Keeping out the Cold... Low Carbon Style

I'm not sure about you, but we've decided its blooming freezing outside at the moment!! And word is its not going to get any warming over the next couple of weeks and months. Therefore we thought we'd ask around for some suggestions on how to stay warm, while not generating lots of carbon and spending lots more money! Here are some of my favourite suggestions:

1. Crack out the Knitting

This idea was send to us by Brighton and Hove Living Wage Campaign via Twitter (@BHLivingWage). They suggest making like your Nan and knitting is a great way to warm your fingers, but the more you do the more your create adding nice warm layers for you to wear!

2. Join in with some Sports!

Here at the University of Brighton there are many different sports programs and activities that don't break the bank but will keep you nice and warm. SportBrighton offer many courses on all campuses so well worth checking out some of the choices on offer!

3. Snuggle Up
Bit of a favourite of mine :) getting close to someone else is always a good way to keep warm. But as highlighted on our Facebook page, it doesn't need to be someone it could just as easily be a pet that you snuggle up to and stay warm.

4. Cook a Warm Feast
Another suggestion via Facebook. At this time of year a warm meal can do wonders for keeping you warm and fuzzy on the inside! A hot drink will do you great wonders as well! Just remember when cooking or making hot drinks to limit the amount of carbon used while making food and drink. This simple guide will help.

5. The Classic "Put another Layer on!"
Its a classic for a reason.... It works. When your feeling a little bit chilly rather than cranking up the heating try putting an extra layer on to combat the cold!

There we have it some great suggestions for keeping warm and still lowering the impact on the planet!!

c-change has arrived and is here to stay!!

Over the past two weeks the c-change campaign has been out and about on all campuses of the University of Brighton. At the 9 different events, 'c-change champions' met and had positive conversations with over 1000 members of staff and students about the c-change campaign, the importance of reducing our carbon emissions and the target of 50% in five years.

So having been at all the events I wanted to take a moment to reflect upon some of my favorite moments through a series of pictures and if you were not able to attend show you how amazing the event were!!!

Our first person who braved the bike smoothie maker at our first launch event in Hastings!!

Closely followed by our first winner of a t-shirt (clearly saying 'turn off'!!)

'Play Your Carbon Right' Proved popular in teams as well as individuals

 All sorts of Staff got involved form all areas of the University!!

 Along with a lot of Students!!

Concentration was required at all times!!

But mainly fun was on the cards for all...

 This is just the beginning for the c-change campaign so keep your eyes peeled for more information about how to get involved as the campaign moves forward. Finally a huge THANK YOU to all who came along to the launch events and made them as much of a success as they were.

If you would like to see more photos from the events we have lots more on our facebook page

How Much?.... Some Simple Tips to Help you Reduce your Energy Bills

It's that time of year where we all start thinking about turning up the heating and snuggling down with some warm food and a hot drink, and why not!! Well one worry for a lot of people is the additional cost of heating and electricity use. Never fear we are here to offer some suggestions about how to keep your energy bills down throughout the year saving you money!

1. Layer up

As its starting to get cold here's one to think about right now. As the temperature drops think about whether you need to turn the heating up or could you stick on an extra layer? Also look into how your heating is set up, British Gas offer some great advice on areas like having heating on a timer, keeping radiators clear and lots of other areas.

Also if you're in rented accommodation speak with your landlord about other technical fixes that might both help you save money and increase the value of the property, such as replacing boilers that are more than 15 years old! There may even be grants available.

2. Put a lid on it!

This suggestion seems very simple, but it really does work. When heating liquid, whether it be for cooking or making a warm drink, make sure the lid of the pan or kettle is securely in place. It is estimated that by doing this it can cut both cooking time and energy usage by as much as 75%! (Attainable Sustainable

However this is not the only way to save energy in the kitchen. Energy Rethinking offers another 10 ways to reduce carbon produced in the kitchen which in turn will save you money!!


3. Unplug unneeded items

Even when something is plugged in and turned off it is still using energy! It is using even more if it is left in and turn on!!! One of the worst culprits of this is the games console. Practically Green highlights that all households appliances use energy when not in use. Therefore if you don't use something regularly, such as games consoles, constantly charging laptops and phone chargers just unplug them!

4. Try out Blackle!

This last idea is just to show something fun. Blackle is a google run search engine that has a low light imagery so as to save energy on your laptop, tablet or computer. It works exactly the same as google but saves energy!!

Hopefully through this list and the links included, you have found one or two things you would be able to do around you house to help reduce your bills but also save some carbon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

c-change is here....

Hello and welcome to the first blog of the University of Brighton's new and exciting c-change campaign. This first blog will be an introduction to what c-change is and how you can be more involved if you fancy it!!

What is c-change?

Simply put c-change is a campaign to help the university reach its ambitious carbon reduction goal of 50% in five years. c-change is about informing and empowering staff, students and visitors to the university to make the decision to reduce carbon emissions wherever possible. c-change will be backed up by other technical developments around the university that will also help to reduce carbon emissions.

c-change will inform the university community about different activities that are carbon intensive and suggest small actions that individuals can take to reduce these impacts. These actions may be as small as ensuring that all lights and computers are switched off when leaving the office at the end of the day, or if possible taking the stairs rather than jumping in the lift.


Where will c-change be happening?

Everywhere! c-change will be happening on all campuses across the university and in the halls of residence. We will be on campus as much as possible starting with our launch events, in information for which can be found on our website

c-change is also online. There is the website under the sustainability pages on the University of Brighton website. You can follow c-change on twitter by following @_cchange_ and on Facebook through the page University of Brighton c-change Campaign

Can you get involved?

Of course you can!! First up we have the launch events that everyone can get involved with. These events offer an opportunity to come and find out more about the campaign and also see who is behind it. You can also get involved by joining in the conversation online.

Later in the campaign c-change will establish a champion scheme for both staff and students to get involved with so keep your eyes peeled!

So in a nutshell, that is what c-change is and what it hopes to achieve. We hope to see you at one of our many launch events starting on the 5th November in sunny Hastings!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad