Blog
The Exciting World of Environment and Ethics
First of all, a massive thankyou to everyone who voted for the environmental and ethical motions at the last UGM. YUSU is now the first student union in the country to be a signatory of the Global Learning Charter. We're also mandated to stop using unethical eggs and to lobby the University to do the same. Some exciting amendments to the Environment and Ethics Committee were also passed, with new positions being elected next term.
An interesting project to look out for: I recently met with some former Durham students who are setting up a car-sharing website called Go Car Share. We discussed what services they might be able to offer York students who are looking for a cheap, sociable and more sustainable method of transport. The website has just been launched and it's definitely worth checking out.
As a committee, we've been working on updating the Ethical Merchandise Policy. It's not working at the moment; lots of societies are unaware of what companies they're able to use and we don't have the resources to update an exhaustive list. So we're looking a new ways of doing this to ensure that students have a coherent and effective method of purchasing merchandise from socially responsible suppiers.
Lastly, an apology. When I ran for election this year, I promised to organise a bike auction every term. Unfortunately it's not going to be possible this term as the member of staff at the University who helps coordinate this project is on leave. I'm hoping to organise two next term to make up for it!
