Earth Day is on the 22 April and marks a day of collective action and global awareness on the importance of protecting our planet. At the Kent, we take our responsibility towards tackling climate change seriously and are committed to a sustainable future for generations to come. Here’s what’s been going on at Kent in the past year, and some ways you can get involved in sustainability initiatives.

Our progress

Kent has made a lot of progress towards sustainability in the past year. From reducing carbon emissions to promoting biodiversity and sustainable food systems, we have achieved significant milestones in various areas. Here are some of the highlights from the past year:

• Kent improved by 12 places in the People and Planet University League table to achieve 29th place overall.
• We remained on track with our Net Zero by 2040 reduction target and have undertaken audits across University buildings to identify further opportunities.
• Planted 300 fruit and nut trees for the Diamond Anniversary Orchard project, celebrating the arrival of the Class of 2025.
• We were awarded a Silver Award in the Wilder Kent Awards for 2022 for taking positive action to restore green spaces and help people to reconnect with nature.
• Our WARP-IT furniture reuse scheme has passed £1million in savings since starting. Last year we reused 153,919kg of furniture equivalent to 113 tonnes CO2.

Get involved – taking action towards a sustainable future

There are lots of ways for students and staff to get involved in our sustainability initiatives.

Kent Community Oasis Garden

The Kent Community Oasis Garden is an extraordinary collaboration between the University and East Kent Mind, supporting sustainability and good mental health. This year, the garden has expanded its growing space, seen a large rise in its number of volunteers, and been used as a living lab site for the School of Architecture. Get involved by coming along to one of the open gardening sessions on Wednesdays and Fridays, 11:00-14:00

Register for Climate Cafe Training

A Climate Café is a safe space to chat with others who are feeling anxious, sad, or frustrated about climate change. As part of our commitment to a sustainable future, we are offering free training on how to facilitate Climate Cafe discussion groups. This is a great opportunity to take a proactive stance towards climate anxiety, meet like-minded individuals, and develop your communication skills.

The training will take place in June. Register your interest by emailing sustainability@kent.ac.uk.

BioBlitz 2023

Join Kent’s BioBlitz on 20 May 2023, to record as many living species as possible on the Canterbury campus. The event is open to everyone, regardless of experience. Participants can take part in numerous sessions throughout the day, collaborating with local conservation and wildlife organizations. Find out more about the BioBlitz and how you can get involved.

Gleaning collective introductory meeting

Kent and Produced in Kent have established a ‘gleaning’ group in Kent to collect surplus produce from local farms and distribute it to charities, community groups, and food banks in the Canterbury area. If you are interested in finding out more, you can attend an information session on Tuesday 25 April at Woody’s on Canterbury campus to learn more about becoming a volunteer with the Canterbury Gleaning Collective.

Let’s continue to work towards a sustainable future, and make every day Earth Day.