Welcome to January's edition of Sustainable Halls...

Welcome back! We hope you had a relaxing winter break and are tackling those all-important deadlines! 

We’ll keep it brief this month with a look back on our activities in semester 1. We’ll also take a look at the Sustainable Halls competition so you can see how much your hall needs to do to win! Finally, we’ll give you a sneak peek into the activities and masterclasses we have upcoming in semester 2! 

What did we do in semester one?

Bike Rides 🚲

Throughout the semester, our friends at Peloton ran guided rides across the city starting at the Crown Place Bikiosk. Across 4 bike rides, 32 of you took part, cycling your way across the city, learning some new routes, and hopefully gaining some confidence to cycle on your own. 

These will be taking place again in semester 2, with the first ride scheduled to take place on the 5th February at 6pm. No ticket required – just turn up to the Crown Place Bikiosk to get involved! 

Sewing Activities 🧵

We ran three different sewing activities in semester 1. We started off with a sewing crash course to introduce you to the skills you need for the most basic stitches. Those who came learnt running stitches, backstitches, and ladder stitches, and put those skills into practice by making some plushie frogs!

We followed this up with a clothing repair workshop in November, in which attendees gave their damaged clothing a second chance. We repaired coats, trousers, and shirts, and built on the skills we learnt in the first session.

Finally, we ran a workshop for reusable period pads. This educational session gave attendees the chance to hone their sewing skills while creating a low-waste alternative to disposable period products.

Papermaking 📰

Rather than throwing away your scrap paper, it’s easy to repurpose it into something else! In our papermaking workshop, we demonstrated how to turn old newspaper, wrapping paper, and more into neat little sheets of your own design! The paper we made was used for wrapping gifts, as gift tags, or just decorations to put on the wall.

Plant Pot Painting and Herb Planting 🌱

One of our most popular activities, plant pot painting, took place in December. Over 20 plant pots were painted, and even more herbs planted! Attendees planted chives, coriander, mint, dill, and even more, and they were able to use them in their own cooking at home.

Even those without green fingers were able to paint plant pots in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways. Check out some of the creations below!

Sustainable Halls Masterclass - Plastic Tactics 🌍

For our first ever Sustainable Halls Masterclass, we partnered up with Plastic Tactics, a local volunteer group who specialise in turning plastic waste into new decorative and practical objects.

The masterclass began with a talk from the University’s Waste and Recycling Officer, Sam Hay. Sam explained the importance of recycling properly and gave attendees the knowledge they need to do so while living in Liverpool.

Members of the Plastic Tactics team then showed us how to make framed plastic collages using old carrier bags, crisp packets, bubble wrap, and more. We made a whole host of different designs, but all with the same goal of demonstrating that plastic doesn’t have to just be single use.

Recycling Audit 💚

Our first recycling audit took place in November. This was our way of seeing how well you understand how to use each of the four bins in your kitchen. Each kitchen was scored out of 25, with those scoring 20 or above receiving chocolate as a prize.

Compared to our 2023 audit, scores were much better across the board. There’s still room for improvement but keep up the good work! If you have any questions about recycling, check the poster which should be hanging in your kitchen. Alternatively, contact LGsustainability@liverpool.ac.uk if you have any questions.

Sustainable Quiz ❓

Our first sustainability quiz took place in October, and the theme was wildlife. Over 130 of you took part in the quiz, and prizes were on offer for those who took part. Our grand prize, a hoodie & t-shirt merch pack from the Guild shop, was won by a resident of Vine Court, a free Union Brew drink was given out to one lucky student in each of the other halls.

Keep an eye out for more quizzes in semester 2, as there are plenty more opportunities to win prizes coming your way!

Sustainable Halls Competition 🏆

If you haven’t heard of it already, the Sustainable Halls Competition is run throughout the year to see which hall has been most engaged with all the sustainability activities we offer. Every time you come to a Halls’ Exclusive Give it a Go session, masterclass, or take part in a quiz, you build your hall’s score. See below for the current standings:

1st place: Tudor Close

2nd place: Melville Grove

3rd place: Dover Court

4th place: Philharmonic Court

5th place: Vine Court

6th place: Crown Place

7th place: Greenbank

Even if you’re near the bottom, don’t worry! There are plenty more chances to build your hall’s score coming in semester 2.

Activities this exam season 

You might be very busy at the moment, but it’s always important to take a breather. The Guild’s officers are running three days of activities in January to help you beat those exam blues. These  ‘Take a Break’ sessions are taking place on the 13th, and 21st January, and feature a variety of crafty and relaxing activities to keep your mind off your deadlines.

What’s coming in semester 2?

We’ll be back again with the much-loved classics in semester 2; look forward to more plant pot painting, sewing, masterclasses, quizzes, and even more. Here’s a glimpse at a few of the new activities you can get involved in:

-          Trip to Burton Mere: spend a day at Liverpool’s local bird sanctuary. Walk the trails, do some birdwatching, and relax in the unspoilt wilderness of the Dee estuary.

-          Foraging Walk and Cooking Session: learn how to make something edible out of the plants we walk past every day! We’ll head over the Wirral to collect wild plants, before heading back to the Guild to cook them up into something you can take home with you!

-          Film showcase: spend your lunchtime in the Guild’s cinema room, where we’ll be showcasing a sustainability-related film!

-          Trip to the Plastic Tactics workshop: if you didn’t take part in our November masterclass, don’t worry! We’ll be heading to Plastic Tactics’ workshop to learn even more about plastic upcycling.

There’s lots to look forward to, so keep your eyes on your Halls weekly email, the Halls Life homepage, and the Guild website.

That’s all from us in January. Best of luck with all your upcoming assessments, and we hope to see you at some of our exciting semester 2 activities!