Presentation by Marion Khorshidian from Ulster University at the CILIP Ireland/LAI Joint Conference 2021

1. Making a green impact:
Sustainability Smart in Ulster
Libraries
Marion Khorshidian
Ulster University
CILIP Ireland/LAI Joint Conference, April 2021

2. Making a green impact:
Sustainability Smart in Ulster libraries
Marion Khorshidian
Campus Library Manager

3. www.ulster.ac.uk/sustainability
• Biodiversity
• Carbon management plan
• Climate smart
• Climate smart at home
• Construction and refurbishment
• Education for sustainable development
• Energy
• Governance
• Sustainable procurement
• Sustainable travel
• Sustainability smart
• Waste
• Water

4. Green Impact scheme
• Environmental accreditation scheme with an awards element
• Designed by the National Union of Students
• Tailored for university departments
• Empowers individuals to reduce their environmental impact
• Encourages, rewards and celebrates practical improvement
• Ulster scheme renamed Sustainability Smart in 2019
• All staff encouraged to get involved
http://greenimpact.nus.org.uk/

5. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
guidelines

6. Libraries involved since 2015, achieving
Bronze, Silver or Gold accreditation

7. The workbook

8. Categories
• Partnership working
• Social
• health & wellbeing; sustainable travel
• Environmental
• climate action; life below water
• Economic
• responsible consumption and production

9. What did we do?
Partnership working Social
• Collaborated with another team
• Mentored a new team
• Invited other departments to participate
• Collaborated with a local guide group
• Promoted available sustainable travel options
• Raised awareness of local walks
• Supported the Mind your mood campaign
• Supported the Christmas shoebox appeal
Environmental Economic
• Promoted ‘Reduce – Reuse – Recycle’
• Scan don’t print initiative
• Promoted ‘keep cups’ not disposable ones
• Encouraged everyone to Shop local
• Promoted Fairtrade products
• Encouraged the use of reusable containers
• Promoted local zero-waste shops

10. Practical approaches
Hints & tips:
• printer
settings
• online
worksheets

11. Getting creative

12. Enhancing wellbeing

13. Working in the community
Activities included:
design your own
reusable bag

14. Range of activities
Coffee mornings, Noticeboards, Quizzes, Raffles, Fundraisers, Challenges,
Book swaps, Food swaps, Craft fair, Food banks
Enhancing the workplace through growing plants, Switching lights off, Placing
a food caddy in the break room,
Reusing shredded paper as animal bedding, Baking using Fairtrade ingredients,
Shopping locally to save food miles, Recycling at home, Buying ethically-
sourced goods,
Innovative displays like the single-use plastic bottle tree, Creating Christmas
decorations from plastic bottle bases and found materials,
Using public transport instead of taking a car, cycling to work
Enjoying Fairtrade chocolate…….

15. Advantages of participation
• Team building with members from all sections and grades
• Senior management support for initiatives
• Visible and positive changes made
• Opportunities for individual skills development:
• leadership
• delegation
• planning and organizing
• time management
• interpersonal
• Cross-campus collaboration
• Collaboration with external partners

16. @UlsterUniLib
m.khorshidian@ulster.ac.uk