Student Sustainability Café – Digby

Our first Sustainability Café took place outside Digby on a mild autumn morning. The perfect setting for a relaxed, informal gathering. With coffee and pastries acting as a reliable pull-factor for students passing by, we welcomed:

• 15 students
• 7 staff members

The event centered around two simple but engaging activities:

Sustainability ‘Leaf a Thought’

Students shared their ideas and hopes for sustainability at Roehampton by writing on paper leaves which we hope to use in a display – a great conversation starter and an insight into community priorities.

Calendula De-seeding

Led by Bridget Steenkamp, students were encouraged to de-seed and de-leaf campus-grown calendula, aligning with her belief that keeping your hands busy fosters more organic conversation. She also taught them about the plants and their uses, from natural balms to remedies. Hillary Nevyjel also supported the activity and then took several students over to her usual Growhampton Give It a Grow session to continue their sustainability journey.

The drop-in, casual format worked extremely well, offering both structure and flexibility. Going forward, we’ll continue this style while also adding a focal activity to anchor each session.

Student Sustainability Café – Southlands (Fun & Games)

Our second café took place in The Reef, where we partnered with Southlands College’s regular Fun & Games event. This collaboration paid off, with a lively lunchtime crowd and great visibility.

We saw strong engagement, welcoming:

• 20 students
• 3 College Community Leaders (CCLs)
• 3 staff members

The theme for the event was a nature-inspired creative session. Students were invited to paint using a mix of guided designs and nature-inspired images from the campus’ biodiversity. Alongside this, we displayed sustainability fact sheets for anyone wanting to learn more while taking a lunch break.

The busy Reef environment created a lively atmosphere, giving students and staff the chance to get creative and explore sustainability in an engaging, hands-on way.

Looking Ahead: Sustainability Café at Whiteland’s

Next term, our Sustainability Café heads to Whitelands, where we’re excited to collaborate with colleagues from the School of Life and Health Sciences on a biodiversity trail around the grounds. Participants will be able to explore Whitelands’ natural spaces, learn about campus ecology, and then return to The Sett for hot drinks, pastries, and time to chat. Date to be confirmed – keep an eye on the SU What’s On page and the NEST/Staff portal for updates.

This event will continue our approach of combining interactive activities with informal engagement, hopefully making sustainability enjoyable and easy to connect with.

How the Sustainability Café Fits Into Our Wider Strategy

The Sustainability Café series directly contributes to the University’s Communications & Engagement objectives, helping to ensure our staff, students, partners, and local community are informed and engaged in Roehampton’s wider sustainability agenda.

These cafés help advance objectives around education, behaviour change, community engagement, and embedding sustainability into campus culture, making sustainability visible, accessible, and part of everyday campus life. Specifically, the cafés support:

1. Raising Awareness

By taking events into colleges, cafés, and high-footfall campus spaces, the cafés help inform the community about sustainability issues and the University’s initiatives through visible, interactive, and multi-channel engagement.

2. Educating and Inspiring Action

Through hands-on activities like de-seeding calendula, nature-inspired painting, and biodiversity trails, participants gain engaging opportunities to learn about sustainability and adopt more sustainable practices.

3. Fostering Collaboration

Each café brings together staff, students, and partner teams such as Growhampton, Colleges, and the School of Life & Health Sciences, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange and collective action.

We are also exploring a Sustainability Café Podcast, sharing conversations, stories, and ideas from across the Roehampton community — keep an ear out for this and for future café events run by the Sustainability Team!

Get Involved

Have an idea for a future Sustainability Café? Want to collaborate, or help us shape the Spring series?

We’d love to hear from you.
 📧 Email us at: sustainabilityteam@roehampton.ac.uk 

 

Amelia Iswariah
Sustainability & Energy Officer