Creating a more sustainable open day
Sustainability is embedded at the heart of life here at Loughborough so we can create a better environment for those living, working and studying on our campus as well the wider world around us. Our new University Strategy for the coming years has climate change and net zero embedded at its core. It’s a big task but at Loughborough we never shy away from a challenge.
We recognise that big events like the Open Days have an impact on the environment and so we have tried to make some changes to how we do things to help support the University’s commitment to a more sustainable future.
Travelling to the Open Day
There are a number of ways in which you can make travelling to visit us on an open day a little kinder to the environment.
Car share
If you know someone else is also coming along to the same event as you, and you have space in your car, car sharing is a great way to reduce the number of vehicles on the road and can save you some money if everyone chips in for fuel!
Travel in an electric or hybrid car
We have a number of charging points across campus so if you want to use your electric or hybrid vehicle to get to the open day you can charge it up ready for the journey home whilst you attend the event!
Get the train
Trains are a great way of travelling around the country. However, we know train tickets can be expensive so getting a railcard can save you loads of money across all your train travel throughout the year. If you are between 16 and 17 years old you can get a railcard which gives you up to 50% off tickets. We have a free Open Day bus service which runs from Loughborough train station to our campus so you can hop on when you arrive!
What we're doing to be more sustainable
Encouraging reusable cups
We are encouraging everyone at our open days to bring usable hot drinks cups and water bottles with them to the events, including our staff and student ambassadors. Takeaway cups are really difficult to recycle so we are encouraging everyone to bring a reusable one to help us better manage our recycling and waste flows. It’s cheaper for customers to bring their own reusable cups too as all of our campus retail outlets (excluding the Students’ Union Starbucks) offer an exclusive discount to those who bring their own cup!
More veggie and vegan food
Eating less meat can really have a positive impact on the environment. Our catering offering at the Open Days will have more vegetarian and vegan options available to give you more choice in what you chose to eat! Plus, the meat we do use is locally and responsibly sourced. We are committed to the #20percentlessmeat initiative that is being led by public sector caterers right across the UK. Our chefs, where possible, replace 20% of the meat in a recipe with tasty alternatives such as mushrooms, lentils, beans and vegetables.
Reducing our printing and giveaway
We are reviewing how much printing we order for the events and will be looking to order less physical copies of things like the Open Day Guide. We will also have digital copies of the Open Day Guide for guests who would prefer that to a printed version.