The initiatives include;

Student Switch Off. Where students in halls compete and are rewarded for reducing their energy consumption.

Go Green Week. Expanding this successful campaign week to raise awareness of how students and staff can alter their behaviour.

Green Impact. The Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges will expand this carbon reduction award scheme to 20 university departments.

These three projects will be supported by two resource partners. Students for Sustainability who will employ Greener Living Assistants to support and deliver the projects at the University locations, and London Sustainability Exchange who will monitor and evaluate our impact along the way.

The three projects will not only alter the behaviour of students and staff at the designated campuses, but the project will have wider impact as the projects will be brought under the same behaviour change brand, with students and students unions able to access ideas and resources from www.nus.org.uk.

We are now looking for 20 higher education institutions in England to work with on this exciting programme.

For a synopsis of this project please see the summary poster below and the briefing.

We would like students unions to be actively approaching their Universities to engage in this project. Please forward this to relevant staff at your institution. The deadline for applications is Monday 20th July.

If you have any questions, or want to be involved in any of this activity please do not hesitate to contact Jamie Agombar.

More information;

NUS.org

Poster - to promote project

Background reading

Application form .

Stop climate chaos march

Added on 22/06/2009

December will see world leaders decide how to tackle global warming at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen. They must deliver a fair deal that keeps global warming under two degrees C and protects the poorest and most vulnerable people.

As a member of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition NUS are calling on the UK Government to lead by example, quitting dirty coal and instead building a cleaner, greener economy.

We are organising the UK’s biggest ever march for action on climate change. On Saturday 5 December, we’ll be donning something blue, heading to central London, and flooding the streets.

NUS cannot do this alone. We need your students union to support the March and publicise this event to your students. Help us get other students there, and demonstrate the student movement demands a fair deal at Copenhagen. Attached below is the flyer for the event. Please circulate this flyer by email, upload it onto your website and facebook. If you would like paper copies of the flyer to distribute please contact susan.nash@nus.org.uk

Between now and December NUS and Stop Climate Chaos will be organising a number of activities to build awareness of the march in December. Below is a Local Action pack full of ideas on how you can help NUS raise awareness of this important march. From organising a Blue Picnic to creating a human Mili-band, help spread the word about the importance of the March in December.

Please distribute this pack to your student groups involved in environmental initiatives on your campus. Publicise these activities to students who may be involved in other campaigns who would benefit from experiencing this different campaigning opportunities, and also why not take the lead in your students union and hold an activity before December as part of your annual Go Green Week.

Don’t forget to let us know what activities you have planned, and remember to send us photos, so we can showcase your great work.

If you need any assistance, or have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Susan Nash
susan.nash@nus.org.uk

Stop Climate Chaos Flyer

Stop Climate Chaos Action Pack

Love Music Hate Racism

Added on 11/05/2009

Stoke Football Club will play host to the annual Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) Festival, where thousands of people will come together to create a movement against racism through music.

Love Music Hate Racism is about celebrating what we all have in common – bringing people together, undermining the division and misery that racism can bring to our communities.

LMHR is being supported by football’s anti-racism charity Kick it Out, with Tottenham’s Ledley King and Stoke’s own James Beattie supporting the event, alongside boxing’s Amir Khan.

"Racism divides communities and we should all stand up and oppose this type of behaviour. The Love Music Hate Racism Festival in Stoke-on-Trent will be a brilliant event which will see people from various diverse backgrounds celebrate unity and togetherness while listening to some great music. It is an event and a cause I totally support."

Major acts, including N-Dubz, Jerry Dammers and indie-dance rebels Reverand & The Makers have been confirmed to play at this year’s festival, with more big names to follow.

President of Staffordshire Students’ Union, Fiona Wood, says this year’s festival is a significant moment for people to stand up to racism.

“Stoke-on-Trent is at a political crossroads and finds itself with a key role to play with regards to fighting racism and fascism in the UK today. The LMHR Festival comes at an opportune time to unite the local community and show how we can come together to celebrate our differences, unite in our values and well and truly say no to racism and fascism in our society,” adds Fiona.

What can your students union do to support the festival: Buy a ticket. Tickets are still on sale for the festival and are available from Stoke City FC stadium box office, 0871 663 2007. You can also buy them online

Get your students involved

Encourage your societies and clubs to block book tickets. It's a great day out, and could be a great reward for any volunteers helping in the Euro elections campaign Volunteer to become a steward and join the NEC in helping out at the festival during the day. Email Susan Nash if you'd like to take part

If you can't make the festival, you can still help out simply by promoting the event on your students union website, Sub TV and facebook.

Run a LMHR event in your students’ union

Many students' unions have put on LMHR events in their unions and local areas to raise money for LMHR.

Recently in Glasgow BNP activists have been attempting paper-sales and electioneering in the city centre, in the run up to June's MEP elections. As a response to this, the LMHR group put on a small launch gig in the city centre," explains Euphemia Matheson, NUS NEC elect.

"Six local bands played on the night; Punch & The Apostles, The Low Miffs, Monica Queen, Poverty Scum, Dean Queasy, and Dip Dap. The music ranged from 70s-style raw punk to haunting electronica to gypsy-inspired vaudevilian punk. A good crowd attended on the night, with people clearly there for the politics as much as the music. A stall of LMHR campaign materials at the back, staffed by activists, provided the means for people to become further involved with the campaign, while compere and renound Scottish actor Tam Dean Burn brilliantly cemented a political message into the event.

"The gig was a great launch-pad for LMHR in Scotland, and the names and numbers gathered on the night will facilitate a bigger and better gig the next time around."

If you want to put on an event the organisers of the festival can help you. LMHR can help you set up your event, find you performers and help publicise it for you. The Organisers Guide has all the information you need to get your event off the ground.

More information:

• Love Music Hate Racism
• Social Policy briefing

Election resources

Added on 05/05/2009

On the 27 April NUS held a training session to help students and students' unions plan and receive resources and information about the European elections campaign. It was a successful event, with participants sharing great ideas on what they could do on their campus and in their community to get students voting on the 4 June.

Action is already underway with lots of activities planned up and down the country, if you have something planned don't forget to let us know.

Following that event NUS has produced a briefing to assist you in your activities, helping you identify what resources can be used by students' unions, and what can only be used by students involved in the campaign. Please circulate this to any students who are assisting in the elections campaign on your campus.

You can also download information about the various European election tours that are set up by several organisations in the run up to the elections.

Check out whether there is aHope Not Hate, UAF or LMHR event on near you.

More resources will be circulated shortly as and when they become available to us, but please do not hesitate to get in touch should you require any further advice, or if you would like support running activities on your campus.

European Elections Campaign Training

Added on 07/04/2009

Annual Conference mandated NUS to hold an event to help get the student vote out. The importance of the elections was an unofficial theme through the event with fraternal greetings from Matthew Collins an anti-racist campaigner and ex member of the BNP, as well as a Unite Against Fascism fringe event and a permanent presence maintained with a stall on the issue.

Below you can hear what the NUS President, Wes Streeting thinks about this issue.

NUS is an organisation which represents all students. We believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to participate fully in a society that celebrates diversity. If you agree with this sign up to stop the BNP.

We are also hosting a free one day event in Manchester, Monday 27 April to help you get the vote out in your area. In some place the BNP only needs a 2% increase in the vote it recieves that is why it is imperative that we get the vote out. Register and find out more about this event.

Resources to help you get out the vote.