MEDIA RELEASE: Caroline Lucas MEP demands Oxford University takes its environmental responsibilities seriously before students barricade the Vice-Chancellor’s office

See below for the full text of the media release.

Photo Credit: Peter Moonlight

People & Planet and OUSU Environment & Ethics Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Caroline Lucas MEP demands Oxford University takes its environmental responsibilities seriously before students barricade the Vice-Chancellor’s office

14 February 2009

Caroline Lucas MEP, leader of the UK Green Party, spoke on the steps of the Clarendon Building in front of a giant heart shape woven out of 1000 Valentine’s cards signed by Oxford University students and employees. The cards, which were later used to barricade the main entrance to the Vice-Chancellor’s office, made three demands:

1. Appoint a senior environmental manager whose sole responsibility is overseeing the University’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact across all sectors: energy, water, waste, transport, biodiversity, sustainable procurement, construction & refurbishment and emissions & discharges. Invite the senior environmental manager to sit on the Planning and Resource Allocation Committee (PRAC).
2. Adopt a comprehensive waste management system. Oxford University is one of a shrinking number of UK Universities that does not have a central database tracking its waste. The University does not currently know how much waste it produces, nor where this waste ends up.
3. Implement an external environmental management system, such as ISO14001 or EcoCampus. This will ensure that the University maintains a certified level of environmental accountability.

Each of these demands has already been met by Cambridge University, according to People and Planet’s Green League Table. The table awards the University of Cambridge a First Class, ranking it 5th in the UK, while Oxford receives a 2:2 and ranking of 50th. The only categories in which Oxford outperforms Cambridge are in renewable energy, carbon emissions and investment policy. This follows People and Planet and OUSU Environment and Ethics Committee’s successful 2006 campaigns for the University to adopt a five-year renewable electricity contract and a socially responsible investment policy.

The Vice-Chancellor was invited to attend the Valentines Day event in order to receive the cards, however his office declined the invitation and also informed us that all other senior University officers would be unavailable all day. The Valentine’s cards were instead used to create a barricade across the main entrance to the Vice-Chancellor’s office.

One card from Wadham College read, “Roses are red, violets are blue, if you ‘go green’, then I will love you!”

Caroline Lucas MEP, leader of the UK Green Party, said: “I wholeheartedly support this creative initiative to demand the University takes its environmental responsibilities seriously. We need a profound social, economic and cultural shift towards a more sustainable economy if we are to stave off the worst impacts of climate change and protect our natural world for future generations. Higher education establishments can play a key role in setting a good example – and Oxford University could do worse than show some love for the environment on Valentine’s Day!”

Niel Bowerman, former Oxford University Student Union (OUSU) Environment and Ethics Officer said: “Oxford should be complimented on its research into environmental impacts. However it has to show that this is not just an academic issue, it’s also about putting theory into practice.”

Sophie Lewis, campaign coordinator and student regional representative for People and Planet said: “The University has five hundred thousand square metres of buildings, but not a single senior environmental manager to reduce its environmental impact.”

- ENDS -

Press Contacts

Notes to Editors

1. Oxford People and Planet have been running for 20 years, and are part of a national People and Planet network of sixth form and university students campaigning on world poverty, human rights and the environment.
2. Oxford University Student Union (OUSU) Environment and Ethics Committee campaigns on environmental and ethical issues in and around Oxford University.
3. This event is part of People and Planet’s Go Green week, a national campaign urging universities to reduce their environmental impact.
4. People and Planet’s 2008 Green League Table is supported by WWF, and can be accessed here.
5. The ‘Go Green’ event took place at 11:00 on 14 February 2009, on the steps of the Clarendon Building. Caroline Lucas MEP will be spoke at 11:15. After the speeches, the heart was marched to the sound of a beating drum to the University Offices in Wellington Square, where it was used to barricade the main entrance to the Vice-Chancellor’s office.
6. After her speech, Caroline Lucas had to leave the event to attend a political meeting, and was unable to be there for the barricading of the Vice-Chancellor’s office.

London Climate March: Non-violent Direct Action

While there are many stories that could be told about the Global Day
of Climate Action, I would like to talk about the rising star of
climate campaigning: non-violent direct action, or NVDA.

Today campaigners in over 40 countries marched in a global effort to
increase government action on climate change. Climatico had
half-a-dozen analysts on the ground to report on the action.

After much walking, chanting, drumming, and shivering, our estimated
10,000-strong battalion of climate marchers rounded the corner into
Parliament Square. After a few speeches and some music, we were greeted
with two quotes:

“Direct action is the last resort of democracy”

“If you’re a young person looking at the future of this
planet and looking at what is being done right now, and not done, I
believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil
disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not
have carbon capture and sequestration.”

Any guesses as to who these were credited to?

Parliament Square by Dominic Rowland

Nope, not a bunch of eco-hippies, but Oscar Wilde and Al Gore (though I can’t find a source for the first).

Later, we heard from John McDonnell, the MP whose constituency
includes Heathrow Airport, who gave a rousing speech in which he
pledged to participate in NVDA if the government approved the plans to
build a third runway at Heathrow.

Finally, Caroline Lucas MEP, came up on stage, inviting us all to a “tea party” (read sit-in) at Heathrow Terminal One.

So we have high-profile politicians calling for NVDA, a situation which is unlkely to have happened without the game-changing court verdict
regarding the Greenpeace protesters at Kingsnorth. But will it work?
Well there certainly seem to be a lot of people that hope so!