Ban single-use plastic and collaborate more: Sustainability Society relaunches with new goals

The Sustainability Society relaunched at the Student Society Fair with new goals and visions for the 2023/24 academic year.

The newly elected presidents are Danielle Arbeiter (LLB in Law, Co-President) and Ananya Pahwa (BSc Business Management, Co-President).

Some of the society’s aims for this year include introducing initiatives such as banning single-use plastics at City, University of London and encouraging the University to add sustainability into the curriculum.

The society is working in partnership with City’s Sustainability team.

Sustainability is a key aspect of City’s vision and strategy whereby the university is committed to embedding sustainability across the institution in order to reduce environmental impact. The University is also actively working towards net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2040.

The student Sustainability Society played a key role in working to achieve this vision. By working alongside City’s former Student Union (SU) President Gesmina Tsourrai, the society worked on a campaign calling for City to divest from fossil fuels, which the University has since committed to.

A recent study by SOS-UK has found that 90 per cent of students are concerned or very concerned about climate change.

“With futures increasingly affected by climate change, it is crucial that tomorrow’s leaders are able to contribute to the solution,” agrees Arthur Shearlaw, City’s Sustainability Engagement Coordinator.

There are a number of events that are designed for students and staff to get involved at City, including the Walled Garden sessions that are run every Tuesday for attendees to learn how to garden and pick their own herbs and greens to take home for free.

The Co-Presidents of the student Sustainability Society also pointed towards their concerns on climate change.

“I believe we are in such unprecedented times with global warming and climate change being an increasingly important discussion. I strongly believe there is no time like the present to take action,” says society Co-President Danielle.

This is the Society’s collective vision, as fellow Co-President Ananya Pahwa also believes in “acting on sustainability and making change.”

Ananya grew up volunteering in India, planting trees and repainting vandalised walls. During the pandemic, her interest in sustainable fashion was sparked and she set up an online thrift store with proceeds going to local charities.

One of the benefits of joining the Sustainability Society is the power of numbers.

“Students should join the society to meet friends that share the same values as you,” Ananya says. “It is useful to have a large network of people and having a community to act on change.”

Sustainability is intersectional and Co-President Danielle wants to encourage students to get involved across the board. “No matter what their background or degree, students can all make a change in sustainability,” she says.

Jasmin Kanth, a former society member, and current Creative Writing MFA student, believes in the positive impacts of teaching. Last year, she studied the ‘Climate Futures’ English studies module led by Dr Dominic Davies.

“The module was very eye-opening,” Jasmin said. “It looked at climate change from a systemic point of view to study and went back as far as the beginning of the Anthropocene to study the origins of climate change.”

For Jasmin, meeting “like-minded people with a shared passion” is one of the benefits of joining the society. “For things like climate change, it is important to work together,” she adds.

The student Sustainability Society plan to bring their vision to the forefront by collaborating with other societies, including the Women in Law society and will be hosting a panel event on sustainability and fossil free careers on 22 November during Sustainable City Week.

“A collaborative, student-led approach must be created to expand this community,” says Sustainability Engagement Officer Arthur. “We are working to support students in making connections between their interests and wider global issues.”

Byline: Aylin Aliev, Student Communications Assistant