Driving behaviour change in students
Over 1,650 students engaged across 4 sites.
11 students trained as campaign volunteers.
500 participants involved in masterclasses.
1,000+ involved in climate competition
In 2021, UPP established a new and exciting partnership with Students Organising for Sustainability UK to identify ways in which UPP could support students in thinking and acting in a more sustainable manner.
The partnership focused specifically on how we could help change simple behaviours to have a meaningful impact. This led to UPP participating in the wider Student Switch Off campaign, a UK-wide initiative seeking to educate students on how to be more sustainable with a specific focus on the reduction of energy usage. Working in partnership with four of our university partners and promoted utilising our own Home at Halls programme, UPP piloted the campaign, achieving exceptional results
As a result of the campaign, we estimate a three percent saving in electricity consumption across participating halls.
Student Switch Off Campaign
The climate crisis and issues around sustainability are an important cause to many, including lots of our student residents. With such a vast problem in front of us it can be overwhelming and difficult to know how to get involved and make any difference.
In 2022 we partnered with Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS) to run their multi-award-winning Student Switch Off campaign at several sites across the UPP portfolio, through our ‘Home at Halls’ app. Students will have convenient access to all campaign content through their phones, courtesy of the app.
Student Switch Off (SSO) is an engagement campaign that champions sustainability through diverse online content, in-person training sessions and a year-long inter-hall competition that aims to achieve quantifiable reductions in halls.
Delivered in one-week sprints, students can get involved in competitions, webinars, and masterclasses and challenge themselves in themed quizzes. Over the year, students learned about:
Sustainability and the purpose of COP26
Climate
Winter & Energy
Winter & Energy
Water
There were also in-person learning opportunities at ambassador training sessions, delivered by SOS at each site. These hands-on sessions aim to empower students to make a difference in their halls, by equipping them with leadership skills to help raise awareness of sustainability and the practical actions everyone can take to make halls more sustainable.
To add more excitement to the campaign, over the year SOS will be monitoring energy use and student engagement with the campaign to determine which hall is the most sustainable. The winning hall at each site will win a green prize.
In November 2022 there was the first Big Climate Quiz which students could enter to win £50 worth of ethical chocolate for their halls. This was followed by 2 more sprints before the term ended: Waste Action Week and Wellbeing Week.
Contact Us
Richard Bolger
Business Development Director
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
