{"id":500,"date":"2025-02-07T09:10:06","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T09:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/climate-action\/?p=500"},"modified":"2025-02-07T09:12:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T09:12:00","slug":"the-power-of-small-actions-in-tackling-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/2025\/02\/07\/the-power-of-small-actions-in-tackling-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"The power of small actions in tackling climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Over the winter break we were determined to create positive impact while most of us weren\u2019t even on campus. This is where the Winter Holiday Switch Off campaign came into play, encouraging staff and students to come together to switch off non-essential equipment and lights over the 9-day closure to help tackle the climate crisis and save money.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1>Winter holiday switch off 2024<\/h1>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This year, we were delighted to have over 140 staff and students from more than 25 different departments pledging to switch off over the winter break. This is a fantastic increase from last year, so thank you to everyone who pledged to take part. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Collectively, we can drive a more sustainable future through taking impactful actions that go beyond switching off for the winter break. Here at Bath, we are committed to empowering our community with the knowledge and skills to ignite impactful action both at home and at the University. To get you started, here are a few simple steps to take energy saving further:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">embrace the power of teamwork in leading sustainable change by joining <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/campaigns\/green-impact\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Green Impact<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, the University\u2019s new staff sustainability programme<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">contribute to a greener future by saving energy in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos-uk.org\/green-campus-revolution\/student-halls\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">university accommodation<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos-uk.org\/green-campus-revolution\/private\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">private student housing<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, discover how using less energy will save you money along the way<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">embed sustainable practices in your lab through <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/campaigns\/laboratory-efficiency-assessment-framework-leaf\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework)<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and see the difference you can make in energy, water and plastic savings<\/span><\/li>\n<li>discover how you can make a difference as a student at Bath by joining <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vteameco\/?igsh=MWZnbjVjcGI2dTVsNg%3D%3D#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">V Eco and EcoTogether<\/a> and learn simple steps to help create a sustainable future for all<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW154796367 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun CommentStart SCXW154796367 BCX8\">The University is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040 and to achieve this we must collectively work together to foster a sustainable culture at Bath. <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW154796367 BCX8\">We are <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW154796367 BCX8\">determined to embed<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW154796367 BCX8\">sustain<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW154796367 BCX8\">ability in every aspect of our University; to see our progress, check out our latest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/publications\/annual-energy-and-environment-reports\/\">Sustainability Annual Report<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h1>Thanking our community<\/h1>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW148590930 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148590930 BCX8\">To show our appreciation<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148590930 BCX8\"> to those who pledged to switch off this winter break<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148590930 BCX8\">, we held a prize draw of two \u00a320 Bath gift vouchers to those who pledged to switch off. <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148590930 BCX8\">Congratulations to our two lucky prize draw winners.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_502\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-502\" style=\"width: 497px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-502\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/climate-action\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/191\/2025\/01\/staff-winner-e1738171417667-237x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"497\" height=\"629\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/191\/2025\/01\/staff-winner-e1738171417667-237x300.jpg 237w, https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/191\/2025\/01\/staff-winner-e1738171417667-809x1024.jpg 809w, https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/191\/2025\/01\/staff-winner-e1738171417667-768x972.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/191\/2025\/01\/staff-winner-e1738171417667-170x215.jpg 170w, https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/191\/2025\/01\/staff-winner-e1738171417667.jpg 1130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-502\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Staff winner Laura Michelsen-Cooney, Science Technical Services Technician<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<blockquote><p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">Staff winner <\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">Laura Michelsen-Cooney, Science Technical Services Technician, <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">shared her thoughts<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\"> on the switch off campaign: \u2018<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">I thi<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">nk <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">i<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">t\u2019s<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\"> a great idea to get into the habit of switching o<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">ff <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW28785297 BCX8\">non-essent<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW28785297 BCX8\">ial<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\"> items when not in us<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">e, <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">i<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">t<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">\u2019s<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed SCXW28785297 BCX8\">really j<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed SCXW28785297 BCX8\">ust<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\"> best practice. We have a lot o<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">f instruments in the teaching lab, b<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">ut <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">i<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">t\u2019s<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\"> quite easy to get into a routine of switching off what you can at the end of the day, a<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">nd <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">i<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">t\u2019s<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\"> good to kn<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">ow <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">you<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">\u2019re<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\"> consuming fewer resources and saving money. The campaign w<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW28785297 BCX8\">as helpful to raise people\u2019s awareness of this, and to encourage everyone to develop good habits.\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW250134537 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW250134537 BCX8\">Student winner and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW250134537 BCX8\">Social<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW250134537 BCX8\"> sciences student Kat Rees, pledged: \u2018<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun Highlight SCXW250134537 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW250134537 BCX8\">I will make sure that all the lights and unused appliances in my home are switched off at the plug. I will conserve energy by being efficient with my washing, <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW250134537 BCX8\">bathing<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW250134537 BCX8\"> and kettle use. I will use my heating sparingly, using blankets and extra layers<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW250134537 BCX8\">\u2019.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\">We were inspired by the <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\">diverse<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\"> variety of pledges received <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\">from our community <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\">and we particularly enjoyed the creative ways people committed to switching off. <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\">We absolutely love this video from <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\">Anna Tassie <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\">and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\">Nina Patel<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\"> in <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\">the Department of Chemical Engineering<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW73063281 BCX8\">.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP TrackedChange SCXW73063281 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Winter switch off 2024 video\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1052232367?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"422\" height=\"750\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW241601106 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW241601106 BCX8\">Looking to<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW241601106 BCX8\"> the year ahead, we are excited to build on the success of the campaign and push for bigger cost and carbon savings over the upcoming Easter break.<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW241601106 BCX8\">Together, we can drive the change needed to reach our net zero targets and build a sustainable future.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over the winter break we were determined to create positive impact while most of us weren\u2019t even on campus. This is where the Winter Holiday Switch Off campaign came into play, encouraging staff and students to come together to switch...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1973,"featured_media":507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[14,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-staff-action","category-student-action"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/191\/2025\/01\/54304262003_163699fc9f_c.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1973"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/sustainable-bath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}