Green Gown Awards 2019 - Prifysgol Bangor University - Finalist

Bangor University’s Think Before You Drink Campaign is a set of waste prevention and reuse initiatives encouraging sustainable consumption across all our catering outlets. Similar waste prevention, reuse and recycling initiatives will follow throughout the year.   

The University wanted to lead by example and empower individuals to understand the consequences of their actions and make sustainable choices in their daily lives. By applying the waste hierarchy and understanding that waste prevention is the most sustainable solution to everyday problems; students, staff and visitors are able to consider the effect of their actions and make efficient use of resources.  

Think Before You Drink aims to prevent, or at least reduce, the number of straws used across campus by making them available on request only; prevent unnecessary waste by removing all single-use drink stirrers from our outlets regardless of material and replacing them with reusable metal spoons; promote the water refill scheme thus reducing the need for single-use water bottles; and, promote the use of reusable cups in order to reduce single-use coffee cups. 

Think Before You Drink is a collaborative campaign led by the University’s Catering team, the Sustainability Lab and the Students Union. 

Top 3 learnings 

• People make the right choices when given clear, consistent information – no need to oversimplify messages. 
• People want to get involved and collaborate; they are just waiting for that opportunity. 
• Involve, collaborate and integrate with stakeholders at the beginning – diverse experiences are invaluable.   

Videos

• Green Gown Awards 2019 - Prifysgol Bangor University - Campus, Health, Food & Drink (click to hide)