The Aim2Sustain competition, open to pupils and students in Years 10 – 13, ties in with University’s own environmental sustainability strategy which aims to achieve major change through research, innovation and enterprise and student and civic engagement.
Aim2Sustain is also designed to promote the University’s exciting new degree courses in Business Management and Sustainability; and Climate Change.
Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Sally McGill said: “We’re delighted to be launching our new schools competition in a week where the media focus is on the COP26 climate change conference. As a University, we recognise the very real threat that climate change poses to our future and all businesses, large and small, face having to do things differently from now on.
“We can all act to stop the current situation from getting worse, for example by reducing our carbon emissions and by becoming less reliant upon cars, as well as reusing and recycling more of the materials which we consume.
“As has been proven by climate change activists like Greta Thunberg, it is often younger people who offer up solutions for how we change behaviours and adapt to become more environmentally friendly. We hope many schools and colleges will take part in the Aim2Sustain competition.”
Staffordshire University will be encouraging students from participating schools and colleges to take part in a live session which will introduce them to sustainability and the types of issues that businesses are currently focusing on such as reducing waste, preventing pollution, conserving water and using more sustainable materials or products.
Teams will get additional help with their competition entry and access to resources via a dedicated website. On completion of the project, participants will present their sustainability solution at the Aim2Sustain finals which will help to launch the University’s new flagship Catalyst building on its Stoke-on-Trent campus.
One business backing the competition is Stone-based packaging company Woolcool which grew out of a specific brief to create an environmentally friendly packaging suitable for nationwide home deliveries.
Josie Morris MBE, Managing Director said: “At Woolcool our motivation is doing business sustainably and so we have some top tips to pass on to young people and the businesses they work with to get them started on what could be a path to a better future.
“In terms of environmental impact when compared to other materials, wool comes out on top as one of the most sustainable materials known to man. Even better, our Woolcool packaging can be reused, recycled or even returned.
“Part of our company ethos is to share our thinking and our learning about how we do business sustainably and we very much look forward to seeing what solutions our schools can come up with.”
Schools wanting more information on the Aim2Sustain competition can contact Ruth Hudson on R.Hudson@staffs.ac.uk.