Geography and Environmental Sustainability Society

🌿Looking to make a positive impact on the environment? The GES is searching for a treasurer for 2024/25, we are open to all students regardless of their discipline!

🌊This is a great opportunity for any student who is passionate about the environment and sustainability!

🌳You will play a key role in the GES by managing events and finances to make sure it runs smoothly.

Apply by emailing: [email protected] or send a message to this page!

And to find out more email: [email protected] or check out: https://www.uusu.org/get_involved/societies/join/ges-society/

Image designed by Freepik

🌊 Our first Beach Clean-Up Was a
Success!

Our recent Beach Clean-Up was an great way to meet the members of our society and help protect our environment. 🏖 🌿

Stay tuned for more exciting events and socials, don't forget to come see us at freshers fayre on Wednesday!

Huge thanks to all who participated, let's continue making a difference, one beach at a time! 🌊 🐚

Ulster Wildlife- Benone Beach Great British Beach Clean 🏖️🌊

GES society has been invited by Ulster wildlife to attend Benones beach clean up on the 19th September 12-2pm

If you would like to attend this event you can sign up via this link:

https://www.mcsuk.org/beach-cleans/ulster-wildlife-benone-beach-great-british-beach-clean-19-09-2023/

This exciting event will involve the data that you collect to be uploaded into the Marine Conservation Society database to aid towards change.

More information on the event can also be found via the link.

If you have any questions feel free to give us a Dm!

MEET THE TEAM 🌏

We have a few new members to the team this year and cannot wait for you to meet them!

Come down to our table at the Freshers' Fayre and say hi 👋🏻 We would love more members and to talk to you about our plans for the year!!

We are currently looking for committee members to take the lead of the society for 22-23! This is a great opportunity to get involved, to put on events you want to see on campus & gain experience to boost your cv (plus it is an Edge activity!)
If you would be interested in a role contact Karen on [email protected]!

Hi everyone,
Thanks to everyone the attended the Whitepark bay beach clean!
We are planning another one very soon so keep an eye out on our UUSU page and on this group! 😊

Hi everyone,
For anyone running late just head on down to the beach! ☺️

Hi Everyone,

We look forward to seeing you all for our first event of semester 2 and 2022!!

We are holding a Beach clean at Whitepark Bay on Tuesday 25th January 2022 at approximately 13:30 - 15:30.

It's a great way to meet some new friends and help protect and preserve our natural habitats! There will also be hidden prizes on the day as well as GES Society branded lanyards for the first 80 new members (membership can be purchased on the day of the event for £3).

In order to limit the spread of Covid, we encourage everyone to make their own way to the beach however if anyone needs transport arranged for them then email [email protected] or [email protected] and it can be arranged for you. For advice on car sharing safely, please see https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/car-sharing

If anyone needs directions or assistance en route to Whitepark bay, feel free to contact Olivia (Society secretary) on 07783224646.

All equiptment needed for the clean will be provided, just make sure to consult the weather forecast and dress in appropriate footwear and clothing.

**If you are attending any of our in-person events we recommend you take a FREE NHS lateral flow test no more than 48 hours prior to the event. It’s a simple step you can take to look after yourself and those around you. FREE tests are available online at www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests or visit www.ulster.ac.uk/coronavirus/asymptomatic-testing to book a test on-campus or arrange collection of a home test kit. If you test positive for COVID-19 please follow the current government guidelines.**

https://www.uusu.org/events/6671/1672/

Hi Everyone,
Sorry for the delay in getting this posted, unfortunately the group won’t allow me to post a poll so if u comment you answers below that would be great!

Transport arrangements - as we are unsure of the number of people who can attend, along with covid restrictions, we would like to know if you would prefer to make your own way to Whitepark bay.
A: get your own way there
B: need transport arranged for you (e.g with another society member)

Availability - we understand that next week is the start of semester 2 so let us know what days and times would suit you best.
A Monday 24th
B Tuesday 25th
C Wednesday 26th
D Thursday 26th
E Friday 27th
(Along with your answer say if morning or afternoon would suit best)

Fingers crossed we will get confirmation that this can go ahead!

Hi Everyone👋🏻
With semester 2 commencing soon we are starting to think about society events for over the next few weeks! 🌟🌟

We are planning to organise a beach clean at Whitepark bay (all being well we will get permission to hold this) during the week of refreshers (uni week 1: 24th - 28th Jan). However to help with the planning process we wanted to ask you all some preferences!
🏝🌊🏝🌊🏝🌊🏝🌊🏝🌊🏝🌊🏝🌊🏝🌊🏝

For those who are interested in participating (covid permitting) please answer the poll questions in the next post! 😊

For those of you who aren’t comfortable with in person events, don’t worry, we are also planning to hold an online quiz event with prizes, keep an eye out over the next few weeks! 🤙🏻

Hi Everyone,
Happy New Year!

