ENVIRONMENT UWTSD SOCIETY
HELLO!
Hello! And welcome to a new year of volunteering and joy and absolutely no serious injuries at all! The TSD Environment Society is a young society, but we have a very friendly and close-knit membership, and are very active. Our primary activity is volunteering in various environmental conservation projects around South West Wales, and talk of our secondary activity being to drain half the pubs in West Wales is lies and propaganda. Last year, we racked up over 304 volunteering hours between members! We lost count of our drinking hours somehow. We also have a boring official charter, look, these are our aims: »» To raise the profile of the society »» To arrange many and varied volunteering opportunities, talks, and training days; these will develop not only your conservation skills, but also teaching and social skills, and give you experience with community projects »» To establish a Volunteering Certificate, which will aid anyone wanting a career in conservation »» To run charity events to raise money for various environmental charities »» To raise awareness of environmental issues among the student population »» To graduate and not die alone We were offered this magazine just after Elanor had seized power in a vicious and bloody coup and called herself Lady President, Queen of All, and we felt it would be a good way to explain to everyone what the New and Glorious Regime is about (it bears an uncanny resemblance to the Old Regime, if we’re honest, but with more, um, Elanor.) So, within these pages, you will find explanations of what exactly we do, possibly why we do it, and, potentially, how to get rid of us. Most importantly, though, we hope you’ll get a sense of just how much fun we have, and will want to sign your soul over to join us. If you do think we look like the sorts of Wrong ‘Uns you’d like to spend more of your university time with, you can join at any time! No complex demonic rituals required: simply send a message to us at www.facebook. com/TSDSwanseaconservationsociety. We won’t even consider it a binding contract or steal your money. We’re that friendly. If you are reading this from Lampeter or Carmarthen, incidentally, there is an extra dose of excitement for you! In these exciting post-merger times, the Environment Society is looking to expand into your territory, and we’d like you to be a part of it. Do you fancy running your campus branch of the Society? Join today to learn the secret handshake!
BIOGRAPHY President Elanor is an enthusiastic megalomaniac who possibly loves trees more than people, although this is unconfirmed. She studies part time at TSD and so has been here for so long that she may just be haunting the buildings by now. In addition to the Society Presidency, she is a volunteer warden in Kilvey Community Woodlands, is the Green Impact intern for the Students’ Union, and has a party trick where she can shake her eyes back and forth like some sort of lizard, it’s really disgusting. Lady President
Vice President Chris was President last year, but voluntarily stepped down for this year and certainly was not deposed by Elanor in any way. His area of expertise is reptiles and amphibians, and he boasts the impressive ability to pick up frogs with his bare hands without them either getting injured or leaping out and hitting someone else in the eye. He is also co-founder of the charity Stepping Stones Uganda, is the Sustainability Exchange intern for Swansea, and he owns a taxi. Very competitive rates. 10/10 would recommend. Grand Vizier
Sustainability Officer Chris likes trees and that is not at all how he got a role in Elanor’s cabinet. Only unkind people say that. His job is part student liaison (to gauge what you guys and others want out of volunteering/ environmental issues/etc at this uni) and part project officer; if you want to know whom to nag about our poor performance, Chris is your man. He’s interested in incorporating sustainability into the construction industry, likes surfing, and sometimes turns up on time to things. Captain Planet
Treasurer
Grand High Lord of the Treasure
As you can see, Luke is terrifying, but be assured that he has absolutely no outstanding murder convictions, and the old lady last year saw the funny side eventually. Luke enjoys bringing his own tools to volunteering which he keeps in truly excellent condition, and also sometimes brings his own home-brewed mead to events. He loves nature for its own sake and likes to wield swords and other weaponry in it in re-enactments of old battles. He also likes free t-shirts, and considers food waste to be a crime that perpetrators should hang for.
