Past Sustainability Week programmes

Monday 19 February

Frontiers in Natural Sciences: The need for science in a carbon-constrained world

17:30 - 18:30 | South Kensington and online

This year's Frontiers in Natural Sciences: Dean's Annual Lecture will be delivered by Professor Jim Skea.

Following COP28, it is evident that science needs to step up, and is expected to step up, to supply the evidence base for ambitious climate action. Based on the latest IPCC reports, this talk will set out what is currently known under three headings: urgency, agency and equity.

Tuesday 20 February

Imagination Activism for Sustainability

11:00 - 12:00 | Sherfield Level 5 SALC 6, South Kensington

If you’re interested in experiencing the forgotten power of imagination to accelerate our transformation towards sustainability, join us! Cognitive science shows that there are two key circuits in the brain, one of them involved in linear, strategic and rational thinking, the other comes online in daydreaming, imagining and unbounded exploration. Join us for a session where we open up the space for creativity, innovation and powerful action through the power of collective imagination! 

Love Your Future Online Panel - Can you have love & money in your work?

16:30 - 17:30 | online

In collaboration with Queen Mary University's Climate Action Week, we bring together a panel of speakers ranging from industry leaders to recent graduates to help empower students to be smart and creative in balancing their values and desire to make a difference with their financial needs and life goals.

London Student Sustainability Conference

10:00 - 18:00 | South Kensington and online

For the first time, the London Student Sustainability Conference (LSSC24) will be hosted at Imperial College London. LSSC24 welcomes students, staff, professionals, and members of the public to the sixth year of the conference. LSSC24 has always been student-led, with research and projects being exhibited through presentations, posters, and workshops. LSSC24 offers attendees the opportunity to find out more about the incredible climate and sustainability work and research being undertaken by students across the city of London.

Paper Upcycling Workshop

14:00 - 16:00 | CAGB 651, South Kensington

Come along to our environmental origami session and learn how to upcycle your scrap paper into beautiful bookmarks, boxes, and decorations! Bring your old study notes, newspapers, and scrap paper to turn into fun folded designs!

Climate Cafe

14:30 - 16:00 | Summer Dining Room, adjacent to Refectory, Silwood Park

Climate cafés are spaces to host discussions about the climate crisis, our emotions and the actions we need to create change. By coming together as a community we can find solace in shared experiences, learn from different perspectives, foster resilience and inspire action. Refreshments provided.

Thursday 22 February

Sustainability at White City

11:00 - 11:45 | White City

How is Imperial managing and enhancing environmental and social issues in the construction of our new campus at White City? 

Come learn from the staff team building the new campus about how we work with our design and construction supply chain to go beyond regulations towards net zero. Learn about our targets and our processes across goals such as climate resilience, biodiversity enhancement, and healthy internal environments.

Sustainability at Imperial: where we're at and what's next?

12:00 - 13:00 | online

What is the College doing on sustainability and how can you get involved?  

Hear from the Academic Leader for Sustainability (Tim Green) and Sustainability Strategy Director (Harriet Wallace) followed by Q&A. This session will cover Imperial’s sustainability priorities, where our biggest environmental impacts lie, and the practical steps needed to reduce our carbon footprint.

Develop your Personal 'Sustainability Goal Map'

13:30 - 15:30 | online

Goal mapping is both a creative & logical tool that can be applied to any type of goal setting.  In this session we focus on ‘doing’ goals around living more sustainably and ‘being’ goals to build personal resilience.

This online workshop uses the free Goal Mapping Tool to create your personal map to use and develop as you progress towards your goals.  

Friday 23 February

Green Impact Launch Event

11:00 - 12:00 | SAF 119, South Kensington

Transform your department to become more environmentally responsible and reduce your carbon footprint by taking part in Green Impact.

Green Impact, the United Nations award-winning programme designed to support environmentally, and socially sustainable practice is being launched this February at Imperial. Hear from the project manager at Green Impact on how to get involved.

