Sustainability Initiatives
Mannix is committed to creating a sustainable campus by optimising our built environment, and implementing long-term sustainability initiatives such as solar panels on the roof of the main administration building. Our communal vegetable garden, herb garden and fruit trees supply residents and our kitchen with delicious food throughout the year. We recycle and compost as much as we can. Through visual signposting and awareness and training initiatives, we aim to create a culture of sustainable practice. Each year, at least two residents serve as the Student Sustainability Representatives.
We had some major wins throughout the year and made progress on achieving some of the longer-term goals to make Mannix more sustainable.
Bike Donations
One of the highlights of the year was the bike shed cleanout. We cleared out over 60% of the bikes in the bike shed and donated these to our wonderful maintenance team, who refurbished them or recycled parts to use for bike repairs.
Dining Hall
The return of the sandwich bar after COVID also meant the return of single-use plastic containers, which are not very turtle friendly! We worked with the kitchen staff to remove plastic containers from the sandwich bar and encouraged residents to use reusable coffee cups. We are hoping that by the start of next year we will be using entirely reusable coffee cups around the college. A longer-term plan was the implementation of an industrial composting system. Progress has been made on this by talking to some local companies however, as this is a continuous goal, we hope to see progress next year in conjunction with the Admin team.
End-of-Year Clothing Drive
With the end of the year at Mannix fast approaching, we were intent on minimising the amount of waste left at the College after residents departed. We set up clothing drives on each floor, and have been excited to see the positive response this has received from residents. We also set up a system for fridge donations, where donated fridges will be sold to incoming Freshers, with all proceeds going to charity.
Sustainability Sunday
A highlight of everyone’s Sunday was the regular Sustainability Sunday post on the MCSS Facebook feed. In these posts, we raised awareness about everyday ways to improve sustainable habits, discussing relevant topics such as Greenwashing, correct recycling practices and fast fashion. We also promoted Earth Day and were excited to see the discussion and conversation created around these issues.
With the revival of the Mannix Environmental Protection Agency (MEPA), we are excited to see the progress that will be made in 2023 in the realm of sustainability at Mannix.
– Abby Smyth & Sidney White