Social Secretaries We are delighted to announce that for the second year in a row, Lizzie drafted Summer without her knowledge or consent in a behind-closed-doors conversation, and now the dream team are back and ready to make us all drink our own body weight in alcohol once more! Hooray! When not embarking on a healthy programme of conscription, Lizzie has an interest in the environmental impact of the armed forces. When not working off indentured servitude, Summer has interests in environmental fashion and waste management. Ministry of Fun
Secretary
Keeper of the Books
Lee combines the enthusiasm of a motivated puppy on acid with the righteous rage of the Witchfinder General in Hogwarts, and compresses it all down tiny into a person with the dimensions of the average pixie. You know when you shake a coke can for three hours and it becomes a grenade in potentia? That’s Lee. In addition to Crusading For Justice, Lee likes freshwater environments and coastal science, co-founding charities (Stepping Stones Uganda again), and relaxing days out with her son so as to spare her blood pressure. She’s also the Fairtrade intern on Swansea campus, and a regular volunteer at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Llanelli.
ONGOING PROJECTS So! In addition to all of the off-the-cuff and last-minute stuff we’ll be doing over the coming year, we have actually managed to be useful enough to have several ongoing projects that we’ll be continuing with. And here are a handful you can look forward to!
Bee Walk Starting in March, the Bee Walk is an event wherein we pick a 1km stretch of land and, um, walk it while looking for bees. Fairly selfexplanatory. This is so we can monitor which bee species and how many are turning up in Swansea. We will then repeat the walk once a month until September. This is a particularly fun event because we sort of have to aim for the best weather possible for best results, so you know. No tramping in the rain! Wins!
Wardening at the National Botanic Garden of Wales We’ll be aiming to do this at least once a month, but hopefully once a fortnight. This is where we go on a lovely walk through a lovely wood and just stop to do some work if we see any that needs doing, and therefore mostly it really is just a lovely walk through a lovely wood. Lovely.
Porpoise Watching Harbour porpoise are in decline in Swansea Bay, and there’s a good chance we’ll be getting a lagoon there soon. How will this affect them? Well, er, we have no idea. So step in EnviroSock! We will periodically go and sit on cliffs and try to spot dorsal fins that are frequently smaller than the surrounding waves. Pub after, we promise.
Biodiversity Garden This is a small patch of land on Mount Pleasant campus that we aim to turn into a biodiversity garden for attracting bees and butterflies and the like. Help us! HELP US.
“It was once said that Swansea was named after this small mammal (Swine sea). They were affectionately known as puffing pigs and Swansea Bay was reputedly full of them. Sadly their numbers are declining but research such as that carried out by UWTSD staff and students helps build a clearer picture of the health of our seas” Dr Rhian Jenkins, School of Architecture, Built & Natural Environments
Pond Creation This is work we will be doing this winter with ARC, to create habitat for Great Crested Newts. These newts are not doing so well in terms of, you know, existing, so they very much need the ponds. We shall kindly oblige.
INTERVIEW SAMMY-JO PENGELLY BSc Environmental Conservation Graduate
What job do you do?
How did you get the job?
I’m a Learning Assistant at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre in Llanelli. I take community groups such as schools, Brownies groups and the like, and I teach them the importance of wildlife and the environment. I also help run activity days at the Centre.
Mostly through volunteering at the WWC. I got a degree in Environmental Conservation, which has obviously been invaluable, but I volunteered there throughout my degree and so when the job came up, I was in a very strong position to get it; they knew I already had the experience necessary!
Best bits? The questions the kids ask! Some of them get really into it; I had Year 3 children the other day asking me about pollution, and really wanting to know the facts. You really feel like you’re making a difference.
Worst bits? Awkward customers. But you get those everywhere.
What do you reckon is the most important part of a volunteering survival kit? Less a piece of equipment and more a behaviour: go and do it often. Especially if you know what field you want to go into. And don’t forget the additional skills that you’ll need – volunteering to do brush clearance is great, but your job will almost certainly involve working with the public. Watch how other people interact with the public, and learn those skills.