ESE Clothing Exchange

12:00 - 14:00 | Room G41, Royal School of Mines

Thank you everyone who donated to ESE’s Clothing Drive in January! We will be displaying all the donations during the Exchange session and everyone is free to attend and give these new clothes a home for free! Priority will be given to those who donated in previous Donation sessions in January. This event is organised by the Department of Earth Science and Engineering's Sustainability Committee.

Education for Sustainable Development: Accelerating Imperial's Transformation

13:00 - 14:00 | SALC 7, Sherfield Level 5 South Kensington) 

Come together with friends and colleagues to learn and discuss about the ongoing environmental and social crises. We are creating an honest and safe space for us learn with humility and vulnerability. After understanding what is exactly happening and why, we will be reflecting on how it affects us all, and what we should do to turn things around. This is not all doom and gloom, and we are here to empower everyone to make a difference around them, starting at Imperial.

Know your water: Chemistry, Policy, and Community Engagement

14:00 - 16:30 | SALC 10, Sherfield Level 5 South Kensington

Join us for a hands-on, educational, creative workshop on water sustainability. In this workshop, you will learn about the chemistry of your own water (bring a water sample of your own if you want!*) and what water sustainability can mean to our health and environment. 
There will be opportunities for discussions and Q&As with researchers in the field of water pollution, as well as brainstorming ideas of how community engagement can help towards a more sustainable future. 
 
*If you want to test your own water, bring a small sample in a plastic bottle. It could be from your local river or the tap in your kitchen! 

Monday 26 February

Swap Shop

10:00 - 17:00 | Metric, South Kensington

Bring along items you no longer want (in decent condition please) and take home something else in return! The perfect opportunity to stock up on clothes and other things without cost to your wallet or the environment.

There will be opportunity to drop off items before the event (date/time tbc). For any queries contact efw20@ic.ac.uk.

Tuesday 27 February

Sustainability Fair

Sherfield 11:00 - 15:00, Metric 12:00 - 18:00

If you’re interested to learn more about living sustainably then you’ll want to visit our Sustainability Fair!

This event will be your chance to meet the groups and societies who are championing sustainability at Imperial and learn from them and others, how you can make small changes in your everyday life to be more sustainable.

No need to book – just come along and visit on Tuesday 27 February from Concourse Level 1 in the Sherfield building and in Metric.

Mindfulness Eating Lunch

13:00 - 14:00 | SALC 5 Sherfield Level 5, South Kensington

Taking place in Sherfield Level 5, SALC 5. You are what you eat! Embark on a transformative Mindful Lunch, where we invite you to appreciate the beauty of your meal while reflecting on its journey to your plate. Engage all your senses—appreciate the vibrant colours, inhale the aromas, and feel the textures, fostering a profound connection to your food. Elevate your daily meals, savouring each bite with gratitude for a richer experience that everyone can enjoy!

Climate Cafe

10:30 - 12:00 (3x 30 mins sessions) | Grantham Institute, Boardroom, South Kensington

Climate cafés are spaces to host discussions about the climate crisis, our emotions and the actions we need to create change. By coming together as a community we can find solace in shared experiences, learn from different perspectives, foster resilience and inspire action.

Optional sign up form or just turn up at 10:30, 11:00 or 11:30.

ESE Sustainability-themed Careers Day

12:00 - 16:00 | Room 147, Royal School of Mines

Interested in a career in Sustainability or curious about how to get into it? This Careers Day focused on sustainability will feature speakers from Accenture, SIX and Mott MacDonald, who will give a talk about what they do, how they got into the sustainability sector and give advice on how you can get into it too! The Speaker List will be released soon, so stay tuned! This event is organised by the Department of Earth Science and Engineering’s Sustainability Committee.

Secret Gardening Planting 

14:00 - 16:00 | South Kensington

Come and visit Environmental society’s Secret Garden, a peaceful haven amidst the bustle of the Imperial College campus. Nestled within a private garden, it’s where we keep our bees and plant our vegetables. Staff and students are welcome, join us and meet some like-minded people!

