Transition University of St Andrews

Dear amazing STUDENTS!

This is a cool chance to win a £100 gift card and help out with travel planning in St Andrews while supporting our goal to go net zero!

https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/standrews/student-travel-survey-2024-final
The deadline is this Friday, 15th of Nov. Please share this widely with your friends!

Can anyone guess what this is? Hint: it’s made for one of our most loved mammals…

It’s a hedgehog house! These adorable spiky creatures are known for their characteristic brown spines, and spend most of their lives asleep, hibernating in the winter and only active in spring and summer evenings to find food. However, they need our help as much as possible - it is believed numbers of hedgehogs could be down by half in rural areas and a third in urban areas since the year 2000.

Building a hedgehog house like this one is a great way to encourage hedgehogs to your garden, give them a sheltered spot to sleep and stop their decline! This one was built by Nathan Dickson using this template https://ow.ly/9kYJ50U4peM. Last year we put out half a dozen boxes on the estate thanks to the Hedgehog Friendly Campus, and this is continuing their good work! If you want to have a go yourself then this a great template to follow as it is predator-proof – and if you want to give yourself the extra challenge, you can even make it out of old pallets like this one!

If you are not particularly crafty but still want to help, then you can leave out water and suitable food such as wet cat food for them (although don’t leave out milk as they are lactose intolerant!)

With your help, we can save the hedgehogs!

We’re really looking forward to our next monthly Repair & Advice Café next Wednesday 13th November 6 – 8:30pm!! This month we will be in the Foyer of Walter Bower House (Eden Campus) in Guardbridge.

We will have free clothes and bag repairs, jewellery repairs and electrical repairs as well. For electrical items, please email me to book a slot. For all other repairs, you can just turn up.

And the exciting news is that we have a new woodwork repairer and advisor on the team. If you have any damaged/broken wooden items (mirror frames, ornaments, toys, furniture etc) please get in touch BEFOREHAND with details about the item and pictures too if possible, to see if the item can be repaired.

There will be delicious free University catering refreshments available and magazines to browse so you can come and relax while you wait your turn. More info here - https://transitionsta.org/event/repair-advice-cafe/

And to get you excited about just how COOL the Repair Cafe movement is, we’ve recorded a podcast about ours (covering our reuse and skillshare work too) – tune in here (only 24 minutes): https://transitionsta.org/sharing/. We’d love to hear what you think!

Hope to see you next week!

👀Check out our LATEST additions to our toolshare library 👇

Our collection now features a medium-sized bolt cutter, perfect for tackling tough projects, and a powerful SHARK carpet cleaner to refresh your home.

Join our toolshare community! For just £15 a year, you can become a member and gain access to our diverse range of tools and equipment. We believe in sharing resources to promote sustainability and help everyone in the community save money. 🫶

From garden tools to power tools, and even kitchen and party equipment, we have a wonderful selection just waiting for you.

Curious? click in the link below for more info
https://transitionsta.org/sharing/toolshare/

Thank you so much to Pittormie Fruit Farm for letting us come in and glean Romanesco cauliflowers that didn't fit commercial specifications. They taste just the same no matter how they look - delicious! The St Andrews Storehouse Foodbank, Madras College's school cooking team and a Community Cafe in Colinsburgh were very appreciative. Do get in touch if you'd like to join the gleaning team!

🤩Check out our latest newsletter filled with positive climate action stories and events! Happy reading! 🫶🌍🌟

Transition's Monthly Newsletter! November is filled with exciting and diverse events that everyone is welcome to attend, with most of them being free of charge. Just take a look at the event details to find out if you can drop by or if you need to reserve a spot. We’re all about practical climate action and skills that both benef...

Really looking forward to our Mini Give Away TODAY 12-2pm next to the car park down by Agnes Blackadder Hall (North Haugh).

We are very sad that our Reuse store is still shut due to ongoing building works and we are keen to get all your lovely donations rehomed.

ALL welcome (not just staff and students); all free except clothes/shoes (5 for £5) - WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU WILL FIND! For all info see here - https://transitionsta.org/event/mini-give-away/

Transition's first ever Winter Fair is coming to St Andrews on Sunday 8th December 2:30 - 5:30pm!! We so hope you can make it.

The focus will be on a Reuse exchange and give away (of lots of quality, second-hand clothes/toys/household items/stationery/gifts), fun and creative upcycling activities using repurposed fabric and natural materials, ethical gifts, and of course music and food.

There are 3 ways you can get involved NOW to help us reduce the cost of Christmas for people (as well as the waste that often comes at Christmas time). Please get in touch with us via Facebook or by email to arrange collection of any of the below. THANK YOU.

1. Please donate good quality, good condition children's toys/games to us in November and receive a 'credit note' for our Toy/Game Christmas Present Exchange on Dec 8th. Children love receiving Christmas presents but they don't need to be brand new and cost the earth. (You will also be able to buy these items at the Fair - money raised supports Transition's work).