INSPIRE INTERNSHIPS Many of you, of course, are reading this magazine and in this university and only bothering to hang around with us in the hopes of getting a job in the environment sector. Quite right, too. We’re absolute buffoons. We wouldn’t hang around with us either if we didn’t want something out of it. So to that end, let us tell you about INSPIRE internships! INSPIRE is a directorate of TSD that works to promote and embed sustainability and other environmental issues into the framework of the university. Every year, they offer paid internships in three categories: Fairtrade, in which you promote Fairtrade products and ethics! Sustainability Exchange, in which you promote the exchange of ideas about sustainability!
Green Impact, in which you… okay, this one’s less selfexplanatory – officially in which you follow a third party set of guidelines to try to make the Students Union more environmentally friendly. In practice, in which you end up wandering around your Students Union doing things like counting lightswitches and trying to put stickers on people’s bins. Yay! Each of the three campuses has its own set of three interns, one for each area. And this, dear student, is where you come in! The internships are annual, and this year places are still available in Lampeter and Carmarthen! You could do this thing! This thing could be yours! Imagine the possibilities!
INTERVIEW AARON DAVIES BSc Environmental Conservation Graduate
What job do you do? I’m an Ecological Consultant for Jacobs, a global engineering consultancy company. I carry out site assessments and investigations, which companies can then use to compile their Environmental Impact Assessments.
Best bits? Definitely working out in nature, seeing all the wildlife.
Worst bits? Dawn bat surveys, if they’re rubbish! If they’re good it’s not so bad. Also, sometimes I’m working on the side of the M4, surveying land completely overgrown with brambles. My arms are currently scrammed to hell.
How did you get the job? I did an undergrad degree in Environmental Conservation, and then a funded Masters in
Environmental Conservation and Management. As part of that I had a work placement, which led to further jobs doing woodland surveys; I also did cetacean surveys with Sea Trust in West Wales (they put you on the ferries over to Ireland, and you survey from those.) And I spent three months in a voluntary placement on Skomer! But the focus on surveying was the important part.
What do you reckon is the most important part of a volunteering survival kit? Insect repellent! Especially when you’re doing bat surveys, and therefore standing in one place for hours while the midges descend. The bats can’t eat them all! Also, if you can get one, a weather writer is useful, but not essential.
LAST YEARS EVENTS
We honestly wouldn’t be able to list everything we did last year, as there was just so much of it, but nonetheless we’re going to give it the old college try:
Kilvey We did several projects with the Kilvey Community Woodland Volunteers last year, which ranged from simple brush-and-bramble clearance to cleaning up a small quarry for future use in community events. We also did our annual Christmas Tree Clearance, which is particularly productive (and kind on student finances); pine trees need removing from the hill annually to allow broadleaves to grow through, and so anyone can take home a Christmas tree afterwards free of charge. We did, however, fit a small snag at the end when we tried to fit three humans and six trees into one small Toyota Yaris, but that’s what sunroofs were invented for, and we all survived.
ARC When the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation people (ARC) were given a small patch of woodland on the Gower to create a habitat for newts, we jumped at the chance to help them construct a hibernaculum out of wood and mud, and also to get in the way of the diggers trying to create a pond.
Llyn Llech Owain Llyn Llech Owain is an acid peat bog near Cross Hands in Carmarthenshire that may or may not have
been accidentally made by faeries and some utter tool called Owain (or so local legend suggests). The wardens invited us up there this year to help them clear pine regeneration away from the lake and bog, and our old friends ARC also came to drag all the wood into windrows for lizards and such. After a few tries we became a slickly efficient machine, an image only slightly ruined by Elanor nearly amputating her own thumb on a rope and Chris R accidentally getting in the way of almost every single thrown tree, although suggestions that this was intentional persecution are unfounded and unkind.
St Madoc’s Centre The St Madoc’s Centre on the Gower wanted to get pigs in as an educational tool for their school groups, and so we were called in to help them erect a fence to contain said pigs. Did you know that the bedrock on the Gower is higher than the base of a suitable strainer post to hold a pig? We do now!
