Students at the University of Westminster’s Cavendish Living Lab have run two workshops at Queen’s Park Primary School to raise awareness about climate change and inspire young people in London to make meaningful actions towards sustainability in their everyday lives.
On 5 and 6 February, Westminster students delivered two interactive workshops to Year 5 and 6 pupils at Queen’s Park Primary School in Marylebone. The workshops were designed by the University’s Greener Future Student Outreach Leaders as part of the Greener Futures Fund project, which aims to deliver interactive workshops on food sustainability to children in the City of Westminster borough, and hosted in collaboration with the Westminster Children’s University, which provides educational opportunities for primary school students.
The workshops covered topics such as the causes and effects of climate change, along with practical ways to reduce its impact such as walking, sourcing locally grown food and conserving energy. This was achieved through interactive activities such as decorating world maps to mark where their breakfast foods came from. After mapping the foods, they calculated how many miles their food had travelled, which helped them to understand how transporting food across the world affects the environment.
Pupils also played sorting games to learn about composting, where they looked at pictures of different items to learn about green and brown waste, and were shown how to set up small hydroponic systems to grow plants using nutrient-rich water instead of soil. This allowed the pupils to see firsthand how hydroponic systems can save space and water, making them a great way to grow food in cities like London where many people have little to no green space in their homes.
About running the workshops final-year Smart Computer Systems Engineering BEng Honours student Alisha Javed said: “This workshop was such a fantastic way to introduce students to sustainability in a fun and engaging way! Seeing their excitement and curiosity reminded me how important it is to introduce these topics at a young age. Being part of a team that is so passionate about sustainability made the experience even more special.”
Second year Biochemistry BSc Honours student Nellmah Sahar added: “Leading this workshop with the other Greener Future Outreach Leaders felt meaningful and exciting. It was a chance to truly showcase our passion for environmental sustainability to the next generation, who also showed an eagerness to learn more. Seeing how enthusiastic and engaged students were with the hands-on activities highlighted the significance of teaching important topics to young people in a way that is both accessible and fun.”
Stella Wilson from the Westminster Children’s University commented: "We are so pleased to be partnering with the University of Westminster and the amazing team led by Dr Pooja Basnett, Dr Linda Percy and their colleagues at the Cavendish Living Lab in delivering extracurricular opportunities to the young people of London. We were fortunate enough to be able to host one of the sessions at our home school Queens Park Primary and now have many schools across our network waiting to take part. It’s so important to have these opportunities to engage our young people in conversations and exploration of the things around them and sustainability, as well as introducing them to new concepts, such as hydroponics and sustainable fashion. We are so fortunate to be collaborating with such an incredible community of professionals on such an important and impactful program thanks to the commitment of Westminster colleagues.”
Jules Attanayake, Development Officer in the University's Fundraising and Development Team, said: “We were thrilled to receive funding from Grosvenor’s Greener Futures Fund. Utilising the expertise of the academic leads within the Cavendish Living Lab and through our Student Outreach Leaders, we are busy delivering interactive workshops to pupils from our partner schools across Westminster in reducing CO2 emissions.”
He added: "Pupils at our partner schools represent the next generation and will take up the baton in combatting global warming, and will learn about the importance of achieving Net Zero emissions by addressing food waste. Areas around the University are in the top 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in the country, with 31% of pupils from our partner schools in Westminster being in receipt of free school meals. Therefore providing education around equitable access to nutritious meals for all schoolchildren is imperative, irrespective of their backgrounds.”
This project directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. 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.
To find out how to sponsor the Cavendish Living Lab email the University's Development Team.
Find out more about the Cavendish Living Lab at the University of Westminster.
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