We will be meeting you at 14:00 outside the Centre for Environmental Policy, Weeks Building in Prince’s Gardens, South Kensington Campus.

Building a career in sustainable energy 

16:30 - 18:30 | Room 201, Skempton Building South Kensington

Are you interested in using your skills to help build a greener, fairer future? Hosted by Energy Futures Lab, hear from Imperial alumni who have built their careers in sustainable energy. Our panel will be sharing their insights and experience of working in a wide range of roles as well as their advice for current students wishing to take their first steps towards a rewarding and meaningful career. The event is open to students of all faculties and departments at Imperial and will be followed by a networking reception from 5:30-6:30pm.

Urban ecosystems talks

16:00 - 17:00 |  Skempton 427, South Kensington

We will be discussing 'Natural Capital - myth or reality?' with speakers: Thanos Paschalis, Chris Wilson (Civil and Environmental Engineering) and Alex Collins (Centre for Environmental Policy), as part of a new series of events from the Transition to Zero Pollution initiative's Urban Ecosystems theme. The talks will be followed by discussion over drinks and snacks.

Thursday 29 February

The links between climate change and mental health: What do we know and what needs to be done about it?

12:00 - 13:00 | Grantham Institute Boardroom and online

Climate change impacts not only physical health but also mental health. This session will summarise the evidence, how researchers are unpacking how people are feeling and support solutions that benefit climate and mental health together, and how we can all take mentally and emotionally sustainable action towards a future that centres wellbeing.

Lab Certification Sustainability Showcase 

13:00 - 14:30 | SAF 119, South Kensington

Want to make your lab more sustainable but not sure where to start? Meet likeminded colleagues and find out how to get your lab certified with LEAF or My Green Lab. Hear from certified Bronze and Gold Imperial College Labs on the practical steps to improve sustainability within your lab and reduce your carbon footprint. Lunch will be provided.

Friday 1 March

Beeswax Workshop

Time 18:00 - 20:00 | FLOW G.47, South Kensington

Come along for ESoc’s Beeswax arts and crafts workshop in collaboration with BioSoc and BioChemSoc! The session will involve making lip balm and food wraps from beeswax!

Beyond the Sustainability Fortnight: Reflection, Connection and Imagination for Imperial's Sustainability Transformation

14:00 - 16:00 | SALC 6 Sherfield Level 5, South Kensington

Reflecting on the experiences from Sustainability Fortnight, Imperial+ are hosting a collaborative workshop to explore the power of widespread collaboration at Imperial, its potential and the value in experimenting.

12.00 - 13.00: Creating a sustainable university: where we're at and what's next? (in-person)

What is the College doing on sustainability and how can you get involved? To kick off Sustainability Week 2023, Tim Green, the new Academic Leader for Sustainability, will talk about the College's Sustainability Strategy and the next phase to create a sustainable university for the future and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. 

15.00 - 16.00: Climate justice: fairness for a greener future (in-person and online)

Join our panel of experts to discuss the need to consider climate justice within and alongside climate science. Hear from Imperial experts on the just transition, loss and damage, inclusive public policy and youth voices alongside an external climate justice campaigner, all to discuss the narrative of inclusion in climate discussions and its practicalities.

16.00 - 18.00: Launch of Climate Anxiety Journal Club (in-person)

Join us for talks and a panel discussion with eco-anxiety experts, followed by the first session reviewing Our Changing World, a guided eco-anxiety journal from Climate Cares, designed “to help you process our changing world and take action on the environmental issues you care about most”.

18.00 - 19.00: London Student Sustainability Conference poster exhibition and networking session (in-person)

LSSC23 is a student-led conference, with students exhibiting their research and projects through presentations, posters and workshops, followed by a networking event in the evening.  The day-long conference offers attendees the opportunity to find out more about the incredible climate and sustainability work and research being undertaken by students across the city of London. 

10.00 - 16.00: Sustainability Fair (Sherfield Concourse)

POSTPONED: Room 101 Workshop: Tackling the unintended problems of the digital world 

16.00 - 18.00: Building a career in sustainability (in-person and online)

Hear from Imperial alumni who have built their careers in sustainability. The panel will be sharing their insights and experience of working in a wide range of sectors both in the UK and internationally as well as their advice for current students wishing to take their first steps towards a rewarding and meaningful career.