Swansea Council This spring, Swansea Council cut us a deal that they would supply us with tools of our very own in exchange for some volunteering days helping them work on the sand dunes of Swansea Bay, which took a battering from the storms last winter. We therefore aided and abetted a careful system of fencing and marram grass planting to help stabilise and rebuild many of the dunes, and now we own our own bill hooks! Dreams really do come true.
Down to Earth We tried our hand at timber frame construction this year when we teamed up with the Down To Earth Project to build the Oracle (Outdoor Research and Community Learning Environment) building in Swansea University’s Botanic Gardens. It was built out of cob, wood and other environmentally friendly materials, and although it is an ongoing project, we helped build the support columns! Well done us! If you hear about the whole thing falling down in the next few months, it was Chris.
National Botanic Garden of Wales We have an ongoing agreement with the National Botanic Garden of Wales in which we be wardens for a section of woodland on their land in exchange for sweets. This has involved walking the paths once a month to catch and fix any problems we find, such as clearing mud off steps, rescuing paths and picnic tables from brambles, and on one memorable occasion, clearing a blockage in the river without getting swept away.
Society Talk In addition to hands-on volunteering, we also arranged a few talks this year from various professionals in the field who could talk to us about various different avenues of volunteering/employment. This ranged from the university’s own Sustainability Officers to Andy Price, presenter on ITV’s Coast and Country and owner of Dryad Bushcraft, who showed us his knives and told us that he lives for the day the zombie apocalypse happens.
SURVIVAL KIT The Official EnviroSock Volunteering Survival Kit Or: what on earth do I take with me to survive this experience?
Well, fear not! We’ve racked up huge numbers of volunteering hours over the years, and while everyone has their own preferences (and, indeed, while the type of volunteering you’re going to be doing will strongly affect the equipment you need), there are certain items that are invaluable on any volunteering expedition. Reap the benefits of our experience!
1. Two Bin Bags Yes, a strange one to start with, but hear us out. Bin liners weigh nothing and can be folded down until they also take up no space. This makes them the perfect addition to your volunteering kit for when the weather suddenly turns halfway through the day, leaving you stranded on an isolated shoreline in horizontal rain wearing little more than a thin t-shirt and a pair of shorts; as the rain begins, you punch arm and head holes in one bin liner and wear it, and put your bag into the other. Ta da! Instant weather protection. And they didn’t weigh you down.
2. Clothes Obviously, you’ll already be wearing at least some clothes, since even if you’re a hardened naturist it’s in no way recommended to try brush clearance without any layer of protection between the thorns and what your mother gave you. No; this is a recommendation for an extra layer. As with the bin bags, weight and size are key – what you want is just an extra thin t-shirt (thermal if it’s winter) and clean socks and underwear. The reasons for this are many, but may be narrowed down to: In cold or windy weather you’ll be glad of the extra layer, and Eventually you are definitely going to fall in a river or some such, and at that point you will be prepared to bless the dry clothes you brought.
3. Bug Spray
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TRUST US YOU WILL WANT TO MARRY YOUR BUG SPRAY. Not so vital between November and February, but at all other times of year, bug spray is the most vital item in your kit. Especially if you’re working near water, or doing bat surveys. TRUST US.
4. Footwear
5. Gloves
The inevitable choice: wellies or work boots! Unless you’re sensible and take both, you’ll have to choose. But remember: if you do go for wellies, they get cold easily. Put cardboard insoles in them for insulation, and invest in welly socks. Your toes will thank you
A good pair of gardening gloves that suit you are invaluable. And by ‘suit you’, we mean suit your hands and are comfortable. Not bring out the colour of your eyes.
6. Water Take lunch as well, but a good water bottle is worth its weight in gold. If you’re doing anything active it’s thirsty work, and nothing is as torturous as being thirsty next to a river.
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INTERVIEW STUART ANDREAS BSc Environmental Conservation Graduate
What job do you do? I’m an Environmental Monitoring Officer with Natural Resources Wales. At the minute I’m working in electrofishing to survey rivers for salmonid fish like salmon and trout; that’s where we electrocute the fish to stun them, survey and monitor them, and then release them unharmed.
