Earth Day is a global event which takes place annually on the 22nd April since 1970! The theme of 2023 is ‘invest in our planet.’

The three key research themes of QUADRAT are: biodiversity, earth systems and environmental management, so we are lucky that the whole team is already passionate about environmental issues. So, what are we, QUADRAT, doing to help?

We have an obligation to look at this both from an individual point of view, but also as the DTP as a whole. We are always looking for new ways to minimise and offset our carbon footprint – we have already taken the following steps:

  • All catering is entirely vegan and vegetarian;
  • We do not use single use plastics – biodegradable veg-ware bowls/plates/cups and wooden cutlery is what we use if it is absolutely necessary;
  • We provide students and supervisors with a re-useable water bottle, a bamboo travel mug and a tote bag at induction, and ask that these are brought to events and meetings to minimise waste;
  • We encourage our students and supervisors to travel in as environmentally friendly a way as possible (particularly avoiding planes where applicable);
  • Delivering training through the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging but it taught us a lot. We were able to adapt training and discover what worked well online, and as a result we have reduced the amount of travel students need to do between Belfast and Aberdeen, for core training. This has reduced our carbon footprint without the training programme suffering. We are continuing with these modifications.
  • We host our Annual Science Meeting at sustainable venues – the P&J Live in Aberdeen is currently the most sustainable venue of it’s type in the UK, it even produces it’s own energy using waste from around the city of Aberdeen!
  • We avoid producing paper-handouts and instead send all our event and training resources electronically;
  • We encourage our students to get involved with tree planting projects, beach cleans, and any other local environmental initiatives in their local areas;

Find out all about EARTH DAY and what YOU can do to help here: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2023/ there are lots of ways to get involved!

Got any suggestions for us? Let us know by emailing quadrat@abdn.ac.uk!