I trust you all has a lovely Christmas!
Rory Quinn has made me aware of a webinar on January 11th at 7PM, presented by Irish Wildlife Trust about Sharks in Irish waters.

If this is of interested to any of our members check out the link below!

https://www.ulsteruniges.com/careers

Hope to meet more of you in semester 2!

Careers | School of Geography and Environmental Sciences Career opportunities - including jobs, placements, bursaries, training and work experience (older posts are archived here) 

Looking forward to meeting you all tonight! 😁👌🏻

✨✨🍕PIZZA & ICEBREAKER NIGHT🍕✨✨

Come to our first event of 2021/22!
We thought it would be a good idea to meet up, chat, eat pizza, maybe play a few games and have some craic! 😆

Event details:
👉Wednesday 27th October
👉8pm - 10pm
👉Room E019 (Beside SU Bar)
👉Max of 30 students allowed to attend
👉Vegan and Vegetarian options available (Pizza will be ordered from Dominoes)

To get your tickets (which are totally free!) please follow the link below to our UUSU webpage. Scroll to the bottom and click to add the ticket to you basket!
https://www.uusu.org/organisation/uusugessoc/

Message from UUSU:
If you are attending any of our in-person events we recommend you take a FREE NHS lateral flow test no more than 48 hours prior to the event. It’s a simple step you can take to look after yourself and those around you. FREE tests are available online at www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests or visit www.ulster.ac.uk/coronavirus/asymptomatic-testing to book a test on-campus or arrange collection of a home test kit. If you test positive for COVID-19 please follow the current government guidelines.

P.S for anyone who hasn't been able to purchase their membership to the GES society, please feel free to attend this event and we can take your payment in cash instead!

Hi Everyone, Here is a conference that might interest some of our followers - it is a ticketed online event costing £5.98!

"Right now, farm businesses are facing a multitude of challenges: climate change, unpredictable weather patterns, changes to future farm payment schemes and adjusting to new consumer demands. But as research shows, farm businesses can improve resilience by utilising the most powerful asset at their disposal: nature.

When farmers make nature a shareholder in their business by working with it instead of against it, there are real opportunities to become profitable and adaptable in the long term.

This conference, with guest speakers and a live Q&A, will tackle farm business concerns to show where and how this can be achieved. Our workshops will offer practical solutions for adapting your business and will provide actionable insights on working towards the Maximum Sustainable Output (MSO) of your farm, using real-life learnings from farmers who have changed their approach.

Accountants, economists, scientists and other supporting industry professionals will be showing how nature has an impact on both climate change and the ‘bottom line’ of business."

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nature-means-business-online-conference-tickets-170140850865?aff=Facebook

Nature Means Business Online Conference Working with nature to make your farm business profitable and resilient

The university is creating an online sustainability course within a new project called Schools Outreach Academy which is aimed at secondary level pupils who want to find out more about sustainability.

The university would like to include student videos to provide real life examples to the course and are hoping it would be possible to get a quick clip from some students!

Saying as we are the GES society, we were asked if anyone would like to participate in creating and sending in a video detailing how they can make decisions with sustainability in mind i.e.
Why is sustainability important to them?
How do they play a part in promoting sustainability?
What motivated them to make their decisions around sustainability?
What so you want to achieve in life?

The videos will be incorporated into a webpage and students can record the content themselves on their phones, the only stipulation is to please record in landscape on their phone (sideways, rather than upright).

The Schools team will cut the video around stop/starts, edits or mistakes so there is no need to worry about sending through a perfect recording and they can range in length from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Advice from the team is to record 2 or 3 takes and send these to us, they can then slice bits out as need be.

If any of you are willing or would like to find out more, please contact Sara Benetti at [email protected]
Video submission must be made by the 14th October.

I realise you must be busy with your studies and your help would be very much appreciated if you can find the time, but please don’t feel you need to put too much time into it.

Geography and Environmental Sustainability Society updated their address.

Hi Everyone, another quick update to remind you all of the upcoming FUTURE SKILLS WEEK organized by employability and careers. This event will run from the 24th to the 28th of May and is targeted towards 2nd years looking for placement, final years, and recent graduates, however, everyone is welcome to join any session.

You can also use this week as an activity towards gaining the Ulster EDGE award. All you need to do is attend 4 sessions and complete the evaluation documents following the session to gain accreditation.

To register or find out more about the workshops and talks, see https://www.ulster.ac.uk/skillsweek

There is a vast variety of activities across the 5 days that you can attend, and while you can attend any session you wish, these, in particular, will be beneficial for GES students.