Best bits? Working out and about outside of an office! And the scenery can be incredible.
Worst bits? Wearing waders in hot weather. It’s horrific. Also, the nature of the work means sometimes you have to be up really, really early.
How did you get the job? I needed a degree in something relevantly scientific or environmental, so I went for Environmental
Conservation. I also wrote to several companies directly to ask for voluntary work, and that was how I came to do electrofishing with Cardiff University. I also worked at an animal sanctuary in Holland for a bit, and I’m a member of an angling club. Not every bit of volunteering needs to be 100%, but if you know what you want, specify.
What do you reckon is the most important part of a volunteering survival kit? Bug spray! Definitely. Especially if you work near water.
GO GREEN WEEK Go Green Week is a week-long event held annually in UWTSD to encourage staff and students to think and act more sustainably, in the hopes that this behaviour will then spill over to the rest of the year that is not Go Green Week. In fact, UWTSD is not alone in this; Go Green Week is really a National Sustainability Initiative run by People and Planet, and as such is the largest student-led environmental event in the UK with universities across the country taking part. The events held within the week, however, vary between institutions.
Go Green Week 2014 saw UWTSD embracing the joys of alliteration: Meat Free Monday
Vegetarian foods other than goat’s cheese and a bowl of tomatoes was offered in every canteen across all three campuses, and Food 4 Life gave out free vegan food in Townhill.
Monday, 9th February
Film Screening of Making the Connection! This short film can delight and inform about how a plant-based diet can affect body, soul and environment.
Tuesday, 10th February
Recycled Fashion Shoot! Watch the Art and Design students show off their rubbish clothes. By which we mean, their clothes that are upcycled from rubbish. We’re not just being mean. They’re really very good clothes. Vegetables Everywhere! The canteens will offer only vegetarian options – plus one fish option – all day. Good news for cows.
Wednesday, 11th February
Car shares abounded! Hooray for cheaper petrol!
Beach Clean! In conjunction with everyone’s favourite society, the Environment Society. Litter pickers provided, fear not. Potato Evening and Seed Swap! Who doesn’t love potatoes? Swap your seeds with other gardeners for diversified vegetable joy.
Waste-not Wednesday
Thursday, 12th February
Travel Light Tuesday
“Rubbish Art” was held, a competition that saw artists competing for our love (and exhibiting space) by creating artwork out of items normally thrown away. Also there was a litter pick on the beach but the art was more interesting.
Switch-Off Thursday
The day that broke the nice alliteration we’d had going on. Unions across the campuses held events mimicking TV entertainment shows, so that we wouldn’t just go home and watch them on telly.
Fossil Free Friday
A free event was held in Swansea for speakers from The Swansea Tidal Lagoon Project and Low Carbon Swansea to come and discuss their ongoing plans to make us a really big swimming pool in the Bay and lower our electrical consumption. Or something.
Go Green Week 2015 is now shaping up to be even bigger, albeit less alliterative, with the following events planned for Swansea: Sunday, 8th February
Pre-Loved Popup Fair, for all your second-hand, vintage needs! Birdwatching, for all your watching birds needs!
Swansea Community Farm Volunteer Day! Come and play with the animals! And while you’re there, make yourself useful.
Friday, 13th February
The Green Fayre! Come one, come all, to the UWTSD Green Fayre! Run jointly by the Environment Society, INSPIRE, and UWTSD Swansea Students’ Union, and held in Dynevor Campus (i.e. the one you don’t have to walk uphill for), students can swap (or cheaply buy) clothes and books, extending the life of these items. Also, arts students will sell their wares, and there will be Fairtrade cake. FAIRTRADE CAKE. You clearly want to come.
Saturday, 14th February
Mumbles Local Produce Market! Buy local, like all the cool kids.
Sunday, 15th February
WWT Reserve Visit with the RSPB. Do you like birds? Do you like wetlands? Then you’ll love this visit! Come and see birds in wetlands! Check out www.facebook.com/uwtsdgogreen for full details.
ARC Partners in Crime – ARC ARC are the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, and they are really very keen on lizards and such. Primarily their work focuses on habitat creation, restoration and maintenance in a bid to improve the lot of amphibians and reptiles everywhere; they own and manage over 80 reserves of their own in Dorset, Cumbria, Surrey, Hampshire and Norfolk, each of which contains a significant reptile or amphibian population, but they also do work in other areas on specific projects. In addition to their habitat work, they investigate threats (diseases, climate change, etc) and propose solutions (lizard NHS, global social change, etc). This often means education and awareness work, and political lobbying and advocacy. So why do they bother? Well, because many species of amphibian and reptile are struggling in the face of widespread habitat loss and other pressures, with many slipping onto endangered lists. Consider, for example, the Great Crested Newt. Once they were plentiful, but now we’ve built everywhere and they have become as elusive as unicorns. One of the bigger projects the Society is involved with in conjunction with ARC is to create ponds for the newts, to allow them to live.
Over the last year, the Environment Society has worked with ARC on different projects, though a common theme is piling wood up in lines. They claim this is habitat creation. We have decided to trust them, however much it seems to merely be some sort of character-building manual labour.
INTERVIEW
BEN RISEBOROUGH
BSc Environmental Conservation Graduate
What job do you do?
How did you get your job?
I work for Neath Port Talbot Council as a Rural Research and Development Project Officer, and am part of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) team. The RDP is a source of European funding which is aimed at improving the quality of life of rural communities. My main duty is to manage my own community consultation based project, the main aim of which is to gather the opinions of rural residents in order to help my team plan for the next round of RDP funding, due to start in 2015. The job requires me to report my findings back to the team and help to write the council’s Local Development Strategy, which sets out the priorities of how RDP funding will be spent.
I first saw the job advertised on the ‘Go Wales’ website and it was initially a 3 month work placement opportunity. I was called to an interview, along with 10 others and I was lucky enough to get chosen. After the initial 3 month placement I was offered a permanent contract and was more than happy to accept! An essential requirement in the job application was the need for a relevant degree, and my B.Sc. in Environmental Conservation ticked all the boxes. The course gave me a thorough understanding of the issues facing rural communities in Wales, and the factors that need to be addressed if they are to develop sustainably. So I would definitely recommend studying Environmental Conservation as it has given me a wide range of knowledge which has helped me to find a good job, and all 3 years of the course were really good fun!
Best bits? One of the great things about the job is the variety of the role, as each day is different to the last. Some days I will be out of the office, driving the council’s brand new cars, and meeting various community members across the county borough; other days I will be in the office typing up my results. But, without doubt, the best part of the job is knowing that I am playing a big role in improving the quality of life of the rural communities in Neath Port Talbot.
Worst bits? The only downside is that I occasionally have to work on weekends. But a great part of working for the council is that you get an extra day and a half annual leave for every weekend day you work!
What do you reckon is the most important part of a volunteering survival kit? I think a good rain jacket is an absolute must when volunteering – especially in Swansea!