2. Please donate Christmas Party Wear (adults and children's) and receive an optional 'credit note' to pick up a new-to-you outfit at our Christmas Party Wear Exchange on Dec 8th (you can also just donate without needing to exchange). Or simply bring your item to the Fair and exchange it on the day. (You will also be able to buy items at the Fair - money raised supports Transition's work).

3. We are running a 'Secret Santa' give away stall for those who might be planning Secret Santa gift giving at work or with family/friends. We are looking for donations of good-as-new preloved small gifts to help us support people who don't want to over-spend this Christmas. As above, you will receive a credit note in exchange for any items.

https://transitionsta.org/event/transitions-winter-fair/

Thank you so much!

Last week we kicked off tree planting season with a woodland creation session as part of the university's Week of Sustainability! 🌳

Along with some keen volunteers, we planted over 60 trees in the North Haugh which included crab apple, oak, hawthorn and rowan. The spring blossom will support pollinating insects and autumn berries provide food for birds. Acorns could even nourish the small population of red squirrels in the area.

We're always looking for helping hands and there will be plenty of practical conservation sessions coming up this winter, including more tree planting and dune restoration. If this interests you then keep an eye out for the next one!

Happy Sunday everyone! And the exciting news is.... that we are hosting another Mini Give Away this coming Wednesday! We are very sad that our Reuse store is still shut due to ongoing building works and we are keen to get all your lovely donations rehomed. This Wednesday we will have a lunchtime Give Away 12-2pm by the car park at Agnes Blackadder Hall. ALL welcome; all free except clothes/shoes - WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU WILL FIND! For all info see here - https://ow.ly/AoLA50TYKSc

We’re VERY excited about the launch of a new app today which helps you find car share partners.

Open to all university staff and students, the Mobilityways app provides a simple platform for you to add your regular journeys to work and connect with others making similar journeys.

Liftsharing not only helps you make big savings in money and carbon but it’s also a great way of meeting new colleagues and cheering up your daily commute!

You can find Mobilityways in the App Store or Google Play Store. Once it’s downloaded, just search for the University of St Andrews Car Share community and add your journey to find potential liftshare matches near you.

Do you liftshare into work? We’d love to hear your stories!

Looking forward to discussing the Edible Campuses efforts to grow tomatoes as part of this debate on Tomatoes as EcoCultural Artefacts at the Bell Pettigrew Museum at 2pm, 1/11/24. Comparing Italian and Scottish tomato growing as a route to talk ecojustice, community agriculture and so much more. https://events.st-andrews.ac.uk/events/tomatoes-as-ecocultural-artefacts/

Happy Halloween everyone! We have some fungi foraging MAGIC this Sunday 2-4pm in Bishop's Wood near Strathkinness! To get you into the (Halloween) SPIRIT, tune in to St Andrews Botanic Garden's Callum giving a little insight into the DEATHLY side of mushrooms - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS6_0vng77c&list=PLNWTG4DfbyD6B3N8fPYJI6x5pyLYAR5el&index=12

You can sign up here - https://transitionsta.org/event/fungi-foraging/

It's University of St Andrews' inaugural Week! There are a whole host of interesting events lined up; do visit our website to find out more. Folk had a chance to meet our conservation cows today. Fancy taking part in another nature event? Join us this Wednesday 1-3pm at North Haugh to plant tree saplings and sow wildflower seed to create a wildlife corridor for people and wildlife to enjoy 🌳🌺🦋 More at https://ow.ly/uLPc50TUCCi

Here is a great opportunity for a student to undertake a paid internship with Transition to research driver and cyclist behaviours. We will also be looking for cyclists to take part by trialing close pass indicators. For more details and apply by 1st Nov https://ow.ly/UHXH50TSlmr

Join our Climate Fresk and discover the facts and complexities of Climate Change through a fun, team based card game as part of Sustainability Week. Get the knowledge and plan actions to reduce carbon emissions locally and in the home. https://ow.ly/gwQM50TSmeR

Let's make our HALLOWEEN more SUSTAINABLE! Share your IDEAS with us and post your spooky outfits and delicious treats!

Halloween costumes and sweet wrappers can lead to a lot of waste filling our landfills, soils, and seas.

To celebrate this festive moment with your friends, let's get creative and think about our planet. Re-use clothes to design your costume and avoid buying from Amazon (due to their bad ethical rating on climate change and human rights). Instead of sweets wrapped in plastic, let's go for homemade pastries. This will make the event more fun and challenging!

Active travel champion Carron Thorley after completing the Loch Rannoch marathon last weekend😍. After joining the Transition Active Travel running group, Carron went on to ace the and now look at what she has achieved! If you need help to take positive action for planet and wellbeing please get in touch!