Mon

Confidence in Action
Tell me you’re employable without telling me you’re employable
Design thinking challenge
Tuesday

Presenting with impact
Create your own video CV
Self-care strategies@ Beyond bubblebath
Wed

It’s all about who knows you
Careers Café – Understanding and overcoming interview nerves
Press play – get work ready
Thursday

NI Senior Women’s Football Team – A New Dream
Developing strong leadership from inside out
Fri

Boost CV – Triple Stack Hack
Careers Café – Graduation What’s Next?
Personal Effectiveness and High Performance

To register for any of these events see https://www.ulster.ac.uk/skillsweek

Hi Everyone 👋
I hope you are all having a great week so far!

I have been asked to promote this fantastic opportunity across the society which is directed at 2nd years, placement students, and final-year students.

This opportunity will provide you with a 6 week paid internship and will allow you to build networks which is key to landing a job following your academic career.

Check it out bu following the link below!!

https://eo-cdt.org/research-experience-placements-summer-2021/

Research Experience Placements – Summer 2021 – SENSE – Centre for Satellite Data in Environmental Science Research Experience Placement is a summer placement scheme funded by NERC, aimed at undergraduate students to address demographic and diversity-related challenges in the environmental sciences as well as thematic skills gaps (e.g. quantitative skills). SENSE REP students will become part of a networ...

VOTING IS NOW OPEN!

Follow the link to begin voting!

https://www.uusu.org/student-voice/elections/leadership/

We would love your support in voting for
Curtis Donnan for VP Coleraine !
Owen McCloskey for president!
Grace Boyle for VP education!

UUSU 2021 Leadership Elections This is your opportunity to choose who speaks for you for the next year! 7 Officers will be elected including the President who will be your voice in 2021-22 alongside Faculty reps who liaise with senior academics on your behalf, and who are supported by School/Dept reps in each school! Nominations....

Geography and environmental Sustainability society would like to endorse:

Grace Boyle for VP education Coleraine🗳

Voting runs from 22nd-24th March this week. Best of luck to all candidates

- G.E.S

Geography and environmental Sustainability society would like to endorse:

Owen McCloskey for President Coleraine🗳

Voting runs from 22nd-24th March this week. Best of luck to all candidates

- G.E.S

Geography and environmental Sustainability society would like to endorse:

Curtis Donnan for VP Coleraine🗳

Voting runs from 22nd-24th March this week. Best of luck to all candidates

- G.E.S

Hi all, I know we have been very quiet this year, but we will be holding our AGM next Friday 12th march at 1:30pm, we hope to appoint new committee members for 2021/2022, if you are a member and are interested in joining our committee please come along. Feel free to message us if you have any questions!

Join Zoom Meeting
https://uusu-org.zoom.us/j/83588472228?pwd=anJkZHRiS3dlSzU0Yng1SzFSdTdiQT09

Meeting ID: 835 8847 2228
Passcode: 456567

HI everyone,
our society is now free to join if you follow the the link below you can become a member 🙂

https://www.uusu.org/organisation/uusugessoc/

Geography and Environmental Sciences Geography and Environmental Sustainability society For those with a passion for the environment or want to broaden their knowledge and skills.

Do you want to help with Seal Rescues

Exploris is on the lookout for Volunteer’s. Our aim is to Strategically place trained members over the coast of Northern Ireland to help us with Seal rescues and to advise the public when a seal report is made to Exploris. Not all seals need to be brought in as they may be resting and their parents may be hunting for food.

Areas we are targeting are:

- Belfast
- Cushendall/Larne area
- Portstewart/Larne (North coastal area)
- Magilligan/Lough Foyle area
- Kilkeel/Warrenpoint/Newcastle area.

All successful Volunteers will receive:
- Full Training on Handling
- Waterproof Transport Boxes
- Exploris ID Badge
- Exploris Branded Coat

To express your interest please DM your email address and Tel numbers and we will be in contact with the next stage.

Geography and Environmental Sustainability Society updated their business hours.

Geography and Environmental Sustainability Society updated their website address.

Here is the sign up for Veganuary if anyone would like to take the pledge in a last-minute moment of madness! Lauren and I are taking part in Veganuary with the understanding of the huge environmental impacts a plant-based diet can have. Good luck everyone else taking part and drop me a message if you would like to be added into the UUSU Veganuary WhatsApp group chat!

https://veganuary.com/register/

Try vegan this January with Veganuary Sign up for daily recipes, meal plans and tips.

We’re going to be working hard throughout January to bring you endless Vegan Inspiration!🥑💚

So let us know are you’re already vegan, planning to give Veganuary a go, or looking to cut down on meat in 2020😁🌱💚