Take the next step with 10,000 Actions
01 Mar 2017
Rachel Bailey has put her best foot forward – and found fame on Twitter
Our 10,000 Actions Programme gives all staff the opportunity to engage in collective, measurable action on environmental sustainability.
It is the biggest environmental sustainability initiative in the higher education sector.
Colleagues have been learning about the key issues of sustainability such as travel, responsible purchasing and energy, and the actions they can take to make a big difference through an innovative online tool.
Our aim was to create more than 10,000 actions on environmental sustainability and more than 20,000 actions have been pledged.
Now it’s time to turn your pledges into actions – to make a difference, and even fund your amazing ideas.
Rachel Bailey, Student Recruitment and Widening Participation Manager in Student Recruitment and International Development in the Directorate for the Student Experience, has pledged to enjoy our green spaces more, join the RunCommute and add sustainability to the agenda for her team meetings.
As a result, she’s fitting exercise into her busy schedule as a working mum – and found fame on Twitter.
Rachel’s tweet was one of those illustrated by local artist Hammo, an incentive as part of 10,000 Actions:
“10,000 Actions has made me realise that I can fit running into my day – either at the start or at lunchtime,” she explains.
“I love it – I get back to my desk with more energy, having enjoyed some fresh air and some of the green spaces of campus. I’ve been with a colleague once too and we plan to try and fit some more lunch runs in along the way.
“It’s also made me really think about walking more places – I walk a lot generally but I can think of two meetings in Manchester city centre that I’ve had in the last week that I’ve walked to and from.
“And it was a lovely surprise to have the Hammo illustration – it made my day!”
She adds: “10,000 actions made me think a lot more broadly around things like water use and procurement which I hadn’t really considered personally or professionally in the past.
“It’s interesting, it’s educational and it might be the push you need to make one or two really positive changes which will impact on you and the environment. A lot of little actions can make a huge difference! “
Take the next step
To support this programme, a £10,000 fund has been established for environmental sustainability projects for the 2016-17 academic year. Staff can claim anything up to £2,500 to fund projects from buying birdseed or pedometers to carrying out a feasibility study to change lab equipment.
To update your plan or apply for funding, visit:
Follow and share
You can also follow the University’s engagement with environmental sustainability at @UoMSust and share your actions using the hashtag #10000Actions on Twitter or Instagram.