We’re handing the Green Impact blog over to the Biomedical Science team today! If you or your team wants to contribute to the blog, get in touch at greenimpact@sheffield.ac.uk.
Read Melanie’s step by step guide to holding a successful recruitment drive!
I’ve been involved in Green Impact since the start at Sheffield, and was fortunate when I moved in to BMS from Chemistry that there was a thriving GI community here too. However, times change, people move on and we have been sadly depleted over recent years.
The team has still been successful, maintaining a Gold award in the main workbook and advancing to Silver in the Labs tab in 16-17.
BUT: I am tired of tick boxes and giving up my lunchtime to check room temperatures, so I thought this year I’m going to prioritise a recruitment drive!
Step 1. Recruit a GIPA (green Impact project assistant)
Problem 1. I can’t make the meet and greet event!
Solution 1. Hold my own! I made contact with Chris outside of the meet and greet and we had a natter about BMS and our GI target for this year, and Chris’s motivations for joining the team,
Step 2. Recruit more team members
Solution 2 . Bribe them with cake! We had a little get together fueled by jam tarts for the existing team members that wanted to carry on, and any new interested people.
I tried to stress that many hands make light work, and that there are many different aspects of the toolkit that require different talents eg communications to the department need refreshing, hosting events, alongside some of the more traditional toolkit elements such as checking our equipment is being purchased at A* energy ratings.
I was thrilled that we had some new recruits, and some new ideas. Sandra is interested in greening our workplaces (quite literally) with the introduction of some house plants, and Harriet is interested in where we can adapt our working practices in cold storage to be more efficient.
I wanted to make sure that our GIPA had ownership of some elements of the work, and that whilst it is really important to complete the toolkit, there are sometimes areas outside of the toolkit that really need working on to improve sustainable behaviours across the area. Chris is going to look into the recycling opportunities locally for single use coffee capsules, and we would encourage anyone else with an interest in that area to get in touch with us so that we can make a bigger impact.
Jo advised us that this might qualify as a project, so we might have to work outside of the toolkit either just on that project, or completely – we haven’t made our minds up yet, and that sounds like another opportunity for a get together over tea and cake!
And lastly – if you want some advice from an old hand, or want to work together on a project, or you just like cake as much as we do, then get in touch –we’d love to hear from you!
Melanie and the BMS GIT’s
If you want advice on holding your own recruitment drive, get in touch with Melanie at m.hannah@sheffield.ac.uk.