2019 Student Engagement Finalist: The Students’ Union at UWE, UK

Bring Your Own Bowl (BYOB)

Bring Your Own Bowl (BYOB) is a food waste behaviour change and student community building intervention. Primarily for students based in University Accommodation, BYOB focuses on creating social networks through the shared enjoyment of free tasty surplus food. The events engage students on key food waste messages and provide ideas for personal action. The name symbolises the fact that all students have to do is bring their own bowl; we take care of the rest. BYOB is run collaboratively between The Students’ Union at UWE’s Green Team and HallsLife programmes. The aim of the Green Team is to create and empower student-led sustainability change. HallsLife is a partnership between The Students’ Union at UWE and UWE Accommodation to build a grass-roots sense of community amongst UWE students and foster a sense of belonging within University managed accommodation and within the student community.

Top 3 learnings:

1. We harnessed the power of partnerships to build mutually shared goals for successful outcomes.
2. We confirmed that free food is a useful tool to drive student engagement!
3. A campaign needs maximum three key messages/actions for greatest impact/behaviour change.

What it means to win

“We are very proud to win such a prestigious accolade, showcasing our true commitment to embed sustainability into all we do as a Students’ Union and also demonstrating the power the student movement has to shape and contribute to developing sustainable practises and providing the solutions to global issues.”

Tim Benford
CEO of the Students’ Union at UWE.

This finalist is a Green Gown Award Regional Winner.

Videos

• Video #1 (click to hide)