KILVEY HILL Pick a fine day and stand on Swansea Beach, looking east. What do you see? No, not Port Talbot. Stop looking horrified. It’s actually nicer than it looks, you know. Be polite. I meant the hill with the phone mast on it. That’s Kilvey Hill! And on it is Kilvey Community Woodlands. Back in the Past, at the height of Swansea’s metalworking dominance of the Industrial Revolution, Kilvey Hill was used as a dump site for hot copper slag from the nearby Hafod and Morfa Copperworks. Unsurprisingly, this basically slaughtered every living thing on the hill and in a few miles’ radius, except, for some reason, potatoes. This is honestly true. Fast forward a few decades and we come to the Swinging Sixties, a decade of music, moon landings and, in Swansea, a decision to try to convert Kilvey Hill from the sort of eyesore that made people wonder if they’d found Tolkein’s inspiration for Mordor into a pretty piece of countryside such as one might wish to picnic on, and maybe even with something other than potatoes. The hill was sown with grass seed, which promptly failed. All the seed just fell off. So in the end, out of desperation, the local authority coated the seed with glue and spread them on again. This is also honestly true. Anyway, then some people with a Much Better Idea came along as part of the Lower Swansea Valley Project, and
got hold of a metric shedload of saplings. They invited locals, and community groups such as schools and churches and WI meetings, to all come up the hill and plant the trees in, with the aim of creating a woodland that would be planted, owned and maintained by the local community. Not only did this work much better than glued on grass seed, in addition to creating a woodland this paved the way for heathland to develop on parts of the hill, a habitat that is very rare with this proximity to the sea and an urban centre. Today, multiple rare species can be found on the site, and Kilvey Community Woodland is still managed by a local group of volunteers who use it to hold community events. The Environment Society has worked closely with the KCWV over the last year, helping them to renovate a small quarry to hold community barbecues, manage the spread of trees to maintain sections of the important heathland (though admittedly Elanor sulked about this), and check the conifer regeneration so that broadleaved species can grow through and eventually colonise the site. This latter task is particularly fun, since it means everyone gets free Christmas trees at the end, and not even by stealing them. The opportunity also exists to join KCWV’s committee, which is superb experience for anyone wanting to work in a community-based field and also they meet in a pub. In case that helps.
STEPPING STONES UGANDA In 2013, a group of enterprising young types studying Environmental Conservation at TSD – mostly the Two Richards, Pulman and Woolley - took it into their heads to set up a charity in Uganda, as one does. Ugandan society is very male-dominated in many areas, and when combined with high levels of poverty in the slums, this has led to many women and girls having all the skillsets they need to get themselves out of poverty – but none of the opportunities to do so. Additionally, in rural areas the main source of income is from farming, making agriculture a vital industry. So step in Stepping Stones Uganda! The charity has two main areas of work:
1. Microfinance. In groups of ten, women in the slums
are given UGX 400,000 (£100) each, which allows them to start up their own business selling anything they want, from local crafts to smoked fish. Their loan repayments are cycled back into the charity, ready to be given to the next group. But ah, we hear you cry! Isn’t this just the latest example of some westerners going into a culture and trying to change it to be more palatable to them, while making the very people they claim to be helping more dependent on external support? Well, that’s a very socially-conscious question, dear reader, but no. Let us explain. Firstly, the issue of gender inequality is one that the Ugandan government themselves recognise as a major problem and are trying to rectify; the Uganda Participatory Poverty Assessment in 1998/1999 recognised that gender inequality was a major cause of poverty in the country, and the National Action Plan for Women was implemented in 1999 to attempt to tackle five key areas of female inequality. And secondly, other than providing the very low-cost start-up loans, the charity does not actively participate in trying to run the women’s businesses. The first ten women to receive loans have formed a committee between them, and are now training the next ten. This means western interference starts and ends with the initial no-strings capitol. The rest is Ugandan women and girls empowering themselves and each other.
2. Sustainable agriculture. Globally, farming has evolved to a point where the practices have given the industry a half-life as lands degrade, and this is particularly dangerous in poverty-stricken regions that rely on it for income; such as Uganda. To add a bonus extra level of difficulty, one of the biggest barriers to commercial farming for many Ugandans is the ability to get produce to market.
So, the charity owns several acres of land, which they divide up and loan (free of charge) to women to farm sustainably; the aim is to join forces with other NGOs to form a community farming network, that will thus allow produce to be transported to market. Eventually – and by ‘eventually’ we mean ‘in the next two years’ – the aim is to build a school that will give out scholarships in sustainable agriculture, which again, will allow Ugandans to teach each other these skills. Volunteering opportunities are plentiful and bounteous, therefore, and form many different roles; everything from teaching basic IT skills and the like to women and children, to actually working on the lands themselves, to fundraising and social media work. The current project is to raise enough funds to establish a fully sustainable demonstration farm, in order to prove that it can actually be done and isn’t all some massive practical joke on the part of the Two Richards. To learn more and see more pictures and hopefully donate, go to www.steppingstones-uganda.org.