10.00 - 12.00: Environmental Emergency: the scary story & and effective solutions (in-person)

Led by the student societies, join for a two-hour lecture & workshop on the environmental crisis and climate change. Hear from the President of Engineers Without Borders, Imperial and the Education lead at Imperial Climate Action.

12.00 - 13.00: Solutions to save a dying planet (in-person and online)

Bringing together staff and student speakers from across Imperial's four Faculties, the event discusses the state of our natural world, why nature is so important to our mental well-being, how nature can help cities both mitigate and adapt to a warming climate, how greater financial investment in nature can be generated and what happened at the recent international biodiversity conference, COP15.

14.00 - 16.00: Environmental Society Secret Garden visit (outside Weeks Building in Prince’s Gardens, SK campus)

Come and visit Environmental society’s Secret Garden, a peaceful haven amidst the bustle of the Imperial College campus. Nestled within a private garden, it’s where we keep our bees and plant our vegetables. Staff and students are welcome, join us and meet some like-minded people!  We will be revealing our new vertical garden which you can help us plant. We will be meeting you at 14.00 outside the Centre for Environmental Policy, Weeks Building in Prince’s Gardens, South Kensington campus. 

16.00 - 17.00: A Changing Planet Seminar 'The Mathematics of Climate Tipping Points' (in-person and online)

In this talk, Dr. Ivan Sudakow will give examples of how nonlinear and stochastic theories are powerful tools that can be used to address questions around tipping points in the climate system. Ultimately this work will advance the representation of tipping elements in climate models, which will provide better predictions of the fate of Earth systems and the response of ecosystems.

18.00 - 19.30: Mock Climate Change Conference (in-person)

A fun, fast-paced role-playing event where “Global Leaders” from across society gather to negotiate and implement climate solutions.

10am-12pm: Environmental Emergency: the scary story & and effective solutions (in-person)

Led by the student societies, join for a 2-hour lecture & workshop on the environmental crisis and climate change. Hear from the President of Engineers Without Borders, Imperial and the Education lead at Imperial Climate Action.

12.00 - 13.00: What are the co-benefits of solutions to air pollution? (in-person and online)

Join our academics as they discuss the co-benefits of tackling air pollution for our health, the climate, and the economy. 

17.00 - 18.00: Briefing paper launch: Tyre wear particles are toxic for us and the environment (in-person and online)

Join us at a panel discussion to launch a new briefing paper on the impacts of tyre wear particles on our health and the environment.

10.00 - 12.00: Environmental Emergency: the scary story & and effective solutions (in-person)

Led by the student societies, join for a two-hour lecture & workshop on the environmental crisis and climate change. Hear from the President of Engineers Without Borders, Imperial and the Education lead at Imperial Climate Action.

13.00 - 14.00: Solving issues around Clean Water: A Global Challenge (in-person and online)

Billions of people around the world lack adequate access to one of the essential elements of life: clean water. In this panel event, we discover a variety of different research solutions that are being developed at Imperial from a range of departments across the college. From environmental management and public policy, the development of sensors for water quality assurance and the implementation of nature-based technologies in city designs we discover from our panellists potential solutions to the global challenge of providing clean water.

16.30 - 18.00: Sustainable networking event: conscious consumerism workshop & drinks (in-person) 

Come celebrate the end of Sustainability Week with a fun sustainability activity & networking session. Whether you’re an expert or just starting your sustainability journey – this event is for you! Join this interactive workshop, with drinks available from the Union and snacks to be provided! Meet others interested in sustainability and get inspired! 

10.00 - 12.00: Environmental Emergency: the scary story & and effective solutions (in-person)

Led by the student societies, join for a 2-hour lecture & workshop on the environmental crisis and climate change. Hear from the President of Engineers Without Borders, Imperial and the Education lead at Imperial Climate Action.