Westminster students encourage sustainability across all four campuses with climate action roadshows

Cavendish Living Lab student outreach leaders ran the events with the mission to raise awareness about the environmental impact of fast fashion, encourage individuals to make pledges promoting sustainable fashion practices and to highlight sustainable food systems, showing the importance of local food sources.

Hosting a variety of stalls, they spoke to students and colleagues from across the University and helped them build a better understanding of ways individuals can make a difference.

Cavendish Living Lab is a Quintin Hogg Trust (QHT)-funded extracurricular project led by Dr Pooja Basnett and Dr Linda Percy, Co-Course Leaders of the Biological Science BSc Honours course, Dr Dipankar Sengupta, Co-Course leader of the Global Public Health with Data Science MSc course, and Dr Caroline Smith, Associate Head of the School of Life Sciences (Education and Students).

In the past year, QHT funding has enabled the Cavendish Living Lab to train their students as project leaders so that initiatives such as the roadshows are owned and driven by the student partners.

Cavendish Living Lab is an authentic learning project that has given students numerous opportunities, including working with local food banks, speaking on BBC Radio London and now the chance to share their work and expertise with the Westminster community. 

Lou-Ann Quentin, Cavendish Living Lab student outreach leader and Psychology and Criminology BSc student, said: "As an outreach leader for the Cavendish Living Lab I was able to engage with several students and staff at the University of Westminster about fast fashion and sustainability. I shared my knowledge with people and most were shocked and interested in adopting a more sustainable approach towards fashion. I was also able to get many to partake in my questionnaire on fast fashion consumer behaviour which will be ground for our future sustainability projects."

Dr Basnett added: “Our students from the Cavendish Living Lab project made a difference by spreading awareness about food waste and plastic waste in fast fashion on different campuses. Their efforts inspire positive action and hope for a sustainable future!”

The roadshows directly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and 13: Climate Action. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.

Find out more about the Cavendish Living Lab at the University of Westminster.