SUSTAINABLE STUDENT LIVING TIPS We know how hard it is to make ends meet when you are a student and don’t have oil barons for parents; we also know how hard it is to keep your carbon footprint low when your diet is slowly devolving to a stream of voucher-paid fast food. But fear not! Chris knows all about sustainability because that’s what he’s paid for, so here are his handy tips to help you save money AND the planet.
In your Room • Make a habit of turning off your computer and other
Miscellaneous • Share, donate or sell any surplus items you no longer
• Use natural light during the day • Replace normal lighting with energy efficient
• Shop locally; Swansea market provides a variety of
electronics when not in use.
alternatives • LED lighting, they last 35-50 times longer than and save over 75% more energy compared to regular bulbs • Use your window sill to grow your own food, such as herbs and peppers
Laundry and Bathroom • Only wash full loads of laundry to save time, effort, energy and water.
• Purchase eco-friendly products such as laundry
detergent; these are available from the Environment Centre, Pier Street, Swansea as refills, which are cheaper than buying a new bottle • Wash your clothes in cold water; try not to go over 40 degrees • Cold water works just as well and increases the longevity of your clothing • Take shorter showers, and don’t keep the tap running while you brush your teeth or shave • You can save up to 2 gallons of water with each minute you take off your shower.
Transportation • Why not reduce your carbon footprint and ride your bike or walk to Uni? This will also help you retain a modicum of fitness. • Save money on public transport and buy an annual bus pass. • And importantly why not share a taxi? It will save you money and will cut emissions in the process
need.
fresh produce which in most cases can be cheaper than the supermarkets. And… they give student discount! • Go to www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for recipes to help you use up old food in your cupboards. This will save you money on your shopping bills.
LAST YEARS EVENTS: SOCIALISING It wasn’t all work last year – much of it was spent in various pubs in various costumes trying to drown out the silence in our lives, and Summer and Lizzie did a marvellous job enabling us to that end.
Hallowe’en
The first social event of the year for us, Hallowe’en was an excellent night out that allowed us to get to know each other while wrestling with malfunctioning costumes and trying to subtly work out if we were talking to the right people under the masks and make up. The dress code was ‘Villains’, and prizes were given out for multiple categories, including Best Treehugger (Elanor), Most Permanently Cold (Nadine), and Worst Timekeeper (Chris R). Additionally, Luke and Elanor had a dance-off that was variously described by onlookers as “Sort of a ska Riverdance, maybe?”, “literally unforgettable, I’ve tried”, and “they must have excellent self-esteem”.
Christmas
Christmas 2013 saw us rocking up to the Cross Keys for a meal, one of our favourite pubs owing to its prices and beer garden and the way none of us are banned for life or even just for the summer or something. Fancy dress was optional, but a Christmassy dress code was essential! There were no speeches. We don’t do that sort of thing. Most unseemly. Then we drank and danced the night away, as it were, and wished a merry Christmas to all.
The EnviroSock Comedy and Karaoke Shindig for Charitable Works
In January we pulled all the stops out and hosted our very own comedy night in Walkabout to satisfy Luke’s hunger for gold. The night was headlined by Dan Mitchell, a finalist on ITV’s Show Me The Funny, who is himself a keen environmentalist and is an active member of the charity Size of Wales. It was a fantastic night that raised over £230, doubling the money in our treasury. It also forged a good bond with the staff of Walkabout, who were absolute gems and maybe won’t hate the idea of us doing it again…?
Student Led Teacher Awards
Yes, okay, technically we didn’t arrange this one, it wasn’t our party, and we were just invited along. But. Whatever. Who’s telling this, you or us? We got free food and sweets and a mug, and then, much to our astonished delight, we won the coveted Society of the Year Award! Success! Sweet, sweet success… We didn’t think we’d won it so when it happened we were so shocked that three of us rushed the stage. So they probably won’t let us back, but eh, what